Interview with "Light Out" Jordan Jacobs

 

 

“I want to be in your head well after you leave the arena or turn off the monitor.”

 

 

“Lights Out” Jordan Jacobs is a wrestler that has all of the tools to make it big in this business: athletically gifted, an electric presence in the ring, solid mic skills, and a great look. For the local fans of Impact Zone Wrestling (IZW) based in Lawton, Oklahoma, Jacobs has been on their radar and viewed as an up and coming talent since his career began just two short years ago. Now with IZW’s global reach and penetration into every pro wrestling market on the map thanks to a broadcast partnership with Internet streaming giant, GFL.tv, the world is going find out what the fans in Oklahoma already know, Jordan Jacobs is the next big thing and for the current Impact Division Champion, it’s only the tip of the iceberg.

 

 

Watching Jacobs wrestle, it becomes obvious very early in his matches that he has solid fundamentals and is a grappling wizard. His matches are always highlight reels and fans always get their monies worth when watching him compete. Jacobs’ success inside of the ring is another feather in the cap for one of the toughest pro wrestling academies in the country to graduate from. In fact, the graduate list reads like a dean’s list of wrestling.

 

 

“I trained at IZW’s Impact Academy. I’m one of only three graduates, along with Randy Price and IZW Heavyweight Champion Jermaine Johnson. Consequently, Jermaine Johnson trained me along with some training by Johnny Z. I spent quite a while traveling with them both, even before I made my debut in the beginning of 2010…learning and paying dues. The Impact Academy was intense, but it made me always want to bring my A-game, no matter what. All day, every day, as I like to say,” Jacobs reflected.

 

 

Part of paying your dues in the wrestling business is molding your body and mind to be as one and presenting the best physical product to the audience. Jacobs takes this part seriously and is constantly training to improve his game, look and unique style in the squared circle.

 

 

“I hit the gym as often as possible. Lift and run as hard and as much as I can. Being in ring shape takes dedication and strength, but ring shape isn’t enough for me. I’m a perfectionist. Whether it’s in the gym or in the ring, I want to leave everything that I have there by the time that I’m done. There is never a ‘good enough’ for me. I get better every day…and that is why my opponents should fear me. You don’t face the same Jordan Jacobs twice,” Jacobs said.

 

 

Whether you’re wrestling for the global WWE in front of 30,000 fans, or for a small local organization in a banquet hall in front of 20 people, the injuries take their toll on the athletes just the same and for wrestlers cutting their teeth on the Independent scene, the bumps and bruises don’t come with a seven figure payoff to help ease the pain. Wrestlers like Jacobs and his contemporaries in IZW are cut from an old school cloth and to them it’s all worth it.

 

 

“Between the travel and the training and the overall preparation, fans have no idea how much of our time we spend on being wrestlers. It’s an everyday thing. But what really stands out to me that fans probably don’t understand, is the consistency of the injuries. We work through them, too. A few months after my debut, I went for a dive and broke my hip on the concrete floor. I stood up and finished that match. Most of us have injuries we’re working through. You either toughen up or you find something easier. There’s no middle ground. You’ve got to love it,” Jacobs continued.

 

 

Jacobs love for the business started at an early age and also began as a family affair, something “Lights Out” remembers fondly. “When I was pretty young, I watched my first wrestling show and I was hooked. My father was there and since he grew up in the South, he was happy that I was into wrestling and I watched it with him often. He was in the military but I continued to watch it when he was gone. It had me from there. A few years ago, it got to the point that I just had to give wrestling a shot. I couldn't resist it anymore. It’s both sport and art form to me.”

 

 

Like most wrestlers today, Jacobs looks at the WWE as both a challenge and a dream, but he also has his eyes set on wrestling across the Pacific that caters to a more athletic style, in the Land of the Rising Sun. “I’d love to make it to WWE someday, but I have such a deep respect for Japan as well. I’ve taken a lot of influence from Japanese wrestlers. Wrestling there is a dream of mine, and wrestling full-time is kind of the ultimate dream. I love what I do, but I see so many guys that get complacent, easy to please. I want to perform as often and to as many people as possible. I’m a born performer…always have been.”

 

 

But for now, Jacobs has his hands full in IZW.

 

 

“IZW is full of tough competition. I've never had an easy match there. But the one thing that stands out to me isn't necessarily a feud, but more of a battle. That battle is Jordan Jacobs versus every other person in the Impact Arena. Every wrestler, every fan. And the battle is for respect. Whether you like me or not, I WILL gain your respect. I do not quit, I will not die. If you don't believe in me, you will when I'm done with you. My rise has only just begun.”

 

 

It’s this mindset that has propelled Jacobs’ into the spotlight this year. His career has been on an upswing in 2012 as evidenced by his previous victory at Violent Valentine earlier this month when he defeated Rage Logan and Double D in a Triple Threat Match to win the Impact Division Championship, a career defining moment in the life of the newly crowned champ.

 

 

“As I revealed recently, I was the Man in the Dark the entire time. Double D and I were friends for a long time, but something clicked in my head one day. All those fans, all the love that he was shown constantly, he never earned that. He showed up with his girlfriend [Erica] one day and it made everyone feel good, such a nice little story. I realized that I wanted to end that nice story. I began that by pinning Double D to become the Impact Division Champion, and he won’t be getting it back. He can be this clean, spotless fan favorite all he wants, but I’m a vicious son of a bitch. I became the Man in the Dark to drag Double D out of the spotlight and into the darkness. I’m going to turn his lights out and he will never be the same again,” Jacobs promised.

 

 

For pro wrestling fans worldwide, you will get to see the Jordan Jacobs versus Double D feud continue as IZW presents a minimum of two hours of new television programming every Saturday night on GFL.tv. Their weekly free show is anchored by a monthly iPPV which last 3+ hours. The next IZW iPPV is March Mayhem on March 17.

 

 

“The partnership between GFL.tv and IZW opens up all kinds of possibilities. We've already received feedback from fans all over the world and with the quality of our show, that's just going to continue to build and hopefully expand even farther. IZW is head and shoulders above any other promotion that I've been involved in. It's where I truly came into myself as Jordan Jacobs. When someone watches an IZW show, they know that we're giving it all we've got. And with all the heart and determination found in this company, the future has no limits. IZW will continue to make people take notice,” Jacobs concluded.

 

 

To find out more about Jordan Jacobs visit him on twitter at twitter.com/jordanaconda and watch him every Saturday night on Impact Zone Wrestling exclusively on GFL.tv.