The following are highlights of a new In Your Head Wrestling interview with Global Force Wrestling founder Jeff Jarrett:

How did the deal with New Japan to promote Wrestle Kingdom 9 come about? Was this something that GFW wanted to do or something New Japan wanted to do to get into the North American market?

“Well, a little of both. Back in April of 2014 when I announced the formation of my company and founded Global Force Wrestling, I had already been talking to the partners around the world and piecing things together. New Japan approached me and knew that they wanted to bring their product to the North American audience. It became real obvious real quick that what better way than to pick their biggest event, this is the 24th year, the annual Tokyo Dome show,…to really make a splash on the North American scene with the New Japan product. So we started piecing things together, and quite frankly we couldn’t be happier with where we’re at now: The Bullet Club red hot, Jim Ross getting on board, Matt Striker, all the videos and promotional stuff that we’ve put out, the buzz, the excitement. It all just sort of came together one thing after another and it has shaped up very nicely, and I’m really excited for January 4th.”

Are the plans for GFW in the future to do more shows like Wrestle Kingdom 9 where you present different wrestling from around the world or will you have your own roster and have more of a traditional wrestling program?

“The answer is both. In 2015 we will continue the rollout of Global Force Wrestling. I am talking with several international companies about bringing their product to North America. We are in the process, and there was a press conference December 22nd in South Africa and we have big plans down there in 2015. Then there is the stand-alone company with talent and sponsorship and venue and distribution and everything that goes together; that rollout will continue in 2015 as well.”

Have you seen a lot of guys on the Independent scene that you would like to bring into GFW?

“Absolutely. I’ve said it dating back to February of this year that I believe the professional wrestling business is just on the cusp of a boom period and I think a big component of that is that wrestling is healthy, and wrestling’s healthy because the free-agent market …I don’t like to refer to it as the Indy wrestlers; they may be independent promotions but I like to call them free-agents…is red hot. I’m sitting in my office right now and there’s a white board and there are 64 names on it and 48 of them are guys who have never worked for a major company with worldwide distribution. The Independent scene is red hot in my opinion.”

What do you think about TNA’s new television deal with Destination America?

“Thank the Lord that they got a deal. You know there was a couple of months there that I didn’t know, and certainly anybody else didn’t know, and there were reports online…I don’t think it would’ve been good for the industry whatsoever. Remove the fact that I’m still a minority owner; the wrestling business is my passion and I want everyone to succeed and I think there’s plenty of room. You have ROH in the syndication market and they’re just entering into the pay-per-view world. You have TNA with Destination America. You have New Japan coming on AXS TV. You have El Rey with Lucha Underground. You have Global Force – we’re going to continue our rollout. With all of that being said, the WWE still probably has 75, 80, 85, 90 percent of the market share. Other promotions need to be healthy.”

Check out the complete interview at IYHWrestling.com.

The following are highlights of a new Pandemonium Podcast interview with Global Force Wrestling founder Jeff Jarrett:

On when GFW will be a stand alone company: “2015. I know that’s very, very broad. We rolled out the name of the company in April & got our AAA alliance announced. The NJPW alliance, building up the brand. We got a couple funny Twitter comments from you [laughs] that I smiled all about so there’s another alliance in there [to special guest co-host, Marty] but, no, all kidding aside… rolling out the brand. And then the New Japan situation came about and all eyes in Global Force are focused and if I would have to release details from now until January 4, I don’t want anything seeding headlines or move anything. We’re laser-focused on January 4. Post January 4, I’m going to be making announcements about distribution, talent, venues, and sponsorships, and everything that goes with a stand-alone. 2015 I’ve obviously been holding things pretty close to the vest and that’s obviously by design. I made it a real focus. I want Global Force to be a different kind of brand. Yes, it’s going to be a standalone. We have these professional relationships where we can present, not just to the North American audience but the entire globe… different styles, different forms, different, innovative ways to bring wrestling to the masses.”

On doing cross-overs & co-promotions with other wrestling companies & whether is it essential to please wrestling fans: “Essential is a pretty strong word. Do I believe it’s beneficial? Absolutely. It goes without saying that WWE 95% of the market share. It’s all about how do you cut through. Not that just because it’s wrestling, WWE is #1, who’s #2, who’s #3, who’s #4, who’s #5. I don’t think it’s appropriate or necessary. I think it’s counterproductive to success. In the music business, you can have 10 country music artists who are selling out arenas. You can have pop music, rock music, and all different forms. So, I believe it’s in everybody’s best interest. A couple of weeks ago, ROH had their pay-per-view and we used our digital space and our social media to encourage people to watch the show. I think that it’s healthy for the industry if all promotions are thriving. Is it essential? I don’t think I’d say it’s essential but I do say it’s very, very healthy.”

On competition and Bullet Club: “Well, I said back in February or March that I thought that the industry as a whole was right on the cusp of a boom period. Some people thought I was crazy and some people agreed. But, here we are 11 months later, NJPW is going to be on access, we’re bringing the pay-per-view with Jim Ross and I can’t tell you just how the media requests, alone. Jim can talk until now until January 4 and he wouldn’t be able to get it all in. NJPW is going to be on access, Lucha Underground is on El Ray, TNA, God bless them, signed a new TV deal, & WWE has the WWE Network. There is a lot of healthy things going on in this business. The more needs for professional wrestling? I do think there is a void in the marketplace. WWE, how could you complain or argue about their success? They’re publicly traded company, a billion dollar organization that’s been around for 60 years. What they do is their style and they do it very well. Do I think that NJPW will be coming to North America or AAA coming to North America? Other forms of wrestling coming to North America? Do I think that would be successful? You’re damn right, I do. Let’s take that show this past Saturday night [Pro Wrestling Syndicate]. There were 1500 people in the building and I think I saw 250 Bullet Club shirts. That, to me, is a very strong indicator of how hot that product is and The Bullet Club is all American, outside of Takahashi, are all American. They’re all great wrestlers. Kenny Omega and AJ Styles are two of the very best performers in the world. Gun and Gallows held the [tag] titles for a year now. They’re strong. Young Bucks, who I think is the best tag team in the business today, their timing in what I call, ‘new age wrestling’. I think there’s a lot of indicators of that indicate the potential of how successful it can be here.”

On independent wrestling: “They’re independent promotions but I don’t call the guys working them ‘indy wrestlers’. I think there’s a negative connotation that goes with that, unfortunately. I’m calling them free agents and, I think the free agent market right now is as hot as its ever been. You’ve got guys that are working Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from anywhere 1,500 to 2,500, and these promoters… you’re always going to have some bad promoters out there. But, for the most part, I’m looking around and seeing guys who are businessmen who are putting on really good shows. The business is healthy and that really excites me. My family has been in the business since the 1940s. My grandmother started. It’s ‘put groceries on the table’ for over 70 years. To see the amount of work at shows and, not just in North America, but in Europe, UK specifically, is having some really good shows and Austailia. There’s a lot going on out in the world of professional wrestling that is not WWE-related.”

