Jeremy Borash (born July 19, 1974 in
Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis is the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Hennepin County. The city lies on both banks of the Mississippi River, just north of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Saint Paul, the state's capital. Known as the Twin Cities,...
), is a former American
professional wrestlingProfessional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is an athletic performing art where matches are prearranged by the promotion's booking staff. It is a non-competitive sport which contains strong elements of theatre, mock combat, and catch wrestling. Wrestling's origins date to 19th-century carnival...
play-by-playSports commentary, in broadcasting, is a term that means the reporting of a sporting event with a voiceover describing the details of the game in progress. In North America, in a lot of sports, the sports commentator is assisted by a color commentator, and sometimes a sideline reporter...
commentatorA sports commentator is a type of journalist on radio and/or television who specializes in reporting or commentating on sporting events...
,
announcerAn announcer is a voice actor who works in television, radio or film, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in television commercials or a guest on a talk show....
, booker,
producerProfessional video production, or videography, is the art and service of videotaping, editing, and distributing a finished video product. This can include television production, commercial video production, and corporate and event videos.-Corporate:...
and
website designerWeb design is the skill of creating presentations of content that is delivered to an end-user through the World Wide Web, by way of a Web browser or other Web-enabled software like Internet television clients, microblogging clients and RSS readers.Web design is a kind of graphic design intended...
. He was heavily involved in
World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and his...
, the now defunct
World Wrestling All-StarsThe World Wrestling All-Stars was a professional wrestling promotion founded by Australian concert promoter Andrew McManus in 2001. The promotion was operated by McManus' International Touring Company. WWA was one of several promotions to come into existence shortly after the closings of Extreme...
promotionA professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that performs regular shows involving professional wrestling...
, and has been a very influential staff member of
Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling , a privately controlled integrated-media and sports entertainment company, deals primarily in professional wrestling. It uses television, the Internet, and live events, with additional major revenue sources from product licensing and direct product sales...
since its inception in 2002. He is a former member of the TNA creative team and is the former host of
TNA TodayTNA Today is a free online professional wrestling program produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . It was hosted by TNA interviewer Jeremy Borash, with occasional appearances by color commentator Don West...
.
Born just outside of Minneapolis, Jeremy Borash started a career in broadcasting at the age of 15, hosting both a nightly radio talk show and live television show in the Twin Cities.
Jeremy Borash (born July 19, 1974 in
Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis is the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Hennepin County. The city lies on both banks of the Mississippi River, just north of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Saint Paul, the state's capital. Known as the Twin Cities,...
), is a former American
professional wrestlingProfessional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is an athletic performing art where matches are prearranged by the promotion's booking staff. It is a non-competitive sport which contains strong elements of theatre, mock combat, and catch wrestling. Wrestling's origins date to 19th-century carnival...
play-by-playSports commentary, in broadcasting, is a term that means the reporting of a sporting event with a voiceover describing the details of the game in progress. In North America, in a lot of sports, the sports commentator is assisted by a color commentator, and sometimes a sideline reporter...
commentatorA sports commentator is a type of journalist on radio and/or television who specializes in reporting or commentating on sporting events...
,
announcerAn announcer is a voice actor who works in television, radio or film, usually providing narrations, news updates, station identification, or an introduction of a product in television commercials or a guest on a talk show....
, booker,
producerProfessional video production, or videography, is the art and service of videotaping, editing, and distributing a finished video product. This can include television production, commercial video production, and corporate and event videos.-Corporate:...
and
website designerWeb design is the skill of creating presentations of content that is delivered to an end-user through the World Wide Web, by way of a Web browser or other Web-enabled software like Internet television clients, microblogging clients and RSS readers.Web design is a kind of graphic design intended...
. He was heavily involved in
World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and his...
, the now defunct
World Wrestling All-StarsThe World Wrestling All-Stars was a professional wrestling promotion founded by Australian concert promoter Andrew McManus in 2001. The promotion was operated by McManus' International Touring Company. WWA was one of several promotions to come into existence shortly after the closings of Extreme...
promotionA professional wrestling promotion is a company or business that performs regular shows involving professional wrestling...
, and has been a very influential staff member of
Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling , a privately controlled integrated-media and sports entertainment company, deals primarily in professional wrestling. It uses television, the Internet, and live events, with additional major revenue sources from product licensing and direct product sales...
since its inception in 2002. He is a former member of the TNA creative team and is the former host of
TNA TodayTNA Today is a free online professional wrestling program produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . It was hosted by TNA interviewer Jeremy Borash, with occasional appearances by color commentator Don West...
.
Career
Born just outside of Minneapolis, Jeremy Borash started a career in broadcasting at the age of 15, hosting both a nightly radio talk show and live television show in the Twin Cities. Borash's radio show on KSMM in Minneapolis, and television show "Jeremy Borash Live!" won several Minnesota broadcasting awards, as well as leading to on-air positions at
KSTPKSTP is the flagship station of the Hubbard Broadcasting Corporation, which also owns several other television and radio stations across the United States and some other properties.-History:...
and
KDWBKDWB-FM is a radio station in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota, known for almost fifty years as a major Top 40 pop music outlet. Its transmitter is located in Shoreview, Minnesota. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications....
in the Twin Cities.
