I think TNA has been an excellent locker room. They have a good mentality, they have a good work ethic, and they try really hard. They're obviously really passionate about wrestling, and there's a huge amount of talent.
TNA has been great as far as allowing me to have more input creatively on my character and the direction of my character and promos.
I think the wrestling world needs TNA. I think the wrestlers need TNA. I think the fans need TNA.
Myself and every Knockout in the company at the beginning worked so hard to build up a credible women's division in TNA so finally holding the title meant so much to me.
When I was maybe 22, 23 years old or so, I was sort of floating in between New Japan, Ring of Honor, TNA - not really committed to one place.
I was a young age, 16 years old, in Mexico. I traveled to these different countries, and I have the new style from Mexico and TNA. I wrestled two years in Florida, then back in Japan, and everything combined for a new style. It's different. I was looking for old school wrestling that looked new.
I love wrestling, and of course WWE is the main stage, but I'm happy to be with TNA.
WWE can say they don't watch Impact and TNA but I know that's a lie.
Austin Aries is a guy that has been the longest-reigning 'X Division' champion, has proven himself all over the world before he even got to TNA, and is well-respected in the industry, so I think he's a guy to look out for and I look forward to working with.
That's J, E, double F, J, A, double R, E , double T... I'm double J, Jeff Jarrett!
Contrary to popular belief, I do occasionally get to watch TNA, mostly on fast forward, but Bobby Roode is one of the guys... solid, solid guy.
When I closed the chapter, I'll say, in the book with TNA in 2013, literally within, it was under 30 days - it was 20, 25 days - I was already into a production agreement with a production company based out of Los Angeles.
TNA has had a lot of great periods - Hulk Hogan even came in, but I don't think he was beneficial to TNA. They spent a lot of money on him, but made a lot of mistakes. They should have saved that money for me.
I enjoyed 12-plus years in TNA, but in the end, I didn't like being there doing what I was doing. That was my issue. I needed to get away.
The true wrestling fans that watch TNA Impact, I think they've always known. I don't want to say they take it for granted in anyway, but they always just know that TNA and Impact Wrestling are going to give them women's wrestling.
People keep saying EC3 is the heart and soul of TNA: that he's this homegrown star, and he is going to be this big star. But fans don't understand that I'm the true star - I came off Vince McMahon's TV.
When I was just a strong wrestler, TNA didn't use me. I didn't have a character, so I knew I needed one.
We may never be as big as WWE, but the cool thing about TNA is that we are the alternative. So people who get tired and bored with the WWE - I've been there, I understand - there's an alternative and something else to watch.
When you think about a WWE Diva, you think of us girls in WWE, not, like, the girls that are in the indies, the girls in TNA or in other different companies. So yeah, the word 'Diva' means a lot to me.
Thank God for TNA: we've had the creative freedom to do what we want to do.
So, wrestling, being strong, having good matches? I learned that in New Japan. But as a TV character? TNA was good.
The WWE is the big company and the one the mainstream audience is watching, but I feel like if you were a hardcore wrestling fan, you were watching TNA.
The only reason TNA hired me was because they had no choice. Dixie Carter wanted Hulk Hogan - that was obvious - but Hulk Hogan didn't trust anybody in TNA. When I say trust, I don't mean to be devious or malicious or anything like that, but he didn't trust their judgment or their ability, nor did he trust Vince Russo in any way, shape, or form.
I was thankful that TNA saw the potential in me and put me in a position to fulfill something like winning the World Heavyweight Championship.
When I ran WCW, I obviously had a lot of control over the business, but when I was in TNA, I had no control over anything other than creative.
