Nashville's next huge podcast
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Former wrestler Jeff Jarrett. Photo courtesy of "My World with Jeff Jarrett"
Nashville became home to one of the country's most popular sports podcasts this year when professional wrestler, executive and native son Jeff Jarrett launched his "My World" podcast in partnership with Ad Free Shows.
Why it matters: Nashville has a deep history in pro wrestling. Stars such as Stone Cold Steve Austin and Sting and the Ultimate Warrior got their start here. Jarrett's family has played a starring role and has deep ties to the industry.
- Grandmother Teeny Jarrett and father Jerry Jarrett preceded him into the wrestling business, but Jeff became a star in his own right.
- He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018 as a performer and has a unique background on the business side of pro wrestling, having co-founded the promotion now called Impact Wrestling.
- "My World" offers listeners behind-the-scenes stories from Jarrett's life in the industry — like the time he "held up" WWE chairman Vince McMahon for more money before wrestling his final match with the promotion.
Driving the news: The podcast, co-hosted by Conrad Thompson, has been a wild success. It debuted at No. 1 for pro wrestling podcasts and No. 4 for all sports podcasts, according to the Apple Podcasts charts.
- Jarrett told Axios he has been "absolutely floored" by the success.
- Thompson is a well-known wrestling podcaster who also hosts shows with Bruce Prichard, Jim Ross and a host of other wrestling legends.
The local angle: Jarrett already dedicated an episode to the uniquely Nashville story of partnering with several Tennessee Titans players for a television angle, which played a role in saving Impact Wrestling when it was facing financial turmoil.
- "We absolutely will have episodes dedicated to Nashville, and the fairgrounds, and just all the stories that come out of there, from the legends who came through to really the way that [fairgrounds] building was built and designed with pro wrestling in mind," Jarrett said.