After graduating from Brown Institute for Broadcasting in Minneapolis, Borash took a position at the age of 19 as a program director/morning show host at KOOL 92 FM in
Fort Dodge, IowaFort Dodge is a city and county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, situated on the Des Moines River. The population was 25,136 at the 2000 census. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Central and Northwest Iowa. It is located on U.S...
. His popular "Borash in the Morning" show featured a wide variety of entertainment, including such acts as actually hypnotizing local politicians on the air, skydiving from 13,000 feet over Fort Dodge, and his popular breakfast drive through, where Borash would personally deliver free breakfast to his listeners cars as they drove by. His involvement in local community activities included serving on the board of the United Way, as well as Honorary Chairman for the
March of DimesMarch of Dimes is a United States health charity whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality....
, which received national attention when Borash became the youngest person ever nominated for radio's prestigious Marconi Award for Broadcasting as America's Small Market Personality of the Year in 1996.
Career in radio
Upon receiving this honor, offers came from around the country, and Borash chose to move back to Minnesota, as morning show host of
KXLPKXLP is a radio station licensed to Eagle Lake, Minnesota and serving the Mankato area and the Minnesota River Valley. The 94.1 FM frequency went on the air September 21, 2007, airing a classic rock format that migrated from a sister station at KATO-FM...
in
Mankato, MinnesotaMankato is a city in Blue Earth, Nicollet, and Le Sueur counties in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 32,427 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Blue Earth County, and is located along a large bend of the Minnesota River at its confluence with the Blue Earth River...
. At 22, Borash lasted only four months in Mankato, citing major creative differences with management after a New York radio consultant directed the station to name his on-air persona "Flash Borash." Borash soon found redemption months later, as he helped launch the syndicated "Ruth Koscielak Show," and as co-host, was back on the very station group he was fired from months earlier through the show's midwest syndication.
Beginnings in wrestling
While working weekdays on the Koscielak show in Minneapolis, Borash started a weekly Saturday morning wrestling show at the very station he started with at the age of 15. Through the show, Borash met internet wrestling pioneer Bob Ryder, who quickly pitched the show concept to
Eric BischoffEric Aaron Bischoff is an American entrepreneur and former professional wrestling booker, producer, and on-screen personality, most known for serving as Executive Producer and later President of World Championship Wrestling and later, the General Manager of World Wrestling Entertainment's Raw brand...
of
Ted TurnerRobert Edward "Ted" Turner III is an American media mogul and philanthropist. As a businessman, he is known as founder of the cable television network CNN, the first dedicated 24-hour cable news channel. In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television...
's
World Championship WrestlingWorld Championship Wrestling was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and his...
(WCW)
World Championship Wrestling
In March 1999, WCW Live! premiered to an online audience with their first guest on the show,
Hulk HoganTerry Gene Bollea better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American actor and retired professional wrestler....
. WCW Live! went on to become the most listened to streaming audio program in the world, often reaching 50k live audio streams nightly in an era of this new technology. While doing the nightly 2 hour internet show for WCW, Borash continued his stint on the Ruth Koscielak Show until August 1999, when he left Minneapolis to work full time in the offices of WCW in Atlanta, where he went on to become one of the head writers for
WCW Monday NitroWCW Monday Nitro was a weekly professional wrestling telecast produced by World Championship Wrestling. The show aired Monday nights on TNT, going head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001. Production ceased after WCW was purchased...
on
TNTTNT is an American cable TV channel created by media mogul Ted Turner and currently owned by the Turner Broadcasting System division of Time Warner which also owns Cartoon Network. However, despite the fact that it is a channel, it is seen all across the United States, much like a television...
, as well as
WCW ThunderWCW Thunder was a professional wrestling show produced by World Championship Wrestling which aired on TBS from January 8, 1998 until March 21, 2001. The rights to the show now belong to World Wrestling Entertainment .-Creation:...
on TBS.
Later that year, Borash premiered for the first time on WCW TV, co-hosting the year end special for WCW on TBS. Borash went on to make several appearances on WCW television as a play-by-play announcer for
WCW Monday Nitro and
WCW Thunder. His role eventually led to an on-air character as Vince Russo's stooge, including a memorable episode where Borash was attacked by
GoldbergWilliam Scott "Bill" Goldberg better known by his ring name Bill Goldberg , is an American professional wrestler and actor best known for his time in both World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment...
while driving Russo in his own pope-mobile vehicle at the
Cow PalaceThe Cow Palace is an indoor arena in Daly City, California, situated on the city's border with neighboring San Francisco.-History:...
in San Francisco.
