Jeff Jarrett says he did not expect TNA to draw big crowds when it launched in 2002.
On My World with Jeff Jarrett, Jarrett was asked whether he was worried about ticket sales heading into TNA’s first show in June 2002. He said his top priority was the product.
“I knew the top of the priority list is deliver a good show… Yes, I wanted people in the building,” Jarrett said. “It was going to be what it was: limited budget, limited advertising, limited word of mouth.”
Jarrett said his time in WCW shaped his expectations.
“We had doubled up on Nitro and Thunder tapings, and we’re doing 1500, 1800. I knew that in Huntsville… you get 750, 1000, 1200 people. It’s going to look good on camera.”
He said his father, Jerry Jarrett, did not have that same experience.
“He wasn’t walking in buildings and talking to… any of the folks, and knowing that, okay, it was 18 months ago, Nitro did 8000 paid, and the next time they came around a year later, it was 1800 paid. They didn’t have those experiences. I did. I was well aware that we weren’t going to sell out, not even close.”
Transcription by Global Force Entertainment.