On being the only person who is both a member of the NWO and the Bullet Club: “Funny you ask. At that show, Kevin Nash was there and we filmed him and that video came out yesterday. To hear Kevin Nash be so complimentary of the Bullet Club. I’m still in shock. I’m lucky that I’m the only guy to be in both. When those guys approached me back in August after NJPW and GFW solidified their relationship, they said, ‘Hey, we want you to be part of Bullet Club.’ How could you turn that down at this stage in my career? So I’m really honored and can’t wait to get to the Tokyo Dome. But, when I was talking to Kevin and listening to when he was getting interviewed, and he said the Bullet Club is much more athletic than the original members of NWO– Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and Hulk Hogan. I’m like, ‘he’s right.’ He’s being honest about it. I can tell you that i witnessed firsthand when the NWO first came on the scene and they powerbombed Bischoff off the stage and just the buzz and showing up at those Nitros and they were sold out 5 days in advance. Just the electricity and the buzz… I mean, they were selling out buildings just by showing up in limos and beating people up and they didn’t even have their first match. If you look at the comparison and the vibe, the Bullet Club does the ‘Too Sweet’ that’s the homage to NWO and Kevin threw it back at them so it’s cool. It’s a special time in the business, I’ll say.”

On what he predicts will be “match of the night” on Wrestle Kingdom 9: “Well, I mean, typical wrestler… I have to say my match is going to be the best [laughs] I’m kidding, I’m kidding. No disrespect to the other nine matches but there’s three in my mind that I believe are going to be 5-star matches. I believe the 4-team match is going to be a match that is going to be potential to set the standard barrier. I don’t want to call this a exhibition match because it’s bigger and broader. It’s more dynamic. The 4 corners match is going to be a showstealer. The main event is for the title so that’s the second one. One of the best rivalries. AJ Styles’ match is going to be off the charts. Those are the three. Sorry I couldn’t nail it down to one.”

On whether AJ Styles should change his finisher, The Styles Clash: “I want to have all due respect to guys that have been injured but I’ve heard that and I just have to laugh. Actually, I laughed. This business, as Jim Ross says, ‘it ain’t ballet.’ But you need to learn how to protect yourself and if you can’t protect yourself, either A get out of the business or B don’t take it. Don’t put it on AJ. Back in the asylum, Frankie Kazarian took it wrong and I know that the nature of our business is the tuck your chin to protect your neck. On this, know going in, focus and know, if AJ can be in this predicament. You know what to do. I put it on the performer, not on AJ. Not even close. It’s ridiculous, in my opinion, for someone to say, ‘AJ, that move needs to be banned.’ He’s done it for 12 years and, if a guy can’t protect himself, it’s not AJ’s fault.”

On the funniest people in wrestling: “When you look back over the years, the first name when you said funniest in the dressing room– Road Dogg and Brad Armstrong, God rest his soul. Brad was the funniest of the bunch and Brian will tell you today, Brad was the funniest but it never coorelated to the audience but Brian’s did.”

Check out the complete interview at VOCNation.com.

• Details On A Drug-Related Scene On Next Season Of TOTAL DIVAS!

The following are highlights of a new VOC Nation Radio interview with Scott D’Amore:

On Wrestle Kingdom 9 at the Tokyo Dome: “It was a career goal to be involved in an event at the Tokyo Dome. They’ve been doing it for 23 years now & there have been so many amazing moments that have happened in Tokyo Dome. Over here, WWE has always had Wrestlemania & it’s bounced all over the United States & even in Canada, but when it comes to NJPW wrestling & Japanese wrestling, the biggest events always happen at the Tokyo Dome & they always happen January 4. It’s going to be great to be a part of that. Last year, I went over & I was there doing some R&R & I wanted to see some of my students, Alex Shelley & the Timesplitters so I was able to sit there in the crowd & spend time with friends. Sitting there & watching the event, I looked at it & I was like, ‘This has to has to has to… somehow we have to get this to a North American audience.'”

On what Global Force Wrestling intends to provide that “sports entertainment” is lacking: “There is so much good talent around the world that isn’t getting an opportunity to be seen & GFW is going to go out there That’s why its formed all these partnerships around the world. We’re going to know when people are making waves & when exciting things are happening & we’re going to help bring that to the wrestling audience. I think that the biggest difference is going to happen with GFW is that, for so long in wrestling, if you did something somewhere else, it didn’t exist. If you came to another promotion, it seemed that everything in the past was just swept under the rug. We’re not only going to acknowledge people’s history which is what helps get them where they are but we’re going to acknowledge things throughout wrestling. Just because something is happening in a different place doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. It’s time to treat wrestling with a little more respect & wrestling fans with a little more respect. We’re living in a digital age. Everything is available at their fingertips. We’re going to stop trying to treat people as if they don’t know what’s going on out there in a broader sense. We’re going to be very interactive & very fan-friendly & look to deliver great wrestling action to fans through multiple platforms. There is so much good talent out there in independent wrestling around the world & it’s time to start giving a place where those people can get an opportunity to shine.

I think it’s just a matter of really being more open & honest with the fans that helps build part of the realism of the product. If Sydney Crosby goes & scores the gold medal winning goal for the Olympics, that’s going to be acknowledged on an NHL broadcast. To me, it makes great common sense but sometimes in business, we get away from things that may be what we should be doing. When you get too close to something, sometimes, you just start doing things a certain way & it just stays that way. I think this is going to be a better opportunity to be open with the fans. They’re going to be interactive & feel that they’re a big part of the GFW product. ”

Part of it is, without having a domestic weekly television in place yet, it’s getting it out there & getting people to understand this product. Getting them to know what’s going on, getting them to know the characters. This has been a monumental task of going in & promoting Wrestle Kingdom 9 without having a weekly television platform to do it off of. I think it’s the power of social media, right. No longer are you completely at the mercy of a handful of television executives on what people get to see. People can view & share & retweet the videos & the articles & the traction that we’ve been able to get is amazing. It shows what’s possible in this digital world we now live in. I think GFW is doing a great job of getting content out there. If there’s one thing that can be said, no one can say, ‘Well, man, I haven’t seen anything about this’ or ‘Man, I wish they would put out more information.’ We put out very detailed articles by very good writers, explaining the different factions & characters & some of the history. The video crew has been going around the clock putting out these videos.”

On wrestlers who aren’t involved speaking about Wrestle Kingdom 9: “The people in the industry… Scott Steiner & you mentioned Kevin Nash… these guys aren’t attached to Wrestle Kingdom. These guys aren’t going to be on Wrestle Kingdom but they were still willing to sit down & answer questions, do interviews, & talk about their experiences having been involved. That’s one of the signs that I take that it’s like, ‘Something is going on on the right path’, when people who aren’t making a dime from this deal in the wrestling business. Your & my friend, Scott Hall, likes to say, ‘This is show business, not show friends.’ Despite the fact that Kevin Nash & Scott Steiner & all of these people aren’t part of this event right now & aren’t making any money, they’re still willing to sit down & take the time to record these videos & do these interviews & help get the word out so that fans understand… the fans that haven’t had a chance to experience the New Japan product know what they’re missing & what they could expect if they tune in on January 4.”

