By Nathan P Hunt
Matt Jarrett is a third generation promoter from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. His family, whose roots are originally in Falmouth, Jamaica, have promoted music and entertainment events since before he was born and he continues that tradition by combining the family experience and knowledge with his love of professional wrestling. He is owner of Superstars of Wrestling UK and features a mix of homegrown and international talent from all levels of the industry on his shows. Having debuted as a pro wrestler himself back in 1995, Jarrett began promoting shows under the SOW banner in 2007. The cards for his two previous Superclash events (in 2013 & 2014, respectively) were both impressive lineups, including stars of New Japan Pro Wrestling and other internationally renowned names who have appeared on wrestling’s biggest stages. The relationship he forged with New Japan's stars and office has now made it possible for an incredible first-time ever event for UK fans, as plans for Superclash 3 (to be held October 4th 2015 in Gloucester) are set to make it one of the most significant events the UK has hosted in many years. Mr. Jarrett was gracious enough to give me an exclusive interview about his career, the British wrestling scene and his upcoming show, Superclash 3, as well as opening up about some aspects of his personal life and experiences. We began by reflecting on Jarrett's early experiences of the wrestling industry and how he first broke into the business, which was no easy feat at that time:
"My earliest memories of pro wrestling are when my mum used to take us to Cheltenham Town Hall when I was approximately 11 years old. Danny Collins was my hero from the first time I saw him, so she kept taking me back to see him wrestle. My mum started taking me down on the train to Colston Hall in Bristol, where they had some of the bigger wrestling shows on every fortnight. Back then the business was much different to how it is now, so it was harder to find someone who would teach you. I spoke to Brian Dixon, the promoter of All-Star Wrestling, a couple of times to ask for advice but he didn't really want to know. Soon after that, when I was about 15 years old, I met a guy called Mad Eli Collins one night at Colston Hall. Eli later introduced me to Pete Collins, which was how I started training. When I started it was a kind of 'closed shop' policy on every level of the business, so it was hard to find training and then you definitely didn't get to work on shows until you were good enough. Then, we wouldn't contact promoters - people would contact the promoters for us. I had my first run with promoter Scott Conway after being introduced through Pete Collins, and that's how I got started; working on the holiday camps circuit."
"My debut was against a guy called Kashmir Singh in Cardiff. It was really nervewracking and I think I cocked the whole match up, but when you're new that will obviously happen. I was very lucky to have someone as talented as him for my first opponent. Most were little shows, but some of the shows at the holiday camps can be anything up to 2000 people, so you just get used to it really quickly, especially when you're out in front of the crowd twice a day.It becomes second nature, like going out to any job in the morning."
The 'closed-shop' policy which Jarrett spoke of was seen to be a neccessity at a time of hardship for the industry in the UK at that time. With business having been on the decline since the cancellation of the 'World Of Sport' program from the TV schedule in 1989, and with younger fans being increasingly only aware of American wrestling, the homegrown British product was decreasingly profitable and so the limited number of stars and promoters were increasingly motivated to protect the business and particularly their personal stake within the business by keeping competition to a minimum. Matt explained that the nature of the business has completely changed since that time, and gave some advice for anyone who wants to break into the business in the current climate:
"I'd say it's probably a lot easier now, because there are more promotions out there to work for. Back when I started, there was probably only Brian Dixon, Orig Williams, John Freemantle & Scott Conway that you could work for. It was really hard back then but I'd say it's relatively easy now, in comparison. Although it's still hard to get into the bigger promotions where you really start to get some exposure, you have to either know someone or be lucky enough to work with someone who will put your name forward."
"First, you need to make sure you find a proper professional wrestling school. There are a LOT of schools that you can find on the internet, but you need to find one run by someone who you know for sure knows what they are doing. I'm not disrespecting anyone who runs a school, but if you want to succeed you have to be trained by a real professional; someone who is good enough that they actually make their living from professional wrestling. Danny Collins runs a very successful and professional school. He and Pete Collins, who trained me, are people who made their living doing this, so they know what they're talking about. It's no use being trained by someone who's only been doing it for two years and hasn't made any money from it, because you're not going to get anything out of it. What I would also say to any young person who wants to get into the business, from my experience of when I first started, is just be humble. Try to learn as much as you can from the veterans and the more exprienced wrestlers, and when you make a good impression they will put in a good word for you. Try to get as many contacts as possible and build everything up gradually."
The landscape has changed in many ways since Matt Jarrett made his debut in 1995, including the attitudes of wrestlers towards newcomers and younger performers coming into the business. While there have been a couple of horror stories from some of the industry's legends about hazing rituals and performers being rough on rookies in the ring, Jarrett explained that the majority are there to work with each other to create a good match, and to help each other learn; a shift which has been a positive change for the industry.
"It was a tougher business back then but it - and the world in general - has changed in terms of attitudes to certain things. I'm not saying that people in the business would abuse anyone or anything as such, but there are things that people got away with or used to do more back then that you just wouldn't get away with doing now. You might occasionally get a guy like [name removed*] who will go out there and knock the hell out of a young kid for no reason, but that doesn't happen often nowadays. I don't think there's any need for that, it's just bullying. It might not necessarily be a bad thing for a young guy to get a cauliflower ear or something like that, but to intentionally try to hurt someone...there's no need for that, and it's not professional wrestling; there's no art to that. If you're here for that, then you're in the wrong business. You might as well just put on some lycra and go down to the local park to pick a fight with some kids! [Laughs.] There were guys back when I broke in who never had the chance to make it on World Of Sport but were still pretty big names, so some of them had egos and a chip on their shoulder & they wanted to show how tough they were by taking out on the younger guys. There was never anything like that with people like William Regal, Danny Collins, Doc Dean or Robbie Brookside; they would actually try to help the young guys, which is how it should be. I think it's really changed for the better."
[*I chose not to include the name mentioned here out of respect for Matt and not wanting to be a catalyst for any heat against him.]
