In every generation there are performers who are either born a generation too early or a generation too late. Wrestling is no different. There are guys and girls when you watch them, you can’t help but think, what if they would have been here just a few years earlier. Few fit that description like Jeff G. Bailey.
I first met Jeff in 2003 when I made my Wildside debut. It is crazy to think we had never crossed paths prior to that, considering Jeff was the man. He cut his teeth in the Carolinas and eventually made his way to Georgia where he easily staked his claim as the greatest manager to ever do this. His promos were cutting edge, his timing was impeccable, and his ability to get anything over is unmatched.
Before this time, Jeff was cementing his legacy managing a rotating group of wrestlers that were better than just great, they were The Elite. And Elite is an understatement when you look at the proverbial who’s who of talent Jeff managed not just in the NCW/Wildside days, but the entire history of The Landmark Arena. Ron Killings, AJ Styles, Adam Jacobs, Luke Hawx, Murder-1, Rainman, Prince Justice (later Abyss), Mikael Judas,Iceberg, and the list goes on and on. In our industry the right manager can make a wrestler and elevate them. Jeff was more than just a right fit, he is the fit. If you cannot get over with Jeff in your corner and being your mouthpiece, you might as well just get out. Anyone and everyone who was managed by JGB was instantly a star and dare I say their career’s benefited from his influence.
If anyone ever has any doubts about Jeff’s place in Landmark Arena history, you only have to check YouTube to see the entirety of his historic career in that building laid out before your very eyes. All of the top stars all worked with Bailey. Any legend that was brought into that building worked in some capacity to JGB. While there were many great athletes who graced that ring, all of their doings would have been for naught, had it not been for Jeff talking the folks into the building. He talked them in with promises of blood and gore unlike anything anyone had ever seen. He spoke of the greatness that was his superior athletes and why there was nobody alive who could stop them. And we wouldn’t be giving the man his full due, if we didn’t mention his tendency to push the envelope at every turn. His presence made you listen, he was like that horrible car wreck on the interstate. You don’t want to see the mangled bodies, but by God you couldn’t take your eyes off of them. When JGB spoke, you listened.
Let’s go back to 2003. I had heard of the legend of Jeff and I had watched him on Wildside, but watching him work in person was another experience. However, nothing can ever prepare you for dealing with Bailey backstage, especially if something was not up to Jeff’s expectations.I honestly didn’t think Jeff was a fan of my work at all, because we didn’t start off with the greatest relationship. In fact I got cussed out by Jeff one night. One of Jeff’s other jobs at Wildside was editing the TV product. Jeff spent countless hours putting together the TV product, a job he inherited when Andrew Thomas left for TNA. Well, one night I was sitting in for Steve Prazak on commentary. I was working with Dan Wilson and there was a particularly big moment coming up. It was a lights off, lights on, surprise return spot. Now, I always worked heel on commentary and I did a lot of humor. Bobby Heenan was my idol and that was my excuse. Well during that spot, I said something to the effect of “hey that isn’t my leg” while the lights were off. At the next TV, Jeff blew a fuse. He explained to me that the moment was too important to make that comment and that funny doesn’t draw money. I apologized and from that moment our dynamic seemed to change a bit.
As Wildside’s time was coming to a close, Jeff showed no signs of slowing down as plans were already in place for the new kid in town, Anarchy Wrestling, to fill the void that Wildside was going to leave and there would be no better choice than Bailey to be the guy to elevate the new promotion and much of the young talent that would be coming through. The first supercard for Anarchy Wrestling was Hostile Environment 2005. On this night, Jeff G Bailey would find himself in the familiar spot of the main event managing Mikael Adryan inside the cage as he challenged Kory Chavis for the Anarchy Heavyweight Championship. While the main event was a stellar showcase from Chavis and Adryan and provided glimpses of the man who would become Mikael Judas winning his first Anarchy Heavyweight Championship, it was what happened before the event that was a thing of legend and beauty. Prior to this event a former Wildside announcer, Jason Martin had put out a column on some wrestling message board. It was pretty scathing and had upset quite a few people because of some lies that were implied. One of those who was upset was JGB. Well wouldn’t you have known it, Martin showed up at this show and before he could even get up the stairs into the building, Bailey was there. He cut one of the greatest promos on the guy, but words weren’t the only thing coming from his mouth as he spit a waterfall of salvia in the direction of Jason Martin. Martin left the building, and I think it took an hour for Jeff G to settle down.
When Bailey wasn’t spitting on announcers, he was busy building the next incarnation of the NWA Elite. Which was a good thing because Jeff’s status as the kingpin of the Landmark Arena managers was about to be challenged by a familiar face. When Anarchy Wrestling started gaining momentum was when Dan Wilson introduced his Devil’s Rejects and they tried to take over Anarchy Wrestling. No need to cover the entire story here, there will be another day for that. When The Rejects were unable to take over Anarchy, they set their sites on the NWA Elite. JGB had never faced a threat quite like Dan and The Rejects before. The war spun many memorable matches and segments in the formative years of Anarchy. I don’t think I am speaking out of school here, but as someone who was sitting in the booth providing the soundtrack to these battles, I honestly believe that Dan’s performance forced Bailey to up his game and what we got was a new version of JGB. The war culminated in a War Games match at The Georgia Mountain Center in Gainesville in front of over 900 fans at Hostile Environment 2007.