On Jeff Jarrett: “That’s a testament to the quality of New Japan & the amount of the stars there that have had positive experiences. It can also be attributed to the respect & good will that Jeff Jarrett has built up in the wrestling industry over his career. He walked away from a company that he had built. It was his baby &, for his reasons, I know you’re going to be chatting with him, I’ll let him explain, that’s a pretty huge decision to make. He walked away from a company he formed & built from day 1 & took from the tiniest little company into a company that was on national TV on 50-something companies around the world & he chose to leave that to focus on forming GFW & forming this new company because he really seems to understand that there is an audience out there that’s not getting a product that what’s what they want & not engaging them & exciting them & he’s looking to put that together. I don’t know if people understand how much it turns over your life to walk away from something you started from scratch. Start with quitting your job & not having a check every week. That’s a pretty big life changer for a guy who has a wife & five kids. The fact is, to start it from scratch all over again… it’s amazing what he’s done. I’ve been out of the wrestling business for years with the exception of a Border City Wrestling show here or there, dipped my toe in the water. It hasn’t been a big part of my life as far as my business life. I’m a wrestling fan. Jim Ross put it best when I first started talking to him about this event, he said, ‘Scott, I’m a wrestling fan. I grew up a wrestling fan. I was lucky to make my living & be successful for many years in the wrestling business. That doesn’t change the fact that I’m a wrestling fan & I’ll die a wrestling fan.’ That’s how I feel. I didn’t see myself getting back into the wrestling industry on a major level but, when this stuff started coming together & when Jeff Jarrett was forming GFW, it was almost perfect timing. He left in late December of 2013 & I was in Tokyo in January of 2014. Being there at Tokyo Dome for Wrestle Kingdom 8 put the fire back in my belly. As Jeff started getting things rolling, we chatted a little bit here & there & Jeff is someone I have a lot of respect for & a lot of good feelings for & I have a lot of faith in, which I think may be the best way to sum it up. Me & Jeff have had a good relationship over many years. Like any relationship, it has its up & downs, but there has never been a time where I didn’t have respect for him & what he does. I didn’t not have faith that he was nose to the grindstone, plugging ahead, trying to make wrestling better. Wrestling has been his whole life, professionally, from the time he was a boy up until now. I just think that he’s got a passion & it’s really honestly the excitement of seeing what he was doing & the message he was sending, & the fact that it’s him, quite honestly, because he’s one of the people that I would run through a brick wall to help him out because he’s always been someone who’s supportive of me & supportive of the wrestling business & try to better it. If that’s going to happen, if there’s a way that I could help then, you know, hey, count me in”

On cross-overs & cross-promotions with other wrestlng companies: “I don’t understand why everything has to be adversarial. In some levels, as business grows, there may be a day where Pro Wrestling Syndicate & House of Hardcore & GFW are on the same level competing for wrestling fans & that’s healthy. But I don’t understand or have ever really understood why that has to be, say, adversarial. I grew up in the construction industry &, every time a job comes out, there could be an upwards of 12 or 15 of us bidding on the same job to get the same work so we were definitely in direct competition but that didn’t mean that we couldn’t have respect or decent relationships with other companies that were in competition with us. To me, if you get people who are focused on getting their own business better & focused on delivering the wrestling fans a quality product that they want to see, well, then there’s not reason why House of Hardcore, Pro Wrestling Syndicate, & GFW can’t be on good terms. There isn’t a reason why there can’t be a day where GFW can help out House of Hardcore & Pro Wrestling Syndicate can help out GFW & House of Hardcore can swoop in & save the day. Say something is going on in GFW & Tommy Dreamer does something or uses one of his many connections or anything to help each other out, & I think that’s one of the things that we’re going to try to do with GFW. In wrestling, we’ve always been very exclusive in the sense like, ‘this is our company… we’re going to do our own thing & that’s how it’s going to be. We don’t work with other people’. I think one of the biggest things about GFW is, it’s not going to be exclusion, it’s going to be inclusion. Why can’t we have a good relation with House of Hardcore? Why can’t there be ways that we can work together. I’m not talking in a sense of having Tommy Dreamer leading an invasion of Hardcore talent on a GFW TV show or vice versa… Jeff Jarrett leading a GFW invasion on House of Hardcore. In order to be able to productively work together, maybe House of Hardcore has a business connection that might be beneficial to GFW &, if it doesn’t harm HOH in order to share that business content, then great.’ Or if we’re in an area, running an event in a venue that HOH has dealt with or had a relationship with, they might be able to assist. Maybe they’ve been somewhere that we’re looking to go & they can say, ‘this is the good & this is the bad.’ That has to be reciprocal, right? HOH coming down to Nashville & Jeff was all like, ‘Here’s my friends. They do the top-rated morning show here on the morning drive. Here’s a TV contact that will do something…’ & that’s part of it. Part of it is talent & exchanging information. The biggest way we can help each other is exchanging information & part of that can be in relation to talent. If HOH has a junior heavyweight event going on & I can pick up the phone, ‘Hey Tommy.” Tommy pretty much knows everything in the wrestling business. He eats, sleeps, & breathes this business. Outside of his family, I don’t think there’s anything that Tommy loves more than this business. If GFW saw this unbelievable cruiser-weight in South Africa & Tommy hasn’t seen or heard of him, we can say, ‘Hey Tommy, you’re running this world junior heavyweight tournament… you have to see this guy.’ Open communication between different groups & promoters to me has to be a positive. It has to be a positive for business & there’s no way it’s not a positive thing as far as delivering a better product to wrestling fans all over the place.”

In his opinion, what will be the “match of the night” for Wrestle Kingdom 9: “There’s going to be so much stuff. You’ve got Suzuki going out there in MMA rules with Sakuraba, which is going to be awesome. You’ve got Okada & Tanahashi in the main event for the championship, which is the biggest prize in New Japan Wrestling & possibly the world right now. They’ve main event-ed shows & the Tokyo Dome & put on unbelievable performances & they have to step it up another level & I’m confident they’re going to do that. Going with the idea that the main event can’t steal the show, which it’s theirs to have, I’ll give 2. I’ll say that… because I have to cheat my way out of this. There’s the IWGP Junior Tag Championship, which has The Timesplitters who obviously, I’m biased for because they both spent considerable time training at the wrestling school here. They’re amazing. Versus the Young Bucks, representing the Bullet Club. If the Young Bucks weren’t already awesome in the last year, plus, they’ve just gone to a whole new level. The stuff that they do is amazing. They’re charismatic & entertaining as Hell. They’ve been there with the champions, The Red Dragons, who are fantastic. Fish & O’Reilly are a fantastic tag team. Then you throw in the Forever Hooligans with Romero & Koslov. Their swagger & their change of pace… I know that that match is going to put on an unbelievable display . I think it’s going to be awesome. The second match I’ll say that, this event is the first major, major, mega event since signing with NJPW for Kenny Omega, another Bullet Club member. Kenny Omega, if you haven’t seen him, this guy does things that the human body just wasn’t meant to do. You’d never imagine that a human body could do it, especially considering, & to say this respectfully & not diss anybody else, because there’s guys that do super athletic & high-flying things. They’re much smaller guys. Kenny is at the very top end of the Junior Heavyweight weight class. He’s a thick muscled, powerful individual &, the things that he can do with his body are amazing. Some of the stuff that he’s going to pull off at the Tokyo Dome in front of 50,000 people is going to be a huge rush. I just think that he’s going to use that grand stage to show why he was one of the best kept secrets in wrestling for so long now.”

On whether we will see him near the ring at Wrestle Kingdom 9: “The major events, I’ve made my way down to ringside. It’s part of the solidarity thing… showing of support with Bullet Club. As Karl Anderson was there the second that it was born, he likes to joke that me & Jeff Jarrett are the Bullet Club Office. Everybody in the Bullet Club has a lot of swagger & unique style. Me & Jeff are a little older. We still have a little business savvy to us. We have a tendency to show up for major events wearing suits. Machine Gun always says we’re the Bullet Club Office. They take care of things in the trenches & we take care of stuff in the Board Room. I like that analogy because a lot of what Jeff & I have done is behind-the-scenes stuff & organizing relationships & dealing with the business end of things. That doesn’t mean we don’t like to roll up our sleeves & get our hands dirty. That’s part of it. From a straight non-storyline sense, it’s a chance for me to walk out there in the Tokyo Dome & be part of an event that I’ve really, really legitimately dreamed about being part of so, going ringside, not going to leave Double J out there by himself, how about that? I’ll be out there, as always, me. I never get involved. I never interfere. I just sit there quietly & support our talent. I’ll just be there acting like a little angel, I’m sure.”