Jarrett has shared the ring with some of the sport's most respected and talented performers thoughout the years. He spoke of some of his favourite people to work with in his eventful career and which opponents stand out in his memory for giving him some of his best matches:
"I've wrestled Steve Grey in Colston Hall, which was a huge deal for me personally because I was a big fan of his style. Working against Johnny Saint was obviously massive for me in my career & it got a lot of press in and around Gloucestershire, which was great because Cheltenham & Gloucester had historically been really strong wrestling towns. Johnny Kidd was obviously a great opponent and so was Drew McDonald; I loved working with Drew. I used to like wrestling against Andy Boy Simmonz when I worked for John Freemantle. I could probably name some really talented guys that I've worked with that you wouldn't even know. I used to really like working with a guy called Clive Cannell, who was never really a big star but I had some great matches with him. I probably wrestled him about 50 times. Being in the ring with Pete Collins was great, of course. We had the student Vs teacher story going for us and it was a pleasure to work with him. He'd taken me from knowing nothing when I broke in, so it was great to be up there with him a few years later, obviously I wouldn't say as good as him, but pulling things out that surprised even him. I've never had a match against Danny Collins, but we worked together as tag team partners and that was obviously a great honour because he had been my hero."
"Danny Collins is someone who had a bigger effect on pro wrestling that he probably gets credit for, in terms of his style in the ring, the way he came off the ropes and some of the high flying he incorporated. He made a big impact on the crowds because you really didn't see many people doing that in those days and he influenced a lot of people who came later. Robbie Brookside is now one of the main ambassadors of British wrestling to the rest of the world, as well as Dave Fit Finlay & William Regal, so they are still making an impact on the sport. I would also say that 'Rowdy' Ricky Knight is the Godfather of British wrestling as it is right now. Then there are the three who were first to really become stars throughout the rest of the world; Mark Rollerball Rocco [aka the original Black Tiger in NJPW], Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid. When Hiroshi Tanahashi came over here for Superclash 2, one of the first things he mentioned was his love of the Dynamite Kid and studying his matches as a young boy. Liger also spoke highly of him, having trained with Dynamite in the New Japan Dojo and in Calgary. They really respect him and I think that Dynamite Kid is the one who really put British wrestling on the map. He may have been smaller than people like Hulk Hogan, but he could do so much more and thats why he was successful in Japan, Calgary and even WWE, and he never lost that British style. Even when he was doing promos, like at WrestleMania 3 you can still hear that gruff, really defined northern English accent, whereas Davey's softened a bit more than Dynamite's."
We spoke about the current British wrestling scene, who Jarrett thinks has the potential to become big stars in the industry and whether the country could ever be a strong territory in it’s own right again (similar to how Japan and Mexico operate their own successful national scene), like we had in the World Of Sport days. He remains optimistic about the present and future of the British scene, while being realistic about his expectations and the scope for industry growth.
"Rampage Brown is one guy who has everything. The fact that he was signed by WWE and didn't make it to the main roster bewilders me, quite frankly. I watched his match with Doug Williams and AJ Styles at Superclash 2 and he was handling that match very well, plus the one he had with Kojima at Superclash 1 shows that he can fill any position on the card and he can work well with any style of opponents. To me, he's the top guy in the UK at the moment, I won't deny that. You also have to look at guys like Marty Scurll, who is a really talented young man and I think Jimmy Meadows is another, even though he doesn't have the weight but he can certainly wrestle. Then we have the Knights, who are the best tag team in Europe, without doubt. They grew up in the business so, like The Rock and other people who have grown up around it, they're natural at it and it's in their blood."
"I think the main problem in building the UK scene back up is sponsors. I've tried to get sponsorships several times and been to some big companies to speak to them about wrestling, but the problem is that you mention wrestling to a company owner in this country, the likelihood is that he's in his fifties, doesn't follow wrestling and his mind immediately goes to Big Daddy. If I mention the names I want to bring in for a show to a wrestling fan, they'd know they were big names, but these guys have no idea about anyone current in the business. Now, I don't want to disrespect Big Daddy and what he was to British wrestling or be in any way detrimental to the guy, but that is not what we're trying to sell. It's great to look back on what British wrestling was, but we also have to move forward. That's part of the problem, but there's also the fact that no-one works together. It's like in the world of Hip-Hop, which I'm a huge fan of; there was the battle in the States between the east and west coasts where everyone was in competition and people were dying, but now that everyone is working together the music has gotten even better. There is a lot of the old school in this country, not people like Danny Collins or Skull Murphy or anyone like that, but people who say we shouldn't use former WWE guys, or we should only use the World Of Sport guys, or that the styles used by the younger guys isn't wrestling and all kinds of criticisms. You would never hear that from someone like Skull; he's always telling me that you need the younger guys because they're our future. I was speaking to Alex Shane a few weeks ago and he gave the perfect response - we have to do this to build the business back up after the state that some of the old school left it in by refusing to adapt and change with the times."
"I definitely think that our style is strong enough that it will never be lost. I know for a fact that when some of the guys come over here, particularly the Japanese wrestlers like Tanahashi, they have such respect and they want to wrestle in our style of matches and work our style. They recognise the value of that style and that will never change. That being said, I also think that more of our young guys should be watching the old matches from the likes of Dave Taylor and a young Fit Finlay and those guys, to learn more about our own style rather than just watching the likes of John Cena and Randy Orton. No disrespect to those guys, they are the highest level but imitating that on this kind of level and to this audience isn't going to work. You need to study the guys who were successful at this level and to these people to understand how you can be successful on that same stage, and that's how you build your skills and get yourself up there."
After wrestling for about 11 years, Jarrett told me that he decided to start promoting shows back in 2006 while working as a doorman and wrestling each weekend, splitting time between various promoters including Orig Williams. He has faced many ups and downs in promoting shows, but his positive attitiude and love of the business easily beats any of the inevitable downsides that come with his position and he is now more committed than ever to his role as a promoter.
