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32-605: Jerry Winston Jarrett (September 4, 1942 – February 14, 2023) was an American businessman, professional wrestling promoter , and professional wrestler. Along with his long-term business partner Jerry Lawler , he was a key figure in the history of professional wrestling in the Mid-Southern United States . Described as a "wrestling genius", he was inducted into the National Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame in 2009. Jarrett founded

64-410: A brand out of their own personalities and the parties they host, marketing the events under a consistent name, style, type of program, and social experience that downplays the branding of the venue or artist. They may develop a loyal clientele that will follow them from one location to another. In cosmopolitan cities with large affluent populations, there are upscale venues that employ the services of

96-900: A cottage industry , with companies operated by one or several well-connected charismatic individuals, often working part-time. However, with the rise of corporate ownership of live entertainment assets, several large companies have emerged in the field. There are often disputes over money in the promotions industry because it is largely cash business with a history of corruption and uneven recordkeeping . In addition there are many accounting complexities to manage, particularly for large events: revenue, expenses, and oversight of parking , coat checks , concession vendor sales (e.g.,  CDs and t-shirts ), box office so-called " convenience fees ", in kind trades, promotional give-away items used to lure guests (e.g., free drinks), costs for insurance , cleaning staff, and so on. One area of frequent contention are quid pro quo cross-promotions , where

128-526: A 72% controlling interest in NWA:TNA to Panda Energy . Jarrett remained part of the NWA:TNA management team until departing in late-2005 over a dispute about the direction of the company. In October 2005, he introduced professional wrestler Oleg Prudius to WWE , where he became Vladimir Kozlov . After stepping away from professional wrestling, Jarrett owned a construction company and an international television distribution company. Jarrett had four children:

160-430: A daughter Jennifer, and sons Jerry Jr., Jeff , and Jason. Jerry Jarrett became estranged from Jeff in 2005 after they had disputes about their operations while running NWA:TNA ; they reconciled in 2015. Jerry Jarrett was married to Eddie Marlin 's daughter Deborah. Jarrett died of a heart attack while undergoing treatment for esophageal cancer on February 14, 2023, at 80. Jarrett contributed to 2004's The Story of

192-548: A minimum. Western Kentucky , Arkansas, Middle Tennessee , Southern Missouri, Northwest Alabama , and even Eastern Oklahoma are also usually included. The region is bordered by the Ozarks to the north and west, by Appalachia to the east, and the Deep South to the south. Although the region has no formally established boundaries, the designation has been used by various businesses and institutions generally operating in

224-671: A professional wrestler. His friend Tojo Yamamoto and veteran wrestler Sailor Moran trained him. He wrestled his first match in Hayti, Missouri in 1965. After debuting, Jarrett formed a tag team with Yamamoto. Jarrett performed primarily for NWA Mid-America for the first few years. Between 1970 and 1976, he won the NWA Mid-America Tag Team Championship once, the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) once, and

256-563: A promoter until enrolling in Peabody College . After graduating in 1963, Jarrett worked four years for the Murray Ohio Manufacturing Company as a purchasing agent before deciding to pursue a career in professional wrestling. He began working for Welch and Gulas as an office assistant and became a referee by default after a referee was a no-show. While working as a referee in the 1960s, Jarrett became

288-499: A special event, such as a large New Year's Eve party in a hotel ballroom. They may also engage freelance hosts for their social influence; these amateur promoters market the events to their circle of friends and/or social media followers, in exchange for special treatment and/or free admission to the event and at times, and may form or be included in street teams that promote events at other live venues. Minimally, an event promoter manages publicity and advertising . Depending on

320-464: A special kind of promoter called an image promoter. The role of the image promoter is to bring celebrities or fashion models to high end venues and host them at a VIP table. In order to entice models and celebrities to come to the venue, the image promoter is provided with a VIP table and complementary alcohol. High end venues use the presence of models and celebrities to market their venue to an affluent clientele which may often only obtain admittance to

352-539: A younger generation of fans, especially females since they would often bring their boyfriends to the shows. In 1988, Jarrett began talks with Verne Gagne , owner of the Minneapolis , Minnesota–based American Wrestling Association , about a potential merger. After negotiations broke down in 1989, Jarrett instead entered into a merger with World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), a promotion based in Dallas, to create

