Jerry W. Jarrett
Trafford Publishing, 2004
Paperback
Jerry Jarrett's The Story of the Development of the NWATNA: A New Concept in Pay-Per-View is virtual reprint of Jarrett's 2002 personal journal excluding matters not directly concerned with the wrestling business. The journal was written as Jarrett - a long time wrestling promoter based in Tennessee - and his son Jeff were establishing NWA-TNA Wrestling. This is Jarrett's first book. He released his autobiography The Best of Times in 2011.
Jerry Jarrett, though he has his detractors, is widely regarded as one of the most respected and successful wrestling promoters in the history of the industry. He founded CWA (Memphis) which was a thriving promotion and that was one of the few American based promotions - if not only depending on one's view of Turner's acquisition of Jim Crockett
Promotions - to have survived the WWF expansion of the 1980s. Though a number of facts and figures could be listed, perhaps the best testament to Jarrett's talents as both a businessman and a creative mind is that had Vince McMahon been sentenced to prison time for steroid distribution in 1994, Jarrett was his hand picked choice to run the WWF.
Jarrett's book is a very unique look at the founding a national wrestling promotion. He gives the readers a very detailed look at "the business end of the business." His story is a great example of how a promoter needs to do more than simply find a few wrestlers, a ring and a venue to launch a company. Jarrett discusses the difficulties he has with finding investors, signing top talent and creating a group consensus regarding the creative and business direction of the company. While many of the conflicts he encounters are with outside personnel, the most interesting clashes he has are with his son Jeff. Most of these revolve around the degree to which Vince Russo is/should be involved in the company. Though their often heated discussions are related to their personal history, it is a great example of the more universal (old school vs. new school) battle.
A highlight of the book is one of Jarrett's letters to a member of the Panda Energy management team (at the time the new prospective owners of the company) wherein he explains the importance of perception in the wrestling industry. While many of his points can be argued, he makes the case that the perception a company has with its fans, employees and those on the periphery of the industry often trumps its reality. In essence he asks the Panda rep, will people support a company they think is poorly run, features B-level performers and will soon fail? Jarrett's 2002 question undoubtedly has plagued TNA to this day. Perhaps more so in recent months than ever.
The book suffers from three major issues. Firstly, there are far too many grammatical and spelling mistakes. These would have been greatly helped by a simple proof reading by either Jarrett, an editor or a publisher. It is easy to overlook a few of these, however, there are far too many to believe that the book was competently proof read prior to printing. Secondly, there are moments when names are used without an explanation of who the person is. This may be the result of some cuts made by Jarrett or his editors, but it hurts the flow of the book immensely and the context of some of these references are a mystery to the reader. Thirdly, the book is a chronicle of one calendar year of the life of Jarrett and not the first year of TNA (either as an operational company or as an idea.) The reader gets a very complete glimpse into Jarrett's work during the period, but the story is not framed by any major events. When we join Jarrett, the TNA idea has already been pitched and as the story ends, the company has produced several shows with more on the horizon and the company's ownership and structure is in transition. The book, therefore, is a series of relatively minor peaks and valleys rather than a build to a major event and, therefore, there is no climax to the story. This could be somewhat forgiven if Jarrett had released follow up issues leading to his departure from an active role in TNA, however, none have yet to surface.
The book is recommended to those who are looking to promote a wrestling show - there is a lot of wisdom in there regarding the business and creative ends - or those who are a fan of TNA, either Jerry or Jeff Jarrett or those who have an interest in the history of wrestling.
(Written 06/09/15)
Audio Review Available On Ep. 4 of Wrestle Book Review Podcast
Promotions - to have survived the WWF expansion of the 1980s. Though a number of facts and figures could be listed, perhaps the best testament to Jarrett's talents as both a businessman and a creative mind is that had Vince McMahon been sentenced to prison time for steroid distribution in 1994, Jarrett was his hand picked choice to run the WWF.
Jarrett's book is a very unique look at the founding a national wrestling promotion. He gives the readers a very detailed look at "the business end of the business." His story is a great example of how a promoter needs to do more than simply find a few wrestlers, a ring and a venue to launch a company. Jarrett discusses the difficulties he has with finding investors, signing top talent and creating a group consensus regarding the creative and business direction of the company. While many of the conflicts he encounters are with outside personnel, the most interesting clashes he has are with his son Jeff. Most of these revolve around the degree to which Vince Russo is/should be involved in the company. Though their often heated discussions are related to their personal history, it is a great example of the more universal (old school vs. new school) battle.
A highlight of the book is one of Jarrett's letters to a member of the Panda Energy management team (at the time the new prospective owners of the company) wherein he explains the importance of perception in the wrestling industry. While many of his points can be argued, he makes the case that the perception a company has with its fans, employees and those on the periphery of the industry often trumps its reality. In essence he asks the Panda rep, will people support a company they think is poorly run, features B-level performers and will soon fail? Jarrett's 2002 question undoubtedly has plagued TNA to this day. Perhaps more so in recent months than ever.
The book suffers from three major issues. Firstly, there are far too many grammatical and spelling mistakes. These would have been greatly helped by a simple proof reading by either Jarrett, an editor or a publisher. It is easy to overlook a few of these, however, there are far too many to believe that the book was competently proof read prior to printing. Secondly, there are moments when names are used without an explanation of who the person is. This may be the result of some cuts made by Jarrett or his editors, but it hurts the flow of the book immensely and the context of some of these references are a mystery to the reader. Thirdly, the book is a chronicle of one calendar year of the life of Jarrett and not the first year of TNA (either as an operational company or as an idea.) The reader gets a very complete glimpse into Jarrett's work during the period, but the story is not framed by any major events. When we join Jarrett, the TNA idea has already been pitched and as the story ends, the company has produced several shows with more on the horizon and the company's ownership and structure is in transition. The book, therefore, is a series of relatively minor peaks and valleys rather than a build to a major event and, therefore, there is no climax to the story. This could be somewhat forgiven if Jarrett had released follow up issues leading to his departure from an active role in TNA, however, none have yet to surface.
The book is recommended to those who are looking to promote a wrestling show - there is a lot of wisdom in there regarding the business and creative ends - or those who are a fan of TNA, either Jerry or Jeff Jarrett or those who have an interest in the history of wrestling.
(Written 06/09/15)
Audio Review Available On Ep. 4 of Wrestle Book Review Podcast
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