WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett, who is currently the Director of Business Development for All Elite Wrestling (AEW), recently appeared on an episode of his podcast, “My World with Jeff Jarrett.” During this episode, he addressed various topics, including the criticism regarding Kazuchika Okada’s tenure with TNA.
Jarrett said, “Okada, a young boy, I’ll say that because I’ve been around and seen it and worked with a lot of them. Culturally, a young upstart in Japan will get the opportunity to come to America for three months, six months, nine months, or 12 months….So the young boy, that’s what they refer to it as, coming to America. That’s nothing new, and they come here raw, eager to learn, and it’s a part of almost a rite of passage. So, Okada was good, but when he went back to Japan and they started building and molding and building who he is today, I’m not going to say we’re not talking about the same talent, but that’s just life. So I know Russo’s taking a lot of flak. I know TNA is talking a lot of flak. You look at Generation Me, now gone on to be a legendary tag team known as The Young Bucks. It’s just the nature of the business. And a lot of folks, when I appeared as Double J in 1993, they’re like, ‘Where’s this guy been?’ The fact of the matter is, I’ve been toiling in a territory for seven years. So it’s just a part of the maturity of a talent. But it’s funny that you hear the narrative out there is ‘TNA botched Okada,’ but you’re hearing it right here. There obviously was a group of the guys that thought, ‘What the hell are we doing with Okada? This Kiyoshi is a hell of a lot better.’ It’s just talent being talent.”
On ODB’s TNA departure in 2010:
“I think history today, as we sit here in 2025, proves that ODB was one of the most successful knockouts in history. Earlier in this show, we brought up the topic of putting models in the front row. And we know who wanted that decision. This is strictly a Dixie Carter again, budget-cutting time, I don’t think, because of what you classified as a bikini look. And the character, it just was in so many different ways. And I want to say just different, because it resonated. People could relate to her. They loved her. And the flask and the whiskey and just all the little things that Jess brought into the persona and her career and her style of work, it just made her not just stand out because she was different, but stand out because she was a star. I don’t want to draw the same comparison, but you look at Jeff Hardy, and he’s not a body guy, big muscles. He’s not the craziest promo guy. He’s not this, he’s not that. But what does he do? Well, at the end of the day, he resonates with his audience like none other. Jess did the same thing. ODB resonated with the audience uniquely, and there was money in that.”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
(H/T to 411Mania.com for transcribing the above quotes)