On Bullet Club: “In Bullet Club, there’s just such a cool factor. That’s why you’re seeing the Bullet Club transcend in NJPW. That’s why you see there shirts in crowds at Ring of Honor, TNA, WWE, independent shows, even though it’s got no domestic TV here in the US. I saw sullet Club shirtx walking through a mall in Windsor, Ontario, at Detroit Tiger games, & a Cottonmouth Kings concert. You’re starting to see Bullet Club become so popular. The thing is, ten years ago, it might not have been like this but with the explosion of social media, stuff gets out there & shared & retweeted. It’s almost like this underground swell of support for Bullet Club. It started out very simply… just a few guys who had started together in New Japan dojo, the non-Japanese guy who formed this group & it just kind of grew & took on a life of its own. It’s a huge part of the reason why New Japan’s product continues to soar.It’s got that NWO cool feel. The great thing is you got guys who aren’t trying to recreate the NWO. They’re doing their own thing. I think it’s hilarious with the fingers in the air. Too Sweets & that was done from Day 1 with the Bullet Club, as a way to pay homage to Scott & Kevin & the NWO. They grew up watching them. I saw an exchange on Twitter where somebody said something to Scott, ‘How do you feel about the Bullet Club stealing your sign’ & Scott is real cool & says, ‘I don’t look at it that way. I’m just honored that someone still remembers something we did.’ After that, I see Karl Anderson pop in & say, ‘Hey Scott, no disrespect. We do this because you’re the reason why we’re in the wrestling business. It’s completely done out of admiration.’ To me, it’s a cool faction & continuing to grow & adding Kenny Omega… The talent that’s in the Bullet Club is so unbelievable. It gets to run around & do what it wants, where it wants, when it wants. It gets to shake up NJPW & Japanese wrestling in general is kind of structured. It’s got the pageantry & everything but it doesn’t have the referees getting knocked down or all of the interference. Bullet Club doesn’t always do it but it does it when it needs to be done & that makes it different from the rest of the product & helps make it stand out.”

On Jim Ross: “I think it’s fantastic & super exciting that Jim Ross is returning to call this event. He’s the most legendary announcer in our industry’s history. I think Jim Ross can announce a chess match & draw the audience in. He’s the best storytelling announcer in the business– not just the wrestling business but in the wrestling business. The fact that he didn’t have to come back & call wrestling. I mean, he’s called MMA, boxing, & done little projects but if Jim Ross didn’t come back or call another wrestling show in his life, no one would have said a negative thing about it. The fact that he stepped out of the box & he’s coming back in… there’s going to be people who are going to be excited for this. Jim Ross had to come back & do all this prep work. He’s got to go out there & be the very best that there could be because that’s who he is & what he is. The fact that he would take time out & this event is what he chose to make that return & say, ‘Well, hell yeah, damn it, I want to call wrestling again & this is the show I want to call.’ I can tell you, from my conversations with Jim from the very beginning of this, he loved the product & he respected it. He said it reminded him of the product that he grew up watching & that he was a part of in his early years under Bill Watts. I can see the similarities between the two products but, overall, are quite different. They have the same aspects. They treat wrestling with respect, they’re hard-hitting, they’re great storytelling. They don’t get bogged down in a lot of the BS of the backstage stuff & everything else. They’re storytelling but, for the most part, it starts & ends in the ring. It’s presented in a believable way. It shows a respect for wrestling fans & I think having JR come back to call this event takes it to a whole other level. Now you have that voice that’s attached to so many memories over people’s years of the wrestling business. Everybody can go on & on with soundbytes of Jim Ross, whether it’s the boyhood dream has become a reality & any of the other hundreds of ‘Oh Wow’ moments that he’s gotten to call. He’s going to be there. It’d be easy for him to say, ‘You know what? Set up a studio here ten minutes from my house & we’ll set up a satellite link & I’ll call it here. That would’ve been cool just having him call it. But, I can tell you, from the first second that I talked to Jim Ross, there was no way he was returning to wrestling or calling this show unless he was sitting there ringside at the Tokyo Dome. For Jim Ross, on his birthday weekend, to get on a plane & travel 20 hours instead of being in Las Vega watching UFC. Instead, he’s traveling 20 hours & he’s going to Tokyo to a different culture & he’s going to deal with all the time changes & how that’s going to effect his body. He’s going to land on the ground & he’s going to start making sure everything is right & everything is set. He’s going to go out there & do what he does better than anyone else & that’s call wrestling action to tell the story going on in the ring. I think that’s super exciting.”

Check out the complete interview at VOCNation.com.

Global Force Wrestling issued the following press release today …

Global Force Wrestling Vice President of International Scott D’Amore said GFW founder and CEO Jeff Jarrett and the North American announce team will address the media as part of Wrestle Kingdom 9’s festivities the day before the big show at the Tokyo Dome.

Hall of Fame play-by-play man Jim Ross and Matt Striker will appear at the Jan. 3 “Grand Pro-Wrestling Festival 2015” news conferences at the Differ Ariake Arena in Tokyo, as will all of the NJPW stars, such as Tanahashi, Okada and Nakamura. The Bullet Club, which includes Jarrett, D’Amore, A.J. Styles and IWGP tag team champions Doc Gallows and “Machine Gun” Karl Anderson, also will be on hand. There will be autograph signings and meet-and-greets with Japanese and international fans in attendance between and after the news conferences. The festival even includes two matches.

“We’re pleased to be invited to attend the festival and to further the budding relationship between GFW and NJPW,” D’amore said. “When you have an event of this magnitude you always want to include the fans and do what you can to enhance their experience.”

GFW announced its partnership with NJPW in June and revealed that it would promote WK 9 in North America on Nov. 4. Ross came on board on Nov. 11, and Striker was added on Dec. 18.

“NJPW is one of the hottest promotions in the world right now, and all eyes will be on Tokyo for Wrestle Kingdom 9,” Striker said. “It will be an honor and a privilege not only to sit beside Jim Ross again but to call the action involving many of the best performers this business has to offer on such a grand stage.”

“GFW Presents New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 9” will air live in North America at 2 a.m. ET on Jan. 4, which is 4 p.m. in Tokyo. The four-hour telecast also will air in primetime in North America at 7 p.m. ET on DirecTV, Dish, AT&T U-verse, Comcast, Verizon Fios and all cable systems in the United States, and in Canada on Bell ExpressVu TV, Rogers, Shaw, Sasktel and Telus. Check your local listings for availability. The show also will be available on the Flipps app on iTunes or Android.

Wrestle Kingdom 9 will be the 24th consecutive year for the Jan. 4 dome event, which kicks off the year in Japan and annually is the largest wrestling show in the world outside of the United States, drawing in excess of 40,000 fans.

The following are highlights of a new Main Event Radio interview with Jeff Jarrett:

On the NJPW ‘Wrestle Kingdom 9’ pay-per-view: “This is truly a global event. The most widely distributed live wrestling event in history. New Japan is a red-hot promotion. Expecting over 50,000 fans and I can tell you this will be a card that is on par with a Wrestlemania. Jim Ross, the voice of a generation of wrestling fans is going to be calling the action. This truly is a can’t miss event.”

On The Young Bucks: “I consider the best tag team in wrestling today. New age wrestlers of 2015 and beyond.”

