Jimmy Jacobs Describes Differences Between Working In WWE, AEW & Impact
Jimmy Jacobs has been everywhere, from an independent wrestling stalwart to a WWE producer, and then to Impact Wrestling, and now AEW, where Jacobs remains a backstage presence and even an occasional performer on AEW's version of ROH. In a new interview with "Developmentally Speaking," Jacobs said he's grateful for the journey, as it taught him how he best operates as a backstage producer.
"Impact was a great fit at first. Coming off of WWE and feeling so confined there, where you just you're in your damn little suit and tie and you have to speak a certain way to the lord," Jacobs explained. "I loved working for WWE in a lot of ways but it was very difficult working for the boss and nothing against him either. He's the man." According to Jacobs, he simply wasn't in a place in his life where he felt he fit the culture of WWE, which led to him joining Impact following his WWE release.
'I Could Work How I Wanted To Work'
"Impact was in a rebuilding phase and they needed someone that wore a lot a hats," Jacobs recalled. "To their end, I could work how I wanted to work, which isn't asking too much." Jacobs says that little quirks like sitting on the floor to do work would usually lead to ridicule from Vince McMahon, but Impact was much more relaxed, saying he wanted to be judged solely on his work and not by his various quirks. Jacobs says he loved his time in Impact, but after 5 years he began to get burnt out on writing wrestling shows.
"It was time [to leave Impact]," Jacobs said. "I had done what I was gonna do there." Jacobs said he intuitively knew that his time in Impact was over before he even put in his request to leave, as he felt the company needed new creative blood after 5 years of the same creative team. Jacobs found himself burnt out on his creative work in Impact, and received a call from Bryan Danielson to join AEW and ROH. "Mostly what I do is I format the shows and I organize information and communicate information," Jacobs said of his AEW/ROH tenure. "It was never supposed to be a creative role, like I said, I was burnt out." The former ROH World Tag Team Champion says he's grateful for the low-stress job that he has now.