Craig Jones claims Gordon Ryan can't wear mouthguard due to gag reflex preventing MMA career
"The true reason he never did MMA is because he can't wear a mouthguard. He has a very strong gag reflex. That's 100% true. So, I mean, you can put the gloves on or bare knuckle this he can't wear a mouthguard."
About this episode
Host Ariel Helwani delivered an extraordinary episode featuring WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett in an emotional, revelatory in-studio interview about the new Dark Side of the Ring documentary on TNA Wrestling. Jarrett disclosed for the first time that he didn't grieve Owen Hart's 1999 death until 2017, admitting he walked through the crater where Hart's body fell and suppressed the trauma for 18 years. He also shared that neither parent attended his first wife's funeral during her cancer battle, with his mother citing a beach vacation and his father eating at Zaxby's during the service. Jarrett clarified the infamous 1999 contract dispute with Vince McMahon, revealing he successfully negotiated double payment by reminding McMahon that WWE had cut his salary during his wife's cancer treatment, and McMahon personally delivered the check. The wrestling legend discussed his nine years of sobriety, reconciliation with his father before his 2018 death, and TNA's internal conflicts with owner Dixie Carter. The show also featured jiu-jitsu promoter Craig Jones, who revealed he got Tom Hardy's name tattooed to convince the actor to fight at his CJI event, attempted to book Hardy vs. Mark Zuckerberg, and claimed Gordon Ryan can't pursue MMA due to an inability to wear a mouthguard. Unified super welterweight champion Jaron 'Boots' Ennis discussed his fight-of-the-year candidate against Xander Zayas, defended Zayas against quitting accusations, and expressed frustration at being ranked ninth pound-for-pound. The episode extensively covered the World Cup, the controversial reinstatement of US player Flo Balogun after a red card, and previewed UFC 329 with multiple guest announcements.
Key takeaways
- Jeff Jarrett reveals he successfully doubled his payout from Vince McMahon at a 1999 pay-per-view by leveraging WWE's previous salary cut during his wife's cancer treatment
- Jarrett discloses he didn't grieve Owen Hart's 1999 death until 2017, admitting he walked through the spot where Hart's body fell and suppressed trauma for 18 years
- Neither of Jarrett's parents attended his first wife's 2007 funeral, with his mother citing a beach vacation and his father eating at a restaurant during the service
- Craig Jones claims Gordon Ryan's inability to wear a mouthguard due to severe gag reflex is the real reason he never pursued an MMA career
- Jones reveals he got Tom Hardy's name tattooed to convince the actor to fight Gable Steveson at his CJI event and attempted to book Hardy vs. Mark Zuckerberg
- Jaron 'Boots' Ennis defends Xander Zayas against quitting accusations and expresses frustration at being ranked ninth in pound-for-pound rankings after unifying titles
- Jarrett attributes TNA's internal dysfunction to poor communication and suggests owner Dixie Carter made decisions that deliberately undermined his leadership and family