"I first spoke to Orig about the idea of promoting shows myself in 2006 while I was working on the holiday camps and he said that if I wanted to do it I should go for it. A friend of mine suggested that I try The Prince's Trust. I thought there would be no chance of getting help from them, but it was worth a try. When I was meeting with them the guy said that he was happy with my ideas but that they didn't believe I was actually a wrestler, so I had to find proof for him and then they agreed to give me a grant. That's how I got started in promoting. Since then I've had other promoters rip down my posters, fans being ruthless on social media, but you can't please everyone. You can put together a great show and people will still find faults with it, but hopefully afterwards they go home and when they think back on it they think about what a good show it was and they forget any negatives. I always think the positives outweigh the negatives. There's always going to be those few people who say that 'Matt Jarrett's an idiot' or 'this guy's a prat', but if you're a promoter and you can't take criticisms & insults, then go and work in Tesco or something; get a normal job. I'm selling a product and anyone who pays £30 or £40 or whatever for a ticket is certainly entitled to have an opinion and to make their voice heard, although quite often it turns quite personal. I think people just get over enthusiastic or whatever, but that's the nature of this business. I had a problem situation with a guy last year who was said that in bringing Liger over that I was sharing the cost of flights with WXW in Germany and 4FW, but what they didn't realise is that those companies came to me and asked me to help them get Liger on their shows. He'd told it as though I was a guy in the middle who had jumped in, but really it was me that had made those deals happen. There were some people who were really not happy about that, but that's a story for another time."
"On the first Superclash we had Liger and Satoshi Kojima, and the whole show went great, everything ran smoothly and I had a tag match with Danny Collins against Phil Powers and Christian Eckstein. That was a good match and we just went in, had the match and got out. At Superclash 2, I didn't perform as well as I should have against Mal Sanders. I got a lot of criticism for the match and I listened to what people had to say, so that's why at Superclash 3 I'm not going to wrestle at all, I'm just going to be the promoter. If you're promoting, you can't still have your wrestling head on, you need to concentrate on the running of the show, not worrying about what you need to do in your match because you have about 500 other things that you have to be in charge of that night. If you're going to be a promoter, just be a promoter, nothing else, because that's when you take your eyes off the ball and not concentrating in this business can cause accidents. I don't want to use the example of Lionheart and AJ, because I don't know what happened there and it's probably a completely different situation, but that's the kind of accident that you really don't want for anyone in this business and I hope that never happens to anyone. But anyway, if you're going to be a wrestler, just be a wrestler and if you're a promoter, just be a promoter. That way, you can concentrate on delivering what your audience actually wants. It's a great thing to have a mixed match, or a World Of Sport match or anything like that because some people like those matches, but you have to deliver what the people are paying to see. That's a benefit of being able to run shows like this where you have stars like Liger, AJ Styles and 10 New Japan guys - I can step back, look at it and say 'I don't need to be here on this card', because I know that people aren't paying to go to that show to see Matt Jarrett, they're paying to see the big stars."
One thing that we spoke about in more depth was the influence of the internet and social media on the wrestling world, and how it can be both a blessing and a curse in equal measures, especially for Jarrett as a promoter.
"I think that the internet and social media really is the future in that we'll start seeing less and less posters and more advertising through Facebook and Twitter etc. The adverts in the local press just don't work anymore. Times have changed and you have to change with them. If you want the news nowadays, you go on the internet and that's the way that things are moving more and more."
"When I'm not promoting I try to stay away from wrestling where possible, not that it's ever really possible for me. If people want to talk to me about wrestling I ask them to speak to me on the Superstars Of Wrestling Facebook page rather than my own personal account. I have a girlfriend, but I don't say anything about her on my Facebook page because there are fans on there and sometimes fans don't respect those boundaries that they would outside of the internet, so they might think it's ok to message her to slag me off. Similar things have happened in the past and that's not really fair on anyone."
Superstars of Wrestling has had the distinction of showcasing some huge international names on their shows. Jarrett discussed his favourite people to work with as a promoter and what it's like to deal with foreign imports on UK shows.
"I have absolutely nothing bad to say about working with New Japan Pro Wrestling's office or wrestlers. To me they are such humble and nice people who come here and are so respectful. I'll tell you a story about Jushin 'Thunder' Liger, who as you know is one of the biggest stars you could have in Japan. The last time he was here we went to my sister's house when he had just landed and my nephew is 11 and has downs syndrome, but Liger, fresh off his long flight, just got straight down on the floor and started playing and wrestling around with him. That's just how respectful and humble they are. As for other people I've worked with, AJ was no problem, he just came in and did his job. Paul London and all those guys were all fine. Harry Smith is sort of different to everyone else because while he's a big name and a great wrestler, you almost think of him as being British because of his lineage from his Dad, and he has inherited a very British mentality. The other American guys are a bit different to deal with because people forget that they are still coming here from a different culture. I think that some of them come over here and don't know what a rich wrestling tradition we have in this country and they think that they can come here just for an easy payday. But the Japanese guys all know the history and tradition we have here and they have a lot of respect for it and they come planning to bring their A-game. There are some guys that are being brought over to various UK promotions this year and are being paid a massive amount of money to work here, and I won't say any names but you just have to wonder if they are going to actually earn that money and put on the same kind of performance that they would for one of the big promotions. I guess we'll have to wait and see."
Jarrett spoke about family illnesses and struggles in his personal life which caused him to cancel the originaly scheduled Superclash event which was to take place in May this year and explained that he was seriously considering giving up on promoting. He was urged by his family to continue, as it was clearly something which makes him happy and something he is good at, so it would be a waste to give up because of outside factors. It was around this time that he recieved an encouraging phonecall from the NJPW office, including Jushin Liger who spoke about his own recovery and return from a brain tumor to motivate Jarrett to perservere. The connection he has made with New Japan Pro Wrestling is cultivating some interesting results. Jarrett looks to build his brand and champion the cause for British wrestling in general with his concept for the upcoming Superclash 3 event in October 2015. He spoke about his plans for the future and how he expects to build his own brand as well as those of others, while at the same time creating something really special for the fans.
