Jeff Jarrett Reveals Who Came Up With TNA Brand Name

Jeff Jarrett recently appeared on the “My World” podcast, where he discussed how TNA was formed, who came up with the TNA name, and more.

Below are the highlights:

On how TNA was formed:

“We agreed really early, day one, that it (percentage of the business owned) would be 65/35 (Jeff 65, Jerry 35), but it was going to be diluted with investors as time went on, knowing the business strategy of outsourcing where we didn’t have overhead, as little overhead as possible…If I don’t believe in it, why should anybody else believe in it. I’m putting my money up and had no problem doing it…I put up roughly $600,000 and change and he put up $300,00 and change. We got close to the million mark.”

On who came up with the TNA name:

“Me and Vince (Russo) obviously had the conversation. I’m sure J.B. (Jeremy Borash), Disco, I mean there probably could have been multiples, but me and Vince probably had the most extensive conversations. The conversation went back to me and my father that I was ready, willing and able to shoulder the load. I came off WCW and WWF, and the single biggest deciding factor, in my opinion, on the success or failure of a wrestling company is you have to have the buck stop with someone. So, the buck stopped with me. You can point fingers at Vince Russo, or Jerry Jarrett, or a number of folks over the years. If the buck stops with you, you’re ultimately, so it was me…A PPV only company, we were still going with the mindset in Pat Patterson’s words, ‘a little something extra’, so the double entendre with no commercials…This was two hour, commercial free, on PPV and using the double entendre, so the Total Nonstop Action was the commercial free, and the other version of t*ts and a*s, the other version of TNA, was just that.”

On him wanting TNA to have an association with NASCAR:

“Going with the mindset that the majority of our business is going to come from the Southeast and the Midwest, that’s country music and NASCAR…If I went to a country music venue or I went to a NASCAR race, the crossover is astronomical comparatively speaking. I met Hermie Sadler in Las Vegas through a WWF event in the mid-90s. Me and Hermie hit it off from day one. He’s been one of my best friends ever since. We go way, way back. I’ve met a lot of drivers. In 2001, 2000, 1999, NASCAR then as it is today is apples to oranges. You talk about the golden age because it had a group of established stars, Darrell Waltrip, Dale Earnhardt, some real rock star celebrities of drivers, but then they had this new crop and the ratings on FOX were through the roof…Hermie agreed to wrestle. Hermie was a cup driver. He might not have been Dale Earnhardt, but he had a name. You can create the storyline and you can advertise ‘NASCAR’s Hermie Sadler is wrestling.’ That’s the advertisement.”

On more about the TNA name:

“That was a pivot off of ‘We love TNA, the double entendre.’ I say we, but I’m not going to throw people in my bucket unless they are willing. Lots of folks hated on that name, but I didn’t hear anybody say, ‘Oh Jeff, that’s going to put you out of business.’ It was, again context, coming off the Attitude Era, we were strictly a PPV only. We could get away with more stuff, so we were going to have girls dancing in cages. We were going to push the envelope, not go over the line, but go right up to the line. Going back to Tuesday Night Attitude, Tuesday went away. PPV companies were not enamored with that. That was a big replay night. That was a big movie night. They wanted us on Wednesdays. I wasn’t opposed to that. It’s sitting in the middle of the week. Maybe it works a little better, again, my eternal optimism. I can bring talent in on Wednesday and they can work the independents…It rolled off the tongue, TNA Wrestling…You would never say TNA without wrestling. I remember saying, ‘Why would you ever leave it with just TNA?’ People don’t know TNA. You don’t just say that, ever.”