On AJ Styles: “We’ve gone side-by-side together for the last 12 years…he stepped away, out of his comfort zone and he had in my opinion possibly the best year of his career. He’s an incredible athlete and an even better person. I met AJ when he was in his early 20’s and now he’s married with 4 kids. I’ve seen him develop as a man and I’m very proud of him as a man and in his career. The X division matches that he had and his world title runs, he is without a doubt the hottest free agent out there and a great professional wrestler.”

On Jim Ross: “We knew when Global Force Wrestling and New Japan cemented the deal in August and then got the PPV contracts confirmed throughout United States and Canada with every provider in both countries. So when we looked around to find out who would be the English-speaking announcer and realized that Jim Ross was available, it was a no brainer. He is the best of the best of the best, he has no peers and he is simply the best. We knew by signing him, by acquiring him, he was going to raise the profile of the event. But over the last 3-4 weeks the amount of publicity and media requests has taken off a whole new life. The buzz is taken off the charts. With the Flipps app, this event is available on a worldwide basis for anybody to watch.”

On leaving TNA: “It was time. I founded the company back in 2002. We were rocking and rolling. I put everything I had into that company. I knew when 2013 came to an end; I looked in the mirror and knew it was time for me to take the next step in my life and my career. I’ve got no regrets, I’m very happy with my time there but it was time for me to go in a different direction. Very thankful, very blessed, and very grateful for my time in TNA. The early years were such a unique set of circumstances. The rabid fan base began to grow back on a weekly basis back on the Wednesday night PPVs. The original fans, then we got the Spike deal and things began to gel. From 2002 right through 2009 were my favourite times. A lot of fun, great talent, the X division, it really exploded.”

On if it bothers him at all that TNA refers to Bobby Roode as their longest reigning champion: “No, because that’s wrestling. Bobby’s a good friend. I can remeber him at the early days at the asylum. I walked up to Bobby and I scratched my head why he wasn’t signed to WWE. We jumped on him immediately and signed him. He’s a great talent, I’ve got a ton of respect for the guy and he can get it done in the ring.”

On his plans for Global Force Wrestling: “We have very methodically rolled out the Global Force Brand. Partnering with AAA in Mexico, New Japan in Japan, with announcements to come for United Kingdom, Australia, and South Africa. Systematically, we’re having patience. We’re going to be a fully-functioning promotion with our roster, sponsorships, venues, talent, distribution. We’re putting those all in place. In early 2015 the roll-out of GFW will continue. Stay tuned. We’ve got some really unique opportunities ahead of us. A wrestling PPV has not been promoted without a traditional cable outlet. We’re innovative. Everything, not just the wrestling business, is headed to the digital world. WWE Network, New Japan World, Major League Baseball. With us partnering with other promotions around the world, that is a fundamental difference in today’s wrestling.”

Check out the complete interview at MainEventRadio.com.

The following are highlights of a new Huffington Post interview with Global Force Wrestling (GFW) promoter Jeff Jarrett:

On Sting signing with WWE: “Finally! Very happy for him. Couldn’t be a better guy. He’s a good friend and I couldn’t be happier for him.”

On CM Punk signing with UFC: “Win, Win, Win! Win for Dana White at UFC, a win for CM Punk fans and whether CM Punk wins or loses in that octagon it’s a win for him because I’ve got a lot of respect for a guy that follows his heart and follows his passion.”

Check out the complete interview at HuffingtonPost.co.uk.

Global Force Wrestling (GFW) issued the following …

Global Force Wrestling and KevinSullyTV team for a worldwide video marketing campaign fueled by the fans on social media outlets such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. With daily exclusive video content, fan engagement is high as Global Force Wrestling promotes the upcoming Wrestle Kingdom pay-per-view event set for Jan 4, 2015.

With over 100 videos and more than 240 different meme and print style adverts, the exclusive content slated for the campaign is more than any other major sporting event to date. This exclusive daily video content gives the fans something new and exciting every day, including the announcement that legendary Hall of Fame announcer, Jim Ross will call the action. Thus far the Wrestle Kingdom 9 campaign has made over 4 million impressions in the first 30 days.

“We have put together a stellar campaign that will attract fans around the world,” said Kevin Sullivan, President and Executive Producer at KevinSullyTV. “We wanted to create awareness through the power of ‘storytelling’ and engage the audience while keeping the message authentic and real.”

“This is a venture that has never been done in professional wrestling,” said Jeff Jarrett, CEO of Global Force Wrestling. “Daily on-demand docu-style content is truly where the future is heading. Understanding the audience and delivering what they want is what we strive to do.”
Global Force Wrestling and KevinSullyTV also created a 30 minute pre-show airing now for free at GFWWrestling YouTube channel giving the fans even more behind the scenes insight and never before scene interviews before the Jan 4 event. GFW cable and satellite partners will also be airing the pre-show leading up to the event, as well as the Flipps app.

“Global Force Wrestling Presents: New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 9” will air exclusively on pay-per-view in the United States live at 2 a.m. ET on Jan. 4, (4 p.m. in Tokyo). The four-hour telecast also will air in primetime in the United States at 7 p.m. ET on your pay-per-view provider, including Dish, AT&T U-verse, Comcast and Verizon. Fans can also watch via the Flipps app worldwide. Visit Flipps.com or download the app now.

The Global Force Wrestling YouTube channel has added the official 30-minute pre-show for next month’s Wrestle Kingdom 9 event, which features the pro wrestling announcing return of WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross.

The following is the official description for the preview show, which you can watch in full above.

Global Force Wrestling presents New Japan Pro Wrestling’s Wrestle Kingdom 9 PRE SHOW

“WHY? We all set out to do something special! Wrestle Kingdom 9 on January 4th, LIVE on pay per view is one of those events that create memories that last forever. Please join Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross, GFW CEO Jeff Jarrett, the “Phenomenal” AJ Styles, the Bullet Club, and the roster of New Japan Pro Wrestling in this special documentary look at the most anticipated night of 2015!”

• Backstage News On WWE Making A MAJOR Change In Plans For 2015 ROYAL RUMBLE Match …

The following are highlights of a new Jeff Jarrett interview from F4WOnline.com.

We’re now less than 4 weeks away from NJPW’s Wrestle Kingdom 9. On the night you will be wearing two hats – you are wrestling in the 6 man tag and also with Global Force presenting the show you are going to be involved as owner in that respect. How much are you looking forward to both aspects of that?

Me actually performing on the show has been developed and finalised over the last several days and weeks, but as far as me wearing my promoter hat…..gosh, that goes back to May, I believe, which was our first meeting. I’m very, very excited. I’m a third generation guy – my grandmother promoted – so promoting is in our blood. For me to get the opportunity to present – or executive produce – Global Force presenting New Japan’s Wrestle Kingdom 9 is truly an honour and unique. Being in this business my whole life there’s not a lot of opportunities that you get that you hadn’t done or been around, so this is a unique opportunity. I think the stars have aligned. I think that as hot as the product is, the (Tokyo) Dome show and the tradition behind it…it’s a who’s who of who has appeared on the show. The Bullet Club is red hot, Tanahashi and Okada will be a main event for the ages, so on so many different levels – with Jim Ross being a part of the product – everything just has gone to another level and in my wildest dreams I didn’t really realise how big and how impressive this would all come together.

You set about forming GFW earlier this year. Given, as you say, you’re third generation in business, why did you choose now to form a new company and get back into the industry, not just as an in-ring talent but as an owner or promoter?