"I'm really working closely now with New Japan Pro Wrestling and I'm trying to get my promotion involved with New Japan World [a subscription-based video streaming service which currently has an estimated 22,000 subscribers]. I've also got plans for the next two Superclash events which will involve taking the event to different towns. I'll have run the first three events in Gloucester as that's my home market, but I think that Superclash is the kind of product that can do well outside of that one venue and be a brand of event that can branch out, plus it just feels like it's the right time for somewhere else to host it. I want this Superclash to leave a legacy for Gloucester as well, not just for SOW, and be something for the community and something for the city to get excited about, but then I want to be able to travel around and be the big wrestling extravaganza of the year for the UK. I've been looking around more in the last couple of months and the guys in Scotland for ICW, as well as PCW, Southside, Progress, WAW and more, all have a great product, but what we need to do is start working together more so that we can bring the country these huge supershows. I don't think Superstars Of Wrestling will neccessarily be a national company or anything like that and I wouldn't want to do anything to step on any toes or cause any trouble, but by working together we can all help our own shows and each other and it would strengthen everyone and possibly even make us a real national territory. In terms of working together, I originally had Superclash pencilled in for October 3rd, but I spoke to the NGW promoter in Hull and he said that he was thinking of cancelling a show on that date because of Superclash. I was surprised and I don't want to affect anyone else's business in a negative way, so I changed the date and arrangements I'd provisionally made and now, not only that, but Nathan Cruz, who works primarily for them, will now be representing NGW at Superclash. I want to get other promoters on board with the idea too so that they will be able to be represented by their talents on my show. That helps everyone, including me, because then the following that each performer has in their own company is more likely to hear about their hometown guy working a match against a big Japanese name and they're more likely to come down to my show and see him as well. It also means that the people following one company, who may not have heard of one from a different part of the country could get into other promotions and start supporting their product as well. It helps the wrestling landcape in general, and brings fresh eyes to what we do. Each wrestler's local paper would probably be interested in their hometown boy having a huge match against a big star from Japan, so it all puts the business in the limelight."
Not only will several organisations be represented at Superclash 3, but Jarrett revealed that the plans went beyond expectations as the full event will be a UK Vs New Japan Pro Wrestling show, with representatives from each in every match. In much the same vein as the recent ROH Vs NJPW 'Global Wars' supercards from 2014 and May of this year, Superclash 3 will pit our homegrown talents against those of New Japan in a night of action which will be broadcast on Japanese TV and be available on the New Japan World streaming service, as the company are bringing their own cameras and production crew. For that truly international feel and uniquely New Japan stamp on the proceedings they are even bringing their own referee, Kenta Sato to oversee proceedings.
So far, the announced card stands as follows:
"Obviously I'm doing this to make money, and I wouldn't say otherwise, because people would wonder what my motivations were really were, but the longer term plan that I have is to hopefully get some of our British guys the chance to go out and get some work in Japan, because again that helps everyone. I think it's really good for the fans as well because there are a lot now who travel around the country for shows by RevPro and PCW and Southside, but this will be the first time that New Japan Pro Wrestling will officially be here putting on one of their shows, so it's something different, even for the people who regularly see foreign stars. From what I've heard, and I don't know for sure because I don't really follow American wrestling that closely, but apparently WWE and TNA house shows aren't doing particularly well, but their TV tapings do ok and what I ultimately want is for people who go to those shows to come away and say something like 'Superclash was just as good' or even that the British guys they've seen are better than some of what was on those shows. I've not really been to any American wrestling shows since probably 1992, for the UK Rampage tour with Hulk Hogan and Summerslam at Wembley Stadium, so I couldn't know for myself, but from what I've been told the actual action at the house shows isn't always that great. I guess it's the same as someone like Jean-Claude Van Damme, who can give a really good performance in something like an Expendables movie when he knows the world is going to see it, but in one of his B-Movies, his performance might not be as good because maybe he knows that his audience is smaller. That logic is not what you get with British wrestlers and especially not with the Japanese. They will always give everything they have. I have been told by the New Japan office that they are taking this so seriously that their guys will get here five days before the show so that they can get used to our sleeping pattern to avoid jetlag, so that they can make sure everyone is 100% for this."
The event is shaping up to be a truly historic and significant show for both British wrestling and for New Japan, whose international ventures are adding a depth and excitement to other territories and companies around the world. With an outstanding card already announced and even more to come, the show will undoubtedly be in high demand and is sure to deliver some of the finest wrestling action that fans could ever hope for. Hopefully Jarrett's bigger picture intentions for the performers and the national scene will be realised as Superstars Of Wrestling ushers in an exciting time for wrestling fans in this country. I would like to thank Matt Jarrett for being so open and forthcoming in this interview and for providing me with the exclusive announcements of talent and matches scheduled for the event. To learn more about Superstars Of Wrestling UK and Superclash 3, please see the links below:
Like and follow Superstars Of Wrestling on Facebook & Twitter, plus visit the Superclash 3 event page on Facebook. You can also purchase SOW DVDs here.
My Superclash 1 DVD review can be found on page 82 of Total Wrestling Magazine's April 2015 issue, which you can view online here.
My Superclash 2 live event review is available at this link, while my DVD review can be viewed here.
