Harry Smith is making his presence felt in Major League Wrestling, but it very well could have been IMPACT if a few things went down different.
In a recent interview with Hannibal, Smith mentioned that NJPW shot down the idea of him working in Impact Wrestling. From the treatment of Okada, to not liking Jeff Jarrett, the reasons given from New Japan Pro Wrestling simply didn't make sense.
Smith, decked out in an eccentric gold outfit, emblazoned with a bulldog, said that much like his get-up, some things are unforgettable in Japan.
"Well, the thing about that is sometimes the Japanese, if you make them mad or you turn them off in a way, they never forget it. I’m sure they never forgot about the bombs in Hiroshima and Pearl Harbor and everything. Sometimes when they have a bad taste in their mouth, whatever you say to them it’s either black or white with them. Jeff Jarrett was long gone from the company when I was approached to come and do IMPACT! stuff," said Smith. "Something 30 years ago could have happened and they’re still not touch somebody over it. Or work with a company that maybe is friends with him, or… They’re weird like that. I don’t know how to explain it, but that’s the way that they go."
One particular note of interest was that Gedo had told Smith that they weren't fond of Jeff Jarrett, former owner of TNA Wrestling, which is why they didn't want Smith working in IMPACT. However, Jarrett was long gone. In fact, he'd been gone multiple times since the NJPW-Impact relationship ended. Even crazier, Jarrett had actually worked NJPW dates and helped co-promote Wrestle Kingdom stateside -- which is something that Smith suggests could have actually renewed frustration.
"For some reason, whatever the bad relationship or dealings with them, and also they had some relationships with GFW, something went south with money there. I don’t know, it’s not my business. But, I do know something went south and they seem to have a bad taste in their mouth altogether about the company. I was approached and I asked their permission, and they said, “Well, we’re gonna think about it.” Then they had put words in my mouth that I said I was quitting and going there, and I never said that. I was asking their permission, which is the right thing to do. They said, “No”, and I said, “Okay, we’ll leave it at that.”
You can check out Davey Boy Smith Jr. every week on MLW Fusion, which we stream live here at Fightful.com, and see our full interview above.
