Jerry Lynn Talks About Winning WWF Lightweight Title, Leaving TNA, ECW & More
Inside The Ropes Radio recently spoke with Jerry Lynn. Here are some highlights from the interview.
Defends ECW Reunion shows: “Fans from back then are now showing their kids the old DVDs and stuff and now their kids are fans and want to experience it. I was at a show here in Nashville not too long ago and this woman came up to the gimmick table with here daughter who must have been seven or eight and I asked for her name and before I could say who I was she said, ‘Your name’s Jerry Lynn, I love all your matches with RVD.’ This little girl. It continues on. Thats what drives me nuts when people say ‘why do they keep coming back? why can’t they just let it die?’ Well, why? People still enjoy it so whats the problem? Whenever I’m at a reunion show it’s a great time and the fans have had a blast and that’s what it’s about you know.”
Thoughts on winning the WWF Light Heavyweight Title on his first night with the company: “I had no idea they were going to put it on me till I got to the building. My first thought was ‘Why?’ They hadn’t built me up or anything. Why just bring me in and slap it on me? And then bring me in and be a heel when the majority of my career I’ve been a face and with no rhyme or reason, I’m a heel. So I cheat and get the win and still end up getting a great reaction from the crowd, even Paul E told me afterwards, the office were surprised at how much of a reaction I got. But it was in Chicago, which was one of our main towns in ECW. You know if you wanna bring me in as a heel, you gotta have me beat up one of your babyfaces that’s really over with the crowd, then I’m a heel. The whole time in my head, I was just thinking, Why?”
Why he asked for his release from TNA in 2007: “They had us all sign a little amendment to our contracts that said we couldn’t work for any independents that had TV, DVD distribution, PPV or even iPPV and that was a lot of my regulars and TNA wasn’t making me rich by any means. Now they’re telling me I can’t work for a bunch of my regulars and make any money and then they left me home for two TV tapings. That’s a whole month without any income. They were starving me to death so I had to ask for my release. I have a wife and two daughters at home I have to feed.”
Would he come out of retirement under any circumstances? “This is pretty much my body telling me, it’s had it. My bump card is full. The only match i’d come back and come out of retirement for and it’d be one time is if I got to wrestle on a WrestleMania but I don’t foresee that happening. That would probably be the only time I’d come back. It kinda irks me that Snooki got to be on WrestleMania and I never will.”