Matt Jarrett is a third generation promoter from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. His family, whose roots are originally in Falmouth, Jamaica, have promoted music and entertainment events since before he was born and he continues that tradition by combining the family experience and knowledge with his love of professional wrestling. He is owner of Superstars of Wrestling UK and features a mix of homegrown and international talent from all levels of the industry on his shows. Having debuted as a pro wrestler himself back in 1995, Jarrett began promoting shows under the SOW banner in 2007. The cards for his two previous Superclash events (in 2013 & 2014, respectively) were both impressive lineups, including stars of New Japan Pro Wrestling and other internationally renowned names who have appeared on wrestling’s biggest stages. The relationship he forged with New Japan's stars and office has now made it possible for an incredible first-time ever event for UK fans, as plans for Superclash 3 (to be held October 4th 2015 in Gloucester) are set to make it one of the most significant events the UK has hosted in many years. Mr. Jarrett was gracious enough to give me an exclusive interview about his career, the British wrestling scene and his upcoming show, Superclash 3, as well as opening up about some aspects of his personal life and experiences. We began by reflecting on Jarrett's early experiences of the wrestling industry and how he first broke into the business, which was no easy feat at that time:
"My earliest memories of pro wrestling are when my mum used to take us to Cheltenham Town Hall when I was approximately 11 years old. Danny Collins was my hero from the first time I saw him, so she kept taking me back to see him wrestle. My mum started taking me down on the train to Colston Hall in Bristol, where they had some of the bigger wrestling shows on every fortnight. Back then the business was much different to how it is now, so it was harder to find someone who would teach you. I spoke to Brian Dixon, the promoter of All-Star Wrestling, a couple of times to ask for advice but he didn't really want to know. Soon after that, when I was about 15 years old, I met a guy called Mad Eli Collins one night at Colston Hall. Eli later introduced me to Pete Collins, which was how I started training. When I started it was a kind of 'closed shop' policy on every level of the business, so it was hard to find training and then you definitely didn't get to work on shows until you were good enough. Then, we wouldn't contact promoters - people would contact the promoters for us. I had my first run with promoter Scott Conway after being introduced through Pete Collins, and that's how I got started; working on the holiday camps circuit."
"My debut was against a guy called Kashmir Singh in Cardiff. It was really nervewracking and I think I cocked the whole match up, but when you're new that will obviously happen. I was very lucky to have someone as talented as him for my first opponent. Most were little shows, but some of the shows at the holiday camps can be anything up to 2000 people, so you just get used to it really quickly, especially when you're out in front of the crowd twice a day.It becomes second nature, like going out to any job in the morning."
The 'closed-shop' policy which Jarrett spoke of was seen to be a neccessity at a time of hardship for the industry in the UK at that time. With business having been on the decline since the cancellation of the 'World Of Sport' program from the TV schedule in 1989, and with younger fans being increasingly only aware of American wrestling, the homegrown British product was decreasingly profitable and so the limited number of stars and promoters were increasingly motivated to protect the business and particularly their personal stake within the business by keeping competition to a minimum. Matt explained that the nature of the business has completely changed since that time, and gave some advice for anyone who wants to break into the business in the current climate:
"I'd say it's probably a lot easier now, because there are more promotions out there to work for. Back when I started, there was probably only Brian Dixon, Orig Williams, John Freemantle & Scott Conway that you could work for. It was really hard back then but I'd say it's relatively easy now, in comparison. Although it's still hard to get into the bigger promotions where you really start to get some exposure, you have to either know someone or be lucky enough to work with someone who will put your name forward."
"First, you need to make sure you find a proper professional wrestling school. There are a LOT of schools that you can find on the internet, but you need to find one run by someone who you know for sure knows what they are doing. I'm not disrespecting anyone who runs a school, but if you want to succeed you have to be trained by a real professional; someone who is good enough that they actually make their living from professional wrestling. Danny Collins runs a very successful and professional school. He and Pete Collins, who trained me, are people who made their living doing this, so they know what they're talking about. It's no use being trained by someone who's only been doing it for two years and hasn't made any money from it, because you're not going to get anything out of it. What I would also say to any young person who wants to get into the business, from my experience of when I first started, is just be humble. Try to learn as much as you can from the veterans and the more exprienced wrestlers, and when you make a good impression they will put in a good word for you. Try to get as many contacts as possible and build everything up gradually."
The landscape has changed in many ways since Matt Jarrett made his debut in 1995, including the attitudes of wrestlers towards newcomers and younger performers coming into the business. While there have been a couple of horror stories from some of the industry's legends about hazing rituals and performers being rough on rookies in the ring, Jarrett explained that the majority are there to work with each other to create a good match, and to help each other learn; a shift which has been a positive change for the industry.
"It was a tougher business back then but it - and the world in general - has changed in terms of attitudes to certain things. I'm not saying that people in the business would abuse anyone or anything as such, but there are things that people got away with or used to do more back then that you just wouldn't get away with doing now. You might occasionally get a guy like [name removed*] who will go out there and knock the hell out of a young kid for no reason, but that doesn't happen often nowadays. I don't think there's any need for that, it's just bullying. It might not necessarily be a bad thing for a young guy to get a cauliflower ear or something like that, but to intentionally try to hurt someone...there's no need for that, and it's not professional wrestling; there's no art to that. If you're here for that, then you're in the wrong business. You might as well just put on some lycra and go down to the local park to pick a fight with some kids! [Laughs.] There were guys back when I broke in who never had the chance to make it on World Of Sport but were still pretty big names, so some of them had egos and a chip on their shoulder & they wanted to show how tough they were by taking out on the younger guys. There was never anything like that with people like William Regal, Danny Collins, Doc Dean or Robbie Brookside; they would actually try to help the young guys, which is how it should be. I think it's really changed for the better."
[*I chose not to include the name mentioned here out of respect for Matt and not wanting to be a catalyst for any heat against him.]