I guess there’s not any one magic answer to that, I just felt the time was right. I think that the talent pool is very, very deep – deeper than I’ve seen it in maybe 20 years. When the WWF bought WCW the business went through a transition change, and here we are almost 15 years later. I believe independent wrestling – the free agents – there is a very, very healthy talent pool. With the – I’ll call it distribution models – entertainment is changing not monthly but daily. It’s a small world. We have strategically partnered with companies around the world – not just New Japan – and I feel the wrestling fan base is very healthy right now.

You have been busy preparing partnerships with many wrestling promotions around the world. Will this be with a design to being given preference to signing their talent for Global Force or to use them for talent swaps to give the guys more places to work?

I believe that the digital generation – the YouTube generation – of wrestling fans….At the beginning of our conversation you talked about yourself as a young boy coming to watch the wrestling matches. That’s where the wrestling fans start – as children. Nowadays kids will watch a match from Germany and then they’ll watch a New Japan match. Then they’ll go to the WWE Network. There’s just so much availability. In years past, promotions had a mind-set that you didn’t talk about other promotions – and you certainly didn’t promote them! Global Force is going to be the opposite. Not only are we going to recognise other promotions but will do everything we can to help promote, because that’s the mentality we have. If Ring Of Honor have a hell of a show and a healthy buy rate for last night, that doesn’t hurt Global Force – it helps Global Force! The same for New Japan, AAA….We’re going to have that mind-set to exchange talent and promote and be aggressive in our intent to present the very best professional wrestling, no matter where it comes from.

You may not be able to say – or it might be a case of wait and see – but how close are you to agreeing your own TV deal or online stuff or agreeing contracts with wrestlers and performers?

All of that – and it was on one of the ‘Behind the Force’ videos which have run – there are many components to launching a brand: talent, sponsorships, distribution, venues – they’re all in the works. Patience is not in my DNA but I have learnt to have patience in this, in that the best deal isn’t always the first deal that is presented to you. I have learnt that over the years. We are strategically putting things together and when the time is right we will launch.

From a fans perspective, sometimes you see when people decide that they are going to start a company or an independent promotion that they throw everything at it without having taken the time to take the step back and look to see what they need to do to make their brand effective. From a fans perspective they can see that that is what you’re doing. You are making sure the ground work is there before building anything else up.

I appreciate that Gary. That’s exactly what we’re doing. I don’t want to sound critical of anyone else, but I have seen people rush to get a product to market and it’s ultimately a failure. The partners that I have – from a financial standpoint, from sponsorship and distribution outlets, whether digital or cable – all of us collectively realise “First impression = last impression.” We have methodically taken the steps. We’re building our fan base and our social media, and we’re listening to what the fans are saying, so that when we do launch with the first show and the shows that roll out it will be a very strategic rollout.

A quick two part question – there has been a lot of buzz going around because Jim Ross is on board to provide the American commentary on the January 4th show. Firstly, how good is it to see him back commentating again?

(Pauses) There aren’t many questions that you can ask me where I’ll be speechless, but just when you say ‘How is it to have him back in that seat?’ It’s going to be off the charts! The roll-out – and I hope you’ve seen the videos we’ve been playing – he took the show to another level. It truly is a can’t miss show. That’s really hard to say nowadays. In years past you could come up with many shows, but this is a can’t miss, once in a lifetime opportunity! And Jim Ross is so energised and motivated and enthused and we both say – in just about every one of our phone calls or emails – we both end it by saying “January 4th can’t get here soon enough!” We’re very excited about that!

Given the chance – and most promotions would say yes – would you like to have him on board doing work with you whenever Global Force rolls out?

Who wouldn’t want the greatest announcer? We have agreed to keep the doors wide open for any and all discussions.

I’m interested in how challenging – if that is the correct word – it was to come to the deal with New Japan for this cross promotional deal?

Obviously, the language – we had hurdles to overcome. New Japan, their TV partner is TV Asahi, so that was another part of this puzzle. And then the rollout – as I said, this started back in May. We had to do separate agreements with DirectTV, Dish Network, InDemand – there were 2, 3 or 4 different Canadian distribution outlets. So there were a lot of moving parts. There is a finance side to it, a legal side to it, but most importantly the thing that energised me is the marketing side to it. Our Pay-Per-View providers have gone above and beyond. The pre-show actually rolls out tonight and I hope you get a chance to see it Gary because it is spectacular. So yea there were numerous challenges, but like any deal it’s a win-win for all of us. When Global Force wins New Japan wins, and most importantly the wrestling fan wins. Gary, with you being overseas I’m sure you are familiar with the Flipps App because that is revolutionary technology. We are stepping onto a global stage and we have some meat behind it.

Obviously we see ROH, TNA and, to a lesser extent, Lucha Underground fighting for the second company piece of pie in America. How confident that GFW will set itself apart from them and grab that slice of the action?

A) We’re going to listen to our fan base – not to say that other promotions don’t – but we have a vision and a concept that is going to be presenting professional wrestling different from Ring OF Honor and different from Lucha Underground and certainly different from WWE. Japan has a population around that of New York City – certainly something around that – obviously much smaller than North America, and they had 4, 6, 8, 10 promotions that were all successful on different levels (years ago). In North America there is a lot of room. I mean, how many genres of music are successful in the U.S.? Pop, country, rock, nostalgia, folk…there are so many different types. The more wrestling, the healthier the business.

Do you have any plans to do any more cross-promotional stuff with New Japan after this?

Oh yea. That’s why it truly has been a methodical roll out. That goes back to April 30th – we announced our first partnership with AAA. New Japan was on June 23rd. We did our Europe roll out in July. South Africa was August. Australia was late August. We rolled it out to start the roll out of the brand on a very step by step basis.

It has been interesting to see the variety of not only the wrestling companies that you are partnering with but the variety of the countries and the styles within the companies. I think fans are looking forward to seeing how that all links together.

Good, good.

How can the fans keep up with the future plans for the company – obviously there is the Global Force website www.globalforcewrestling.com – and also with what you are up to?

As you said – @GFWWrestling on Twitter and @RealJeffJarrett on Twitter – and our website….we’re breaking everything through our online. That’s truly where the world is. Network shows on NBC, ABC or CBS, or in your area of the world on Sky and the major broadcasters, news is broken digitally nowadays. We live in the digital generation.

The following are highlights of the latest Jim Ross blog:

On The Hardy Boys On The Ross Report: “Tuesday night a new Ross Report drops at 9 pm ET with Matt and Jeff Hardy joining me on one of my favorite shows involving two of my favorite people who I’ve seen grow up before my very eyes. Expect candid conversation and some laughs as well from the two, talented North Carolina brothers.”

On Bryan Alvarez On The Ross Report: “Also Tuesday I will be talking to both Bryan Alvarez about the new version of the ‘Death of WCW’ book along with talking to Karl Anderson about the January 4, 2015 Tokyo Dome event that we will both be a part of on PPV. The show will @BryanAlvarez and @Machinegunka Karl Anderson will air in late December. If you check out the homepage of this site you can see all our podcast guests that I’ve booked through January 2015.”

On Wrestle Kingdom 9: “For all of you that are asking, I do not make the final decision on who I will be working with on January 4th in Tokyo at Wrestle Kingdom 9. Several of you have made some great suggestions on twitter @JRsBBQ. Whoever it will be will be the best person available and I don’t expect any on air “bickering” to interrupt the matches. The PPV is about the wrestlers and not about the announcing. The talents make the music and the announcers add the lyrics or that’s how I see it. I said that this might be the best, pure wrestling PPV show that I’ve ever broadcast based on what I’ve seen online in my prep work. That question will be better addressed after January 4. I have high expectations for both the in ring product and my work describing it.”