During this time the fans of the Landmark Arena were being treated to some amazing in-ring action and storylines. Everything was firing on all cylinders. But perhaps the more entertaining things were going on backstage and in the office. Prior to every Anarchy TV Taping, Bill Behrens conducted the production meetings. In these meetings would be the announce team (Greg Hunter, Eddie Rich, and me), Jeff, whoever was the booker (Todd, Dan, etc), and Bill. The discussions between Jeff and Bill were always fun. Usually people have certain visions of how a product should be presented. Sometimes, Jeff’s and Bill’s visions were very different. It would all start with the Bailey huff, shuffling the format, and then the inevitable, “Bill” which was usually followed up with a very persuasive argument for his point. The agent attorney thing was no gimmick folks. At the end of the day though they worked together and would find a compromise.
I got to work with Jeff a lot during the Wildside and Anarchy days, because Jeff would trust me to get promos shot for TV. Jeff would hand me a list of guys he wanted, I would pitch ideas, and off we ran. One of my favorite episodes of Anarchy was a best of that we shot at the hotel I worked at in Gwinnett. This was a best of The Elite episode and the premise was simple. I had invited Jeff G Bailey to my lovely home where we were sipping wine and praising The Elite. I was still a heel commentator at this point and had always been a cheerleader for them. It was a fun episode. It was also during this time that the Georgia Athletic Commission was trying to regulate wrestling. This was fresh off the heels of the Benoit murder sucide debacle. During one of the hearings, Jeff, Jerry Palmer, and I went down to the state capitol building. After the hearing we stopped off for lunch with a bunch of the guys who went down there to speak against the regulation. On our way back home, we are going up 85 north when about three-tenths of a mile in front of us, a SUV went airborne and rolled across the highway just passed the Jimmy Carter Blvd exit. I don’t think either of us in the car wanted to say something, because this was just like something you would have seen in a movie. We drove by and then let out the collective holy shit.
Back in the confines of the Landmark Arena, JGB was further cementing his legacy, managing a new crop of talent. One of those guys was an ex-marine named Phill Shatter. The Universal Soilder as Bailey would call him. He was paired with a Korean Assassin named Kimo, The Butcher of Pyongyang. Bailey would tell the tales of horror both of these men seen and the chaos they constructed. Every new member of The Elite would immediately be elevated and viewed as a threat. I was even managed by Jeff for one night. I joined Team Elite as a fill-in during a 10-Man elimination match. It was a glorious moment for me to be associated with such an incredible talent.
As the years went by and Anarchy was reaching its 10 year anniversary, Jeff G Bailey would be faced with a task. Jeff would be asked to play the part of hero. After years of trying to take over Wildside and years of tormenting the various Anarchy owners, Jeff G was actually defending the Landmark Arena. Unlike his battle with the evil Dan Wilson where it was more of a question of defending his crown as the most evil manager, this time Jeff was defending his house against the clutches of Stephen Platinum and the PCW crew. This was a thing of brilliance and something that I don’t think anyone really expected. But Jeff led the charge against PCW and the fans rallied behind him. I honestly think this was a statement for Jeff, and as Anarchy was facing uncertainty in this time, Jeff took this as the perfect time to ride off into the sunset in an unfamiliar role of hero. The fans finally were able to show him the appreciation and respect he had so rightfully earned.
Over the years Jeff G Bailey made returns to the Landmark Arena. He was rightfully put into the Landmark Arena Hall of Fame and also inducted AJ Styles. Anytime he showed up for these occasions he was easily the best dressed person in the building. Of course he was never better dressed than the night he walked out into The Landmark with his Carolina Panthers slides on and not the trademark Gucci shoes. He looked up at the announce table at me, and nodded down towards his feet. He rolled his eyes and I laughed. It was a great moment.
I have nothing but the upmost respect for Jeff G Bailey. He is the standard bearer of what a true southern heel manager should be. More than that, he is the gold standard for any performer in our industry. Jeff knew his job and he not only knew it better than anybody, he did it better than anybody out there. Nobody could get a talent over like JGB. He was very protective of his guys and of himself. I was always in awe of his promos. I remember one time I was doing a promo for a promotion in South Carolina where Greg Hunter was one of the producers. I got to a point in my promo where when it was done, I asked Hunter if I channeled too much of Bailey. When you are around someone long enough, I guess you just kind of pick up their tendencies. I think the proudest moment for me with Jeff came in 2010. I was kind of managing Seth Delay and he was in a program with Brody Chase. I went out and cut a promo on Brody. It got a good reaction from the crowd, but what happened when I got backstage was the pinnacle. Bailey looked at me and said, “That was better than I wanted it to be” I think in his own way he was saying good job. Of course this could come from the fact that I am a Florida State fan and he is a Miami fan. I miss our standing bet that the loser had to wear the winners colors at the next TV Taping. Always fun ribbing there.
There are so many more things and stories to tell about Jeff G Bailey. There are stories I have heard him tell about being on the road. Then there are stories I have heard second hand. All of them just as entertaining. I am sure that many of you who read this will tell your own Bailey stories. Since he has stepped away from wrestling Jeff has shown his talents as an amazing storyteller. Not a surprise considering he was an amazing storyteller in wrestling. I have enjoyed reading his tales of being a wild youth at concerts, adult entertainment establishments, and as a wrestling fan. He has one of those rare wrestling marriages that has lasted a very long time. I don’t think there have ever been two more people in this world meant for each other than Jeff and Melanie. Both are incredible people and the love they have for each other is amazing.
This world both the real one and our crazy little wrestling world are better places because JGB walks amongst us. He is a little ahead of his time and a little throwback. If Jeff G Bailey is born 20 years earlier and enters our business earlier, he would have been one of the most successful managers in any territory. Sadly, by the time Jeff was ready to unleash his genius on the world, the business was changing and the role of manager was being swept away. Lucky for us, we got to live and work in a place where the role of manager was held in high regard and respected. It was utilized correctly and there was no better master than Jeff G Bailey. From the bottom of my heart I thank you for your contributions to this industry. I thank you for being a friend. I hope you enjoy your Flowers.