Jarrett has shared the ring with some of the sport's most respected and talented performers thoughout the years. He spoke of some of his favourite people to work with in his eventful career and which opponents stand out in his memory for giving him some of his best matches:
"I've wrestled Steve Grey in Colston Hall, which was a huge deal for me personally because I was a big fan of his style. Working against Johnny Saint was obviously massive for me in my career & it got a lot of press in and around Gloucestershire, which was great because Cheltenham & Gloucester had historically been really strong wrestling towns. Johnny Kidd was obviously a great opponent and so was Drew McDonald; I loved working with Drew. I used to like wrestling against Andy Boy Simmonz when I worked for John Freemantle. I could probably name some really talented guys that I've worked with that you wouldn't even know. I used to really like working with a guy called Clive Cannell, who was never really a big star but I had some great matches with him. I probably wrestled him about 50 times. Being in the ring with Pete Collins was great, of course. We had the student Vs teacher story going for us and it was a pleasure to work with him. He'd taken me from knowing nothing when I broke in, so it was great to be up there with him a few years later, obviously I wouldn't say as good as him, but pulling things out that surprised even him. I've never had a match against Danny Collins, but we worked together as tag team partners and that was obviously a great honour because he had been my hero."
Jarrett would also share his thoughts on what British wrestling has contributed to the sport in general and the homegrown performers who he thinks have made the biggest impact on the sport worldwide:
"It's inspired a lot of people, you can't deny that. Even the big foreign stars like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels always mention the influence of British wrestling in their interviews. God rest his soul, Chris Benoit (and I don't want to get onto that whole subject around his passing etc. as that's a whole different matter) but he had a great deal of respect for the British wrestling style and when Jushin 'Thunder' Liger and Satoshi Kojima came over for Superclash 1, they were speaking to me about our style. Liger was telling me stories as we were on the motorway about the British wrestlers he'd worked with and how they had impacted his career and his life. He was saying that locking up with the likes of Rocco and Finlay had taught him what he needed to learn to get where he got in the world by helping him mature into a stronger style of wrestling. I was speaking to Too Cold Scorpio on the phone and he was saying that when he was working in Germany, the British wrestlers who were there really inspired him and shaped his style of wrestling. Also people like Chris Jericho worked in Germany and credits the people who we had going over there, like Robbie Brookside and Doc Dean; so a lot of the big stars who might not have even really worked here were able to pick things up from our guys and always mention the British style as being something they incorporated.""Danny Collins is someone who had a bigger effect on pro wrestling that he probably gets credit for, in terms of his style in the ring, the way he came off the ropes and some of the high flying he incorporated. He made a big impact on the crowds because you really didn't see many people doing that in those days and he influenced a lot of people who came later. Robbie Brookside is now one of the main ambassadors of British wrestling to the rest of the world, as well as Dave Fit Finlay & William Regal, so they are still making an impact on the sport. I would also say that 'Rowdy' Ricky Knight is the Godfather of British wrestling as it is right now. Then there are the three who were first to really become stars throughout the rest of the world; Mark Rollerball Rocco [aka the original Black Tiger in NJPW], Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid. When Hiroshi Tanahashi came over here for Superclash 2, one of the first things he mentioned was his love of the Dynamite Kid and studying his matches as a young boy. Liger also spoke highly of him, having trained with Dynamite in the New Japan Dojo and in Calgary. They really respect him and I think that Dynamite Kid is the one who really put British wrestling on the map. He may have been smaller than people like Hulk Hogan, but he could do so much more and thats why he was successful in Japan, Calgary and even WWE, and he never lost that British style. Even when he was doing promos, like at WrestleMania 3 you can still hear that gruff, really defined northern English accent, whereas Davey's softened a bit more than Dynamite's."
We spoke about the current British wrestling scene, who Jarrett thinks has the potential to become big stars in the industry and whether the country could ever be a strong territory in it’s own right again (similar to how Japan and Mexico operate their own successful national scene), like we had in the World Of Sport days. He remains optimistic about the present and future of the British scene, while being realistic about his expectations and the scope for industry growth.
"Rampage Brown is one guy who has everything. The fact that he was signed by WWE and didn't make it to the main roster bewilders me, quite frankly. I watched his match with Doug Williams and AJ Styles at Superclash 2 and he was handling that match very well, plus the one he had with Kojima at Superclash 1 shows that he can fill any position on the card and he can work well with any style of opponents. To me, he's the top guy in the UK at the moment, I won't deny that. You also have to look at guys like Marty Scurll, who is a really talented young man and I think Jimmy Meadows is another, even though he doesn't have the weight but he can certainly wrestle. Then we have the Knights, who are the best tag team in Europe, without doubt. They grew up in the business so, like The Rock and other people who have grown up around it, they're natural at it and it's in their blood."
"I think the main problem in building the UK scene back up is sponsors. I've tried to get sponsorships several times and been to some big companies to speak to them about wrestling, but the problem is that you mention wrestling to a company owner in this country, the likelihood is that he's in his fifties, doesn't follow wrestling and his mind immediately goes to Big Daddy. If I mention the names I want to bring in for a show to a wrestling fan, they'd know they were big names, but these guys have no idea about anyone current in the business. Now, I don't want to disrespect Big Daddy and what he was to British wrestling or be in any way detrimental to the guy, but that is not what we're trying to sell. It's great to look back on what British wrestling was, but we also have to move forward. That's part of the problem, but there's also the fact that no-one works together. It's like in the world of Hip-Hop, which I'm a huge fan of; there was the battle in the States between the east and west coasts where everyone was in competition and people were dying, but now that everyone is working together the music has gotten even better. There is a lot of the old school in this country, not people like Danny Collins or Skull Murphy or anyone like that, but people who say we shouldn't use former WWE guys, or we should only use the World Of Sport guys, or that the styles used by the younger guys isn't wrestling and all kinds of criticisms. You would never hear that from someone like Skull; he's always telling me that you need the younger guys because they're our future. I was speaking to Alex Shane a few weeks ago and he gave the perfect response - we have to do this to build the business back up after the state that some of the old school left it in by refusing to adapt and change with the times."
"I definitely think that our style is strong enough that it will never be lost. I know for a fact that when some of the guys come over here, particularly the Japanese wrestlers like Tanahashi, they have such respect and they want to wrestle in our style of matches and work our style. They recognise the value of that style and that will never change. That being said, I also think that more of our young guys should be watching the old matches from the likes of Dave Taylor and a young Fit Finlay and those guys, to learn more about our own style rather than just watching the likes of John Cena and Randy Orton. No disrespect to those guys, they are the highest level but imitating that on this kind of level and to this audience isn't going to work. You need to study the guys who were successful at this level and to these people to understand how you can be successful on that same stage, and that's how you build your skills and get yourself up there."