World Wrestling All-Stars
After WWE purchased WCW in March 2001, Borash met Australian concert promoter Andrew MacManus and together they launched the
World Wrestling All-StarsThe World Wrestling All-Stars was a professional wrestling promotion founded by Australian concert promoter Andrew McManus in 2001. The promotion was operated by McManus' International Touring Company. WWA was one of several promotions to come into existence shortly after the closings of Extreme...
organization. Later that year, Borash left for Australia and worked out of the offices of MacManus in Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast of Australia. The promotions first tour of Australia concluded with a live pay per view from the Sydney Superdome called "The Inception," which Borash provided play-by-play alongside
Jerry "The King" LawlerJerry O'Neil Lawler is an American professional wrestler, wrestling commentator, musician, and film actor, known throughout the wrestling world as Jerry "The King" Lawler. He is currently signed to World Wrestling Entertainment , working and wrestling on its Raw brand as the color commentator...
. The WWA would go to produce numerous international tours, as well as live pay per view events from
Las Vegas, NevadaLas Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, fine dining, and entertainment. Las Vegas, which bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for the number of...
, Glasgow, Scotland, Melbourne, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand where Borash served as executive producer and host.
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
In March 2002, Borash returned to the United States to join
Jeff JarrettJeffrey Leonard "Jeff" Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and promoter currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is also Vice President of Creative Writing. He is well known for his time in World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation...
in launching TNA Wrestling in
Nashville, TennesseeNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is the second most populous city in the state after Memphis. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state...
. As the second employee the company hired, Borash worked in several positions for the organization including ring announcer, video editor, and show writer.
In January 2006, Borash became the backstage interviewer for TNA's
Impact!TNA Impact! is a professional wrestling television program for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling that currently airs on in the United States and Canada on Spike, and airs on Bravo in the United Kingdom...
on
Spike TVSpike , a division of MTV Networks, is an American cable channel designed for an audience described demographically as "young adult males". The channel began life as The Nashville Network , founded by WSM, Inc...
, a position he dreamt of as a child, watching his idol Mean Gene Okerlund in the
AWAAWA may be an abbreviation for:* Amalgamated Wireless Australasia Limited , former manufacturer of radio and communications equipment, aka AWA Ltd.* America West Airlines...
growing up in Minneapolis. Since becoming backstage inverviewer, Borash actually became involved with the
kayfabeIn professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real." That is, the portrayal of professional wrestling as being genuine or not worked...
politics of TNA, as his respect for
Kurt AngleKurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, actor and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former three-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, as recognized by promotion.Angle was involved in amateur wrestling...
led him to be a constant presence during many of Angle's backstage segments and even gained him membership into Angle's stable, the
Angle AllianceThe Angle Alliance was a heel wrestling stable headed by Kurt Angle in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. For Lockdown 2008, in the absence of Kurt from the stable's activities, Tomko captained a subdivision under the name "Team Tomko".-Initial Formation:The formation took place at Genesis when A.J...
. He was humorously
Karen AngleKaren Angle is an American former professional wrestling valet and personality. She is most famous for her stint in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling from 2007 - 2008...
's maid of honor at her wedding vows renewal to Kurt on the
Valentine's DayValentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14 by many people throughout the world. In the English-speaking countries, it is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other by sending Valentine's cards, presenting flowers, or offering...
edition of
Impact!.
In April 2007, Borash launched
TNA TodayTNA Today is a free online professional wrestling program produced by Total Nonstop Action Wrestling . It was hosted by TNA interviewer Jeremy Borash, with occasional appearances by color commentator Don West...
on TNAWrestling.com, a show he hosts from the TNA corporate offices. The show is consistently in the top 10 most viewed videos of the day on YouTube.com, and is currently billing itself as the most viewed online daily video program in the world. On August 11, 2007, TNA Today reached the #1 position on YouTube's most viewed videos of the day, a position the show has since held on numerous occasions.
In early 2008, Borash announced that
Samoa JoeNuufolau Joel Seanoa is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Samoa Joe. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling....
was voted the MVP of TNA. Joe then attacked Borash, thus (kayfabe) injuring him, which is why Borash began wearing a neck brace on television. Borash has gone on to become the host of Internet based "TNA Spin Cycle" which airs on TNA's YouTube channel.
Documentary of ECW and Hardcore Homecoming
While working for TNA, Borash took up video editing and producing, and with only a laptop and video camera, set out to make a documentary on
ECWExtreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
, the organization Borash credits for rekindling his childhood love for professional wrestling. His critically acclaimed "Forever Hardcore" led to Borash co-promoting
Hardcore HomecomingHardcore Homecoming was a series of professional wrestling events which were advertised as a reunion of talent from the defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling promotion....
, a reunion of ECW wrestlers in Philadelphia's famed Viking Hall, the place where it all started. The Hardcore Homecoming event still holds the record for the largest gate of any independent show in US wrestling history, and was considered a historical success for the era, culminating with a surprise barbwire rematch of one of the most famous matches in ECW history with
Terry FunkTerrence "Terry" Funk is an American professional wrestler and actor known chiefly for the hardcore wrestling style he adopted in the later part of his career that inspired many later wrestlers, including Mick Foley...
vs Sabu vs
Shane DouglasTroy Shane Martin is an American professional wrestler and promoter, better known by his ring name Shane Douglas. In the course of his career, which has spanned two decades, Douglas has wrestled in Extreme Championship Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling and briefly in the World Wrestling...
, with featured referee
Mick FoleyMichael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American actor, author, comedian, voice over, and professional wrestler, currently signed with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , where he is