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com.

The official YouTube channel for Global Force Wrestling has posted the above excellent hype video for the upcoming “Wrestle Kingdom 9” New Japan Pro Wrestling Tokyo Dome event.

The preview video features WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross, who will be handling the U.S. pay-per-view commentary, discussing the big event.

NJPW/GFW’s “Wrestle Kingdom 9” takes place on January 4, 2015.

The following are highlights of a recent Jim Ross website Q&A update:

On longer WWE PPVs on the WWE Network and Hell In A Cell running short: “It’s impossible for me to say but WWE’s goal used to be to get as close to a three hour PPV as possible. I’m thinking that the show simply went short and someone missed a time cue.”

On who the nicest people in wrestling are outside the ring: “There are many good guys outside the ring too many to start mentioning here or to erroneously leave off a list. It mirrors life…there are good people to be around while there are others that aren’t.”

On Brock Lesnar and the WWE title rarely appearing on TV or PPVs: “I had no isue only seeing Brock occasionally on RAW but to not see him for endless stretches of time isn’t a good scenario for WWE or their fans. Apparently, WWE made a financial deal that isn’t company or fan friendly.”

On if he’d like CM Punk to call the NJPW Tokyo Dome show with him: “That’s not my job. I’d love to work with him nonetheless but it’s not likely.”

For more JR Q&A updates, check out JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

The following are highlights of the latest Jim Ross blog:

On calling the New Japan Pro Wrestling PPV: “As many of you may know by now, I will be sitting ringside on January 4th in Tokyo for the annual Wrestle Kingdom 9 event from New Japan Pro Wrestling and promoted on PPV in the USA and Canada by Global Force Wrestling. My manager Barry Bloom and Jeff Jarrett had been in talks for a good while attempting to come up with a win-win deal for both parties and they finally succeeded. It wasn’t until this past Monday, the day before the announcement was made on Tuesday November 11, that Jeff and I actually spoke and that was via phone. It had been 15 years since we last spoke.”

On his broadcast partner for the show: “I have no idea who will be my broadcast partner even though Jeff and I have discussed it but the decision at the end of the day will be his. I’d assume we will know that info in a couple of weeks. Whoever it has has to be a preparation freak because many in the English speaking universe are not going to be as familiar with the talents as the hard core fans who religiously follow NJPW. It will be our job to explain the talent’s backgrounds, the storylines, etc while not ignoring holds, strategy, the transitions and the basics of presenting each match as if it were a legit sporting event without insulting the audience.”

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

PHOTOS: THE ROCK Hanging Out And FLIRTING With Women’s MMA Fighter GINA CARANO!

The official Twitter account for Global Force Wrestling tweeted the following today, promising a “HUGE announcement” to be revealed at 11am EST. on Tuesday, November 11th.

Tomorrow we make a HUGE announcement! 11/11 at 11AM ET. #GFWJan4 #WK9 pic.twitter.com/vF5GF6OcDq

— GlobalForceWrestling (@GFWWrestling) November 10, 2014

11/11 at 11AM ET we'll answer the question, "Who Will It Be?" #GFWJan4 #WK9 pic.twitter.com/VOKuYX47L2

— GlobalForceWrestling (@GFWWrestling) November 10, 2014

The following are highlights of the latest Jim Ross blog:

On the upcoming New Japan/Global Force pay-per-view: “I read where the New Japan Pro Wrestling PPV promoted by Jeff Jarrett’s new Global Force Wrestling company will be a FOUR HOUR EVENT and available on all major, PPV platforms from the Tokyo Dome. The event is set to run live in Tokyo from 4-8 pm on Saturday January 4 but don’t ask me what time that is in the USA. I will be buying the PPV and DVR’ing it for viewing at a more opportune time and without reading the “Jardine’s.” I’m not even sure that reading the “Jardines’s” aka the Spoilers would affect me wanting to watch the show.”

On Daniel Bryan: “If Daniel Bryan is being used to promote WM31 locally in Santa Clara why wasn’t his interaction with the world champion San Francisco Giants used on WWE or was it and I missed it? Great footage of exciting folks doing the ‘YES’ chant.”

On Lucha Underground: “Happy to see Ivelisse on Lucha Underground as she was one of my favorites in FCW in Ta,pa back in the day while training for a WWE career. Tough, physical woman of which there are too few of in today’s mat game. I wish her the best. I’m not sure what happened to hasten her departure from WWE but it likely had something to do with poor communication. She’s got talent that’s for sure.

Even though I am pulling for Luca Underground to be a rousing success, I am still not a fan of intergender wrestling. Mixed tag bouts are a different ball game but the intergender stuff is too much of a stretch of one’s imagination unless every female is a true, badass like my favorite MMA star @RondaRousey.”

On SmackDown changing nights: “WWE moving to Thursdays on SyFy in January isn’t a surprise and I’d go so far as to predict that move will also see a new announce team introduced as well. Michael Cole and JBL, while both doing a fine job, are overexposed and that fact really stands out when the PPV events sound just like Monday Night RAW. Taking Cole and JBL off Smackdown will make them more special and make the PPV’s sound fresher in my opinion.”

Check out the complete blog at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

Noted Reddit user MetsFan4Ever, who has correctly predicted and revealed accurate stories in the past, made a post recently regarding some much talked about rumors.

According to the Reddit user, Jim Ross is “confirmed” to handle the commentary for the U.S. broadcast of the big New Japan Pro Wrestling Tokyo Dome show on January 4, 2015.

He goes on to say that Jeff Jarrett’s upstart Global Force Wrestling promotion will help produce the U.S. pay-per-view of the NJPW event, and that the Japan-based wrestling company will be working closely with GFW going forward.

Additionally, it’s said that Jarrett met with Ring Of Honor officials recently to discuss an agreement on how to use talent, such as the Young Bucks, who are apparently going to be part of the NJPW PPV and will be a “main staple” on GFW shows going forward, so it’s assumed that GFW will have a close working relationship with ROH as well.

Despite rumors to the contrary, Jeff Jarrett was not in Los Angeles last weekend for the AAA Lucha Underground tapings. He was in L.A., however he was there scouting venues for potential Global Force Wrestling television tapings.

Jarrett was also rumored to have met with potential investors. He will be making similar trips to the New York and Dallas markets in the near future as well.

Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling (GFW) issued the following …

GFW ADDS PARTNERS DOWN UNDER
Global Force Wrestling: Join The Force!

NASHVILLE — Global Force Wrestling has extended its borders again, this time reaching Australia and New Zealand.

PWA Australia out of Sydney (www.pwaaustralia.com), WrestleClash out of Melbourne (www.wrestleclash.com.au), Riot City Wrestling out of Adelaide (www.riotcitywrestling.com), Explosive Pro Wrestling out of Perth (www.epwperth.com) and Impact Pro out of Auckland (www.impactprowrestling.co.nz) are the latest promotions worldwide to agree to partner with GFW.

GFW now has partnerships in Mexico, Japan, England, Ireland, Germany, Australia and New Zealand.

“It seemed like a natural progression to reach out Down Under,” GFW founder and CEO Jeff Jarrett said. “Professional wrestling has a solid fan base throughout Australia and New Zealand, and we’re pleased to have an opportunity to bring that product to America.

“All of our agreements just go to show the popularity of wrestling around the world. Wherever you go you can find athletes putting on great shows for their dedicated fans.”

Australian native and international TV star Rove McManus is excited to see his mates #JointheForce.