"I first spoke to Orig about the idea of promoting shows myself in 2006 while I was working on the holiday camps and he said that if I wanted to do it I should go for it. A friend of mine suggested that I try The Prince's Trust. I thought there would be no chance of getting help from them, but it was worth a try. When I was meeting with them the guy said that he was happy with my ideas but that they didn't believe I was actually a wrestler, so I had to find proof for him and then they agreed to give me a grant. That's how I got started in promoting. Since then I've had other promoters rip down my posters, fans being ruthless on social media, but you can't please everyone. You can put together a great show and people will still find faults with it, but hopefully afterwards they go home and when they think back on it they think about what a good show it was and they forget any negatives. I always think the positives outweigh the negatives. There's always going to be those few people who say that 'Matt Jarrett's an idiot' or 'this guy's a prat', but if you're a promoter and you can't take criticisms & insults, then go and work in Tesco or something; get a normal job. I'm selling a product and anyone who pays £30 or £40 or whatever for a ticket is certainly entitled to have an opinion and to make their voice heard, although quite often it turns quite personal. I think people just get over enthusiastic or whatever, but that's the nature of this business. I had a problem situation with a guy last year who was said that in bringing Liger over that I was sharing the cost of flights with WXW in Germany and 4FW, but what they didn't realise is that those companies came to me and asked me to help them get Liger on their shows. He'd told it as though I was a guy in the middle who had jumped in, but really it was me that had made those deals happen. There were some people who were really not happy about that, but that's a story for another time."
"On the first Superclash we had Liger and Satoshi Kojima, and the whole show went great, everything ran smoothly and I had a tag match with Danny Collins against Phil Powers and Christian Eckstein. That was a good match and we just went in, had the match and got out. At Superclash 2, I didn't perform as well as I should have against Mal Sanders. I got a lot of criticism for the match and I listened to what people had to say, so that's why at Superclash 3 I'm not going to wrestle at all, I'm just going to be the promoter. If you're promoting, you can't still have your wrestling head on, you need to concentrate on the running of the show, not worrying about what you need to do in your match because you have about 500 other things that you have to be in charge of that night. If you're going to be a promoter, just be a promoter, nothing else, because that's when you take your eyes off the ball and not concentrating in this business can cause accidents. I don't want to use the example of Lionheart and AJ, because I don't know what happened there and it's probably a completely different situation, but that's the kind of accident that you really don't want for anyone in this business and I hope that never happens to anyone. But anyway, if you're going to be a wrestler, just be a wrestler and if you're a promoter, just be a promoter. That way, you can concentrate on delivering what your audience actually wants. It's a great thing to have a mixed match, or a World Of Sport match or anything like that because some people like those matches, but you have to deliver what the people are paying to see. That's a benefit of being able to run shows like this where you have stars like Liger, AJ Styles and 10 New Japan guys - I can step back, look at it and say 'I don't need to be here on this card', because I know that people aren't paying to go to that show to see Matt Jarrett, they're paying to see the big stars."
One thing that we spoke about in more depth was the influence of the internet and social media on the wrestling world, and how it can be both a blessing and a curse in equal measures, especially for Jarrett as a promoter.
"I think that the internet and social media really is the future in that we'll start seeing less and less posters and more advertising through Facebook and Twitter etc. The adverts in the local press just don't work anymore. Times have changed and you have to change with them. If you want the news nowadays, you go on the internet and that's the way that things are moving more and more."
"When I'm not promoting I try to stay away from wrestling where possible, not that it's ever really possible for me. If people want to talk to me about wrestling I ask them to speak to me on the Superstars Of Wrestling Facebook page rather than my own personal account. I have a girlfriend, but I don't say anything about her on my Facebook page because there are fans on there and sometimes fans don't respect those boundaries that they would outside of the internet, so they might think it's ok to message her to slag me off. Similar things have happened in the past and that's not really fair on anyone."
"I have absolutely nothing bad to say about working with New Japan Pro Wrestling's office or wrestlers. To me they are such humble and nice people who come here and are so respectful. I'll tell you a story about Jushin 'Thunder' Liger, who as you know is one of the biggest stars you could have in Japan. The last time he was here we went to my sister's house when he had just landed and my nephew is 11 and has downs syndrome, but Liger, fresh off his long flight, just got straight down on the floor and started playing and wrestling around with him. That's just how respectful and humble they are. As for other people I've worked with, AJ was no problem, he just came in and did his job. Paul London and all those guys were all fine. Harry Smith is sort of different to everyone else because while he's a big name and a great wrestler, you almost think of him as being British because of his lineage from his Dad, and he has inherited a very British mentality. The other American guys are a bit different to deal with because people forget that they are still coming here from a different culture. I think that some of them come over here and don't know what a rich wrestling tradition we have in this country and they think that they can come here just for an easy payday. But the Japanese guys all know the history and tradition we have here and they have a lot of respect for it and they come planning to bring their A-game. There are some guys that are being brought over to various UK promotions this year and are being paid a massive amount of money to work here, and I won't say any names but you just have to wonder if they are going to actually earn that money and put on the same kind of performance that they would for one of the big promotions. I guess we'll have to wait and see."
Jarrett spoke about family illnesses and struggles in his personal life which caused him to cancel the originaly scheduled Superclash event which was to take place in May this year and explained that he was seriously considering giving up on promoting. He was urged by his family to continue, as it was clearly something which makes him happy and something he is good at, so it would be a waste to give up because of outside factors. It was around this time that he recieved an encouraging phonecall from the NJPW office, including Jushin Liger who spoke about his own recovery and return from a brain tumor to motivate Jarrett to perservere. The connection he has made with New Japan Pro Wrestling is cultivating some interesting results. Jarrett looks to build his brand and champion the cause for British wrestling in general with his concept for the upcoming Superclash 3 event in October 2015. He spoke about his plans for the future and how he expects to build his own brand as well as those of others, while at the same time creating something really special for the fans.