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384-452: Is for the promoter to earn all of the admissions fees, while the venue retains all food and drink revenue. Some venues have exclusive arrangements with a single promotion company, others work with multiple promoters on a rotating schedule (one night per week, for example), or on an event-by-event basis. Promoters often work together — either as equal partners, or as subcontractors to each other's events. Several promoters may work together for

416-476: Is often a simple percentage of admission fees (called "the door") and/or food and drink sales, with many variations possible, such as minimums or maximums, allowances for various expenses, or limitations (such as only alcohol sales after midnight). Other promoters operate independently, renting venues for a fixed fee, or under a revenue sharing arrangement with the venue holder, thus keeping larger profits from successful events. One common arrangement for small venues

448-736: The Memphis area . After a dispute with Gulas in 1977, Jerry Jarrett opted to break away beginning a promotion, the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA). With the support of his mother, Jerry Lawler , and Buddy Fuller, Jerry Jarrett built the CWA into a successful promotion, staging events each Monday that regularly sold-out the Mid-South Coliseum and airing television shows each Saturday morning on WMC-TV . In 1981, NWA Mid-America folded due to competition from

480-608: The Memphis, Tennessee –based Continental Wrestling Association in 1977. In 1989, he merged the CWA with the Dallas –based promotion World Class Championship Wrestling , creating the United States Wrestling Association which he sold to Lawler in 1997. In 2002, he co-founded NWA:TNA in Nashville with his son Jeff Jarrett , selling his controlling interest to Panda Energy International later in

512-674: The NWA Southern Tag Team Championship (Mid-America version) ten times. Jarrett also performed for Gulas' Southeastern Championship Wrestling promotion and won the NWA Tennessee Tag Team Championship in 1975. In 1977, Jarrett founded the Continental Wrestling Association . In addition to booking the promotion, he also occasionally wrestled. He and Yamamoto became the inaugural CWA World Tag Team Champions in July 1980, losing

544-599: The United States Wrestling Association . The United States Wrestling Association began promoting shows in Tennessee and Texas in 1989, with Jarrett aspiring to make it a national promotion. In 1990, WCCW withdrew from the USWA after a revenue dispute and folded shortly afterwards. In 1992, the USWA began a talent exchange program with the World Wrestling Federation . By the mid-1990s, attendances at

576-405: The "door policy" used by bouncers to decide who will be admitted and at what price. To deal with these complexities event contracts can become quite long and detailed. Whether written or not, these arrangements tend to favor the party with the greater sophistication or the more control over the production of the event. Even the most detailed, professionally written and negotiated contracts can become

608-595: The CWA, with Gulas selling his territory to Jarrett. In 1979, The Freebirds asked Jarrett to play " Free Bird " on their entrances. They first tried it in the Mid-South Coliseum and twirling the house spotlights. As a result, Jarrett became one of the first promoters to use music and videos to promote his roster of wrestlers. In 1984, Jarrett entered into a talent exchange with Bill Watts ' Mid-South Wrestling promotion. Jarrett and Lawler advised Watts to bring more young performers into his territory to attract

640-558: The Development of NWATNA: A New Concept in Pay-Per-View Programming and released the autobiographical The Best of Times in 2011. Promoter (entertainment) Promoters are typically engaged as independent contractors or representative companies by entertainment venues, earning a pre-arranged fee, or a share of revenues (colloquially known as a "cut" and "share of the house"), or both. A share of revenues

672-435: The Mid-South Coliseum had fallen sharply, and Jarrett sold his stake in the promotion to Jerry Lawler and Larry Burton before it folded in 1997. In 1993, Vince McMahon was indicted on suspicion of supplying illegal anabolic steroids to professional wrestlers. Before the trial, McMahon appointed Jarrett to run the company in case he was found guilty and sent to prison. When McMahon was found not guilty, Jarrett left to focus on

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704-474: The USWA. After stepping back from working in promotion, Jarrett worked as a consultant for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the WWF. In 2001, Jarrett suggested the acquisition of WCW, calculating that he could return the company to profitability by aggressively cutting costs. The WWF acquired the company after WCW programming on TBS and TNT was canceled. After the sale of World Championship Wrestling to