“I have witnessed firsthand some of the fantastic talent we have Down Under, and I believe the time is right to start showing the world why they breed us Aussies tough” McManus said. “Some of the best entertainers in the world have learned their craft in Australia and I have no doubt we have some of the best professional wrestlers in the world right at our doorstep.”

GFW issued the following …

Continuing to extend its reach, Global Force Wrestling has reached an agreement with yet another international partner.

Following partnerships with top promotions in Mexico, Japan and throughout Europe, GFW’s newest partnership is with World Wrestling Professionals out of South Africa, the biggest federation in the Southern Hemisphere. WWP puts on shows throughout Africa and India and has run TV shows in South Africa and India.

“I have spent a significant amount of time wrestling in India, so I know there is a passion for it there,” Jarrett said. “There’s potential to reach a huge audience in that part of the world, and we hope to tap into that in any way that we can. Our fans might be surprised at the talent WWP already has, as well.”

One of WWP’s biggest annual events will take place in South African in September.

“Jeff Jarrett is well known to fans in the Southern Hemisphere, so the opportunity to work with him and Global Force Wrestling is great for us,” said Mark Beale, the owner/promoter of WWP. “We certainly can see the potential for mutual benefit.”

GFW has announced partnership with Mexico’s AAA, New Japan Pro Wrestling and top promotions in the United Kingdom, Germany and Ireland.

The following are highlights of a recent Q&A update by WWE Hall Of Famer Jim Ross:

On whether or not TNA can survive without a new TV deal: “I’d like to think that TNA can find a cable TV home by October if they catch a break. I won’t speculate on what I know nothing about specifically their finances.”

On how WWE would book Sting vs. Undertaker at WrestleMania: “There are many right ways to do an angles. I wouldn’t beat Taker twice. No non finishes for sure.”

On whether or not he would accept the announcing position for Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling: “I have no issues with Jeff Jarrett. What happened in 1999 seems like a lifetime ago. Nonetheless, I’m not looking to get back into the wrestling biz on a full time basis. As always, never say never.”

On whether or not TNA could survive overseas and what the hold up is between Sting and WWE: “TNA needs a prime time USA Cable TV clearance to survive IMO. The monies earned outside the North America likely isn’t enough to sustain them. I do not know how motivated WWE is to sign Sting to a short term wrestling deal. That’s merely my speculation as I don’t know.”

Check out more Jim Ross Q&A at JRsBarBQ.com. You can also order JR’s Bar-B-Q products online at WWEShop.com.

Jeff Jarrett’s new Global Force Wrestling promotion reportedly had plans to use the six-sided ring, an idea that makes sense as it was Jarrett’s idea to use the same ring while he was in TNA. Some within TNA feel that one of the reasons they decided to bring back the six-sided ring was to “beat Jarrett to the punch.”

As far as GFW is concerned, the company is reportedly “in the middle of negotiations” for a television deal, but no specifics are known at this point.

Speaking of GFW, one source close to the company claims that the rumors that Toby Keith is no longer financially involved with the promotion are untrue.

Global Force Wrestling has released episode five of their web-series, “The Journey,” featuring Jeff Jarrett and Karen Jarrett.

The official description for the video, which you can see above, reads as follows:

“Jeff and Karen Jarrett sit down to discuss the very first Global Force Wrestling talent search. Why did they choose Canada? Where will the next talent search be? Finding new stars…a blessing and a curse….living out a dream…following your passion…the love of professional wrestling…don’t miss this revealing interview.”

Following today’s WWE releases, Global Force Wrestling (GFW) founder Jeff Jarrett tweeted the following:

Well, the Independent Wrestling talent pool just got deeper today… And, it's really deep already… #GFW … http://t.co/asoU8eX0g3

— Jeff Jarrett (@RealJeffJarrett) June 12, 2014

The following are highlights of a new Live Audio Wrestling interview with Jeff Jarrett:

Decision to leave TNA and start GFW: “At the very end, I knew it was time to move on. I’m very grateful and thankful. The TNA fanbase over the years – very loyal and passionate. I can’t say enough about my TNA years, but I knew in 2014 it was time for something new. With Global Force, the vision I have for it is – you know, people love professional wrestling. Some people call it a “dirty word,” some people call it sports entertainment. It’s all one and the same. I believe in 2014 professional wrestling, it’s time to evolve. As the weeks and months get there, I’m gonna be very excited to share that vision. At this time, I’m keeping it very close to the vest. The journey videos that we’re posting on GlobalForceWrestling.com and all through social media, I want to literally immerse the fanbase from day one. Yes, I’ve talked to a lot of wrestlers but there’s not one wrestler signed yet. We’re really close on making some talent announcements, but we’re in negotiations on every level. With the way technology is today – can I share everything? I don’t think that’d be very smart or prudent business, but I can share as much as I can for the wrestling press, as well as the Hollywood Reporters of the world and Variety. I’ve had people reach out to me in New York and LA that are in the television business, but they’re mesmerized with the amount of information that we are sharing, bringing the fans along literally step by step in this journey, because they’re a part of the journey.”

Still having ownership stake in TNA: “Yes, that’s a hundred percent accurate, if you’re curious. It is a unique situation, but professional wrestling is unique, isn’t it? It doesn’t permit me whatsoever (from starting GFW).”

Check out the complete interview at LiveAudioWrestling.com.

The following are highlights of a new TNA News interview with Frankie Kazarian:

Do you still have a good relationship with Jeff Jarrett? If you were asked to join his newest company, Global Force Wrestling, would you be part of it?

“I have a good relationship with Jeff, I mean the guy gave me a huge break. He was my boss for a long time. He became a pal. He’s got a great vision. He has wrestling in his blood. I’ll wait to see how everything pans out before, I mean, let’s wait till GFW is actually an existing entity. Right now everything is speculation, so until there is an actual wrestling company to go we’ll see. I mean, I can’t really answer a question that the possible answer is that you have to guess. Anything Jeff puts his name on I would jump at the chance to be part of because he is a brilliant business man when it comes to professional wrestling.”

Your run in the company lasted till 2005 where actually signed with WWE. Did you think you fit the “WWE mold”? Does it bother you that you have never had a long run with them?

“I don’t think there is such a thing as a mold – You either get over or you don’t. At the time I just wasn’t mentally prepared for WWE the machine and the big business that it is cause that is exactly what it is. I don’t know what I was expecting but I just wasn’t mentally prepared. I wasn’t mentally mature enough cause it is such a huge business. It is not just a wrestling promotion, it is a business and it is run very smoothly and it is run by people are the best in the industry and have been doing it forever. There is a reason why they are the best. So, at the time I was a little bit young, a little bit naïve about things and that’s all 100% my fault. You know, just being a little unprepared for the business side of things and a little bit overwhelmed also.”

Now for a question that many people are wondering – Are you finished with TNA Wrestling? If not, is the contract coming up soon?

“I’m technically still under contract but that’s for a very, very short amount of time. Once that contract runs out I will no longer be with TNA.”

How do you feel about TNA’s way of sending you off?

“It wasn’t much of a sending off. I was in the position where they wanted to introduce new characters and get over other characters, so if the guy isn’t going to be there, that’s, I guess, is the best use of them – is to put them at the expense of other characters. Hey, that’s their decision and I’m good with that if they are good with that. If they think that is a good way to put a new character over, then hey, I’m a company guy and I’ll do it. It’s somebody’s vision – They decided to go with this crop of guys going forward and decided to not go with guys Chris Sabin, AJ Styles, Daniels, and myself. You don’t want to fight that. There’s no need to fight it. Just go with it.”

Check out the complete interview at TNANews.com.