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WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett talked about Monty Brown on his latest My World podcast and was asked about why Monty Brown never won NWA Title in TNA Wrestling despite his popularity at the time.
"Had we made him the champion, we would be having a different conversation. He was in main events all the way until he left. If he was not in the main event, he was in the semi-main event. He never was jerking the curtain once he got going. I was a big believer that once you make Monty the champion, the chase is over, and then heās going to be a two time or 3 time champion. When we got into contract negotiations and he knew he wanted to see if the grass was greener, the time wasnāt right. I was working with Sting and there were different storylines that revolved around that belt. We were always super high on Monty and always protected him. There was a time frame, I donāt want to say it was ā06, maybe it was ā05, you better learn how to lose before you learn how to win. Monty learned how to do that.
That move, the pounce, was over. His verbal skills were over. He had all the tools in the toolbox and we were going with him. Itās not like we didnāt go with him, he just didnāt become champion. We didnāt feel the time was right. Me and Monty sat on a bench for a couple hours one night. I basically did everything in my power to get him to re-sign, including telling him, āMonty, you know when the time is right, youāre going to be champion. Thatās kind of irrelevant. Weāre not talking titles, wins, and losses. Weāre talking from a financial perspective. You have to believe that although you may not make as much money here in your next calendar year, or maybe even in your next calendar year, itās best for your long term growth.ā
Monty, and I donāt want to say, didnāt want to hear that, but again, Monty had an NFL career. (Conrad Thompson said, āAnd that NFL career ended, so he knew that one bad match or move, this could be over. That makes sense, right?) He wanted to see if the grass was going to be greener, and you couldnāt blame him for that either."
"I could tell guys like a Monty, āMonty, I donāt mean this out of disrespect, but youāre not ready to carry the ball by yourself. Youāre just not.ā I meant it sincerely, but also out of a long term career. The proof is in the pudding. Monty went to WWE. You can slice and dice it any way you want. He failed miserably. Chris Harris failed miserably. Thereās guys that got up there, and you can point the fingers all you want, but they didnāt succeed. At the end of the day, weāre talking about Monty. He had his opportunity. Why couldnāt he succeed? I am the biggest Monty Brown supporter. There was a time in this frame that weāre talking about, that the pounce and Montyās skills, and I donāt want to get too far out of bounds and say the hottest thing in the industry, but he certainly was the most sure-fire bet that in the next 36 months, is this guy going to be a top star? You would have said, āAbsolutely.āĀ Iām not saying 12 months. Iām saying 36 months. I think Monty would be at the top of everyoneās list."
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