736-599: The World Wrestling Federation and the bankruptcy of Extreme Championship Wrestling , the North American professional wrestling industry lacked a viable competitor to the WWF. Jerry and Jeff Jarrett attempted to fill the void. On May 9, 2002, they formed J Sports and Entertainment (JSE), the parent company of NWA:TNA , a new professional wrestling promotion that began airing weekly pay-per-views on In Demand on June 19. In October 2002, JSE sold

768-614: The arrangement, they may also handle security , ticket sales , event admission (door policies), decorations, and booking of other entertainers. Many promoters are DJs or musicians themselves, and may perform at their own events. Some bloggers and individuals with a large following on social media may consider themselves as promoters and charge fees promotional service via their social media platform(s), or through their efforts. Many musicians and artists act as de facto promoters for their own concerts, either directly or through their manager or booking company . Historically, promotion has been

800-466: The belts to Austin Idol and Dutch Mantel the following month. In 1985, Jarrett briefly wrestled under a mask as "Hawaiian Flash". Jarrett formally retired in 1988, although he came out of retirement in 1993 and 1995 to wrestle on several occasions for his United States Wrestling Association . In the early-1970s, Jarrett and his mother began promoting professional wrestling shows on behalf of Gulas in

832-458: The early-1970s, she was promoting shows on their behalf in Indiana and Kentucky . At the age of seven, Jerry Jarrett began selling programs for Gulas and Welch. After receiving a hardship driving license at the age of 14, Jarrett began promoting professional wrestling events: renting buildings, advertising shows, constructing the ring, selling tickets, and stocking refreshments. He worked as

864-709: The map) and Southwestern Indiana are also occasionally included in this region. Victory University , located in Memphis, was originally named the Mid-South Bible Center when it was incorporated in 1944, and was thereafter renamed to the Mid-South Bible Institute in 1948, and to the Mid-South Bible College in 1960. From 1981 to 1987, a Mid-South Business Journal was also in publication. The Mid-South Conference

896-420: The promoter or some other party connected with the venue will obtain a favor (for example, a price discount) in exchange for giving a future favor to the vendor. If the existence of the scheme, or the relationship between the parties, is undisclosed this may become a form of bribery . Another opportunity for misunderstanding are the various "lists" of guests who will be admitted for free or with VIP treatment, and

928-721: The region. In 1920, journalist C.P.J. Mooney equated the region with the Mississippi River Valley , centered in Memphis, and described by advocates as "the richest agricultural region in the world". Mooney delineated the region as "covering West Kentucky, West Tennessee, part of the Tennessee River Valley in Alabama, the northern half of Mississippi, the Eastern half of Arkansas and southeast Missouri". Southern Illinois (especially Cairo , shown on

960-492: The same year. Jarrett was born to Christine "Teeny" Jarrett (1923–1998) in Nashville on September 4, 1942. His parents divorced when he was three. To support Jerry Jarrett and his sister, Christine began working as a ticket vendor at the Nashville Hippodrome for Nick Gulas and Roy Welch , the promoters of NWA Mid-America . Over time Christine Jarrett was given more responsibility by Gulas and Welch, and by

992-1138: The subject of lawsuits over interpretation. Because nightclubs are often associated with drug and alcohol consumption, rowdiness, and other late-night behavior, promoters may become entangled in various criminal disputes as well. Promoters bring crowds through a variety of methods. The most direct are guerrilla marketing techniques such as plastering posters on outdoor walls, flyposting , and distributing handbills on windows of cars parked in entertainment districts. Promoters also keep mailing lists, usually email lists , of their preferred guests and their wider list of potential customers. Many promoters have taken advantage of online technology such as social networking services and event listing sites to handle publicity, invitations, mailing lists, and so on. Clubs and promoters are among leaders in SMS text message advertising to their own lists as well as sponsored snippets on third-party lists for daily content to subscribers. Many fans promote events, products through their Facebook/Twitter/Myspace on their own free will. Promoters often build

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1024-540: The venue through agreeing to spend a certain amount of money on alcohol at the establishment. Mid-South (region) The Mid-South is an informally-defined region of the United States , usually thought to be anchored by the Memphis metropolitan area . Exact definitions vary widely and consist of at least West Tennessee , North Mississippi , Northeast Arkansas , and the Missouri Bootheel at

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