Jeff Jarrett Says Wrestling For Wrestling's Sake Doesn't Draw Money, Explains What Does
Kenny Omega defeated El Hijo del Vikingo on the March 22 episode of "AEW Dynamite" in a match that was announced just days before it took place. Although that bout was put together without any significant build on AEW programming, it ultimately received a positive response from the fans. Various wrestling personalities, including WWE's Senior Vice President of Live Events Road Dogg, who was met with a negative reaction for his assessment, have previously expressed that there is no money in wrestling matches and that the money is in the story. AEW's Director of Business Development Jeff Jarrett has now echoed similar sentiments.
"If you just have a match to have a match, it may be entertaining, but there is no ROI [return on investment]," Jarrett said on the "My World with Jeff Jarrett" podcast via AdFreeShows. "There is no revenue. I don't believe there's any revenue generated out of it."
In the main event of World Championship Wrestling's SuperBrawl 2000 pay-per-view, Jarrett participated in a Three-Way Dance for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship that also involved the late Scott Hall and the reigning champion Sid Vicious. That particular show received one of the worst pay-per-view buy rates in WCW history. Jarrett explained what elements create a profitable closing PPV bout.
"Three-ways, for it to draw money, the heel has to be red hot. The story has to be red hot," Jarrett said. "A single main event, you better have some heat on your heel, or have a real hot babyface."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "My World with Jeff Jarrett" with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.