On the latest episode of My World, Jeff Jarrett was asked how the concept of a wrestler’s peak years has changed, and revised the number he was taught when he broke into the business. You can check out his comments below:
On what he was originally taught:
“My old opinion was — and I think this was taught to me — late 30s is your prime. Late 30s, let’s just say 35 to 40. That was kind of what it was, territory days and all that. And that’s why a guy like Fargo was an anomaly. His in-ring ability went way down, but he did sell out after sellout after sellout in his late 40s, early 50s.”
On the mindset when he broke in:
“From a physical point of view, it was just kind of a different mindset when I broke in. Obviously it was a different era, a different time. The New Generation — Vince himself was putting Savage out to pasture, and this and that. And Bret and Kevin were mid to late 30s, and they were in their prime, and that whole New Generation mindset. But I guess late 30s was the mindset when I broke in.”
On where he lands now:
“I know we train different, we eat different. And in pro sports — Brady, LeBron, Aaron Donald, the training, everything that goes with it. But I think society, the mindset — I believe prime now is, I’m going to say, in your 40s. That’s really when in professional wrestling you’re in your prime, and I’m saying physically and box office.”
On what changes in your 50s:
“No matter what I do in my 50s, Conrad, I’m not as fast. I can’t jump like I used to. You lose a step, and it’s noticeable.”
On what a wrestler in their 40s has that others don’t:
“I’m talking about when you sit down and maximise from the time you come through the curtain to the time you go back through it. A guy who’s been in the business and really studied it knows where all seven cameras at a minimum are when you walk through the curtain. Knows how to maximise the emotion. This is a little bit inside baseball, but when you’ve been around and know how to really maximise and get the best — not just out of yourself, but out of your opponent and out of the specific crowd — and make sure that we’re going to do this kind of stuff in the ring, and then that is exactly the time for Excalibur and Tony Schiavone and whoever else, that’s the time for them to do their work. To really be a master composer of the evening, the event. That’s when we’re talking prime.”
On the standard he’s measuring against:
“If you’re not really thinking things through, we’ve got to deliver the very best fan experience there live, and also the best television experience. When you can take all that into account and deliver at a very, very high level — to me, that’s your prime. When you say prime, I’m taking into account box office and in-ring as well.”