"I'm really working closely now with New Japan Pro Wrestling and I'm trying to get my promotion involved with New Japan World [a subscription-based video streaming service which currently has an estimated 22,000 subscribers]. I've also got plans for the next two Superclash events which will involve taking the event to different towns. I'll have run the first three events in Gloucester as that's my home market, but I think that Superclash is the kind of product that can do well outside of that one venue and be a brand of event that can branch out, plus it just feels like it's the right time for somewhere else to host it. I want this Superclash to leave a legacy for Gloucester as well, not just for SOW, and be something for the community and something for the city to get excited about, but then I want to be able to travel around and be the big wrestling extravaganza of the year for the UK. I've been looking around more in the last couple of months and the guys in Scotland for ICW, as well as PCW, Southside, Progress, WAW and more, all have a great product, but what we need to do is start working together more so that we can bring the country these huge supershows. I don't think Superstars Of Wrestling will neccessarily be a national company or anything like that and I wouldn't want to do anything to step on any toes or cause any trouble, but by working together we can all help our own shows and each other and it would strengthen everyone and possibly even make us a real national territory. In terms of working together, I originally had Superclash pencilled in for October 3rd, but I spoke to the NGW promoter in Hull and he said that he was thinking of cancelling a show on that date because of Superclash. I was surprised and I don't want to affect anyone else's business in a negative way, so I changed the date and arrangements I'd provisionally made and now, not only that, but Nathan Cruz, who works primarily for them, will now be representing NGW at Superclash. I want to get other promoters on board with the idea too so that they will be able to be represented by their talents on my show. That helps everyone, including me, because then the following that each performer has in their own company is more likely to hear about their hometown guy working a match against a big Japanese name and they're more likely to come down to my show and see him as well. It also means that the people following one company, who may not have heard of one from a different part of the country could get into other promotions and start supporting their product as well. It helps the wrestling landcape in general, and brings fresh eyes to what we do. Each wrestler's local paper would probably be interested in their hometown boy having a huge match against a big star from Japan, so it all puts the business in the limelight."
Not only will several organisations be represented at Superclash 3, but Jarrett revealed that the plans went beyond expectations as the full event will be a UK Vs New Japan Pro Wrestling show, with representatives from each in every match. In much the same vein as the recent ROH Vs NJPW 'Global Wars' supercards from 2014 and May of this year, Superclash 3 will pit our homegrown talents against those of New Japan in a night of action which will be broadcast on Japanese TV and be available on the New Japan World streaming service, as the company are bringing their own cameras and production crew. For that truly international feel and uniquely New Japan stamp on the proceedings they are even bringing their own referee, Kenta Sato to oversee proceedings.
So far, the announced card stands as follows:
- Dean Allmark Vs Gedo
- Nathan Cruz Vs Kazuchika Okada
- Marty Scurll Vs Tetsuya Naito
- Dave Mastiff Vs Yujiro Kushida
- Jushin 'Thunder' Liger, Juventud Guerrera & El Ligero Vs Phil Powers & The UK Hooligans (Roy & Zak Knight)
- Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan Vs Rampage Brown & Johnny Moss
- Sam Adonis Vs Shinsuke Nakamura
"Obviously I'm doing this to make money, and I wouldn't say otherwise, because people would wonder what my motivations were really were, but the longer term plan that I have is to hopefully get some of our British guys the chance to go out and get some work in Japan, because again that helps everyone. I think it's really good for the fans as well because there are a lot now who travel around the country for shows by RevPro and PCW and Southside, but this will be the first time that New Japan Pro Wrestling will officially be here putting on one of their shows, so it's something different, even for the people who regularly see foreign stars. From what I've heard, and I don't know for sure because I don't really follow American wrestling that closely, but apparently WWE and TNA house shows aren't doing particularly well, but their TV tapings do ok and what I ultimately want is for people who go to those shows to come away and say something like 'Superclash was just as good' or even that the British guys they've seen are better than some of what was on those shows. I've not really been to any American wrestling shows since probably 1992, for the UK Rampage tour with Hulk Hogan and Summerslam at Wembley Stadium, so I couldn't know for myself, but from what I've been told the actual action at the house shows isn't always that great. I guess it's the same as someone like Jean-Claude Van Damme, who can give a really good performance in something like an Expendables movie when he knows the world is going to see it, but in one of his B-Movies, his performance might not be as good because maybe he knows that his audience is smaller. That logic is not what you get with British wrestlers and especially not with the Japanese. They will always give everything they have. I have been told by the New Japan office that they are taking this so seriously that their guys will get here five days before the show so that they can get used to our sleeping pattern to avoid jetlag, so that they can make sure everyone is 100% for this."
The event is shaping up to be a truly historic and significant show for both British wrestling and for New Japan, whose international ventures are adding a depth and excitement to other territories and companies around the world. With an outstanding card already announced and even more to come, the show will undoubtedly be in high demand and is sure to deliver some of the finest wrestling action that fans could ever hope for. Hopefully Jarrett's bigger picture intentions for the performers and the national scene will be realised as Superstars Of Wrestling ushers in an exciting time for wrestling fans in this country. I would like to thank Matt Jarrett for being so open and forthcoming in this interview and for providing me with the exclusive announcements of talent and matches scheduled for the event. To learn more about Superstars Of Wrestling UK and Superclash 3, please see the links below:
Like and follow Superstars Of Wrestling on Facebook & Twitter, plus visit the Superclash 3 event page on Facebook. You can also purchase SOW DVDs here.
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My Superclash 1 DVD review can be found on page 82 of Total Wrestling Magazine's April 2015 issue, which you can view online here.
My Superclash 2 live event review is available at this link, while my DVD review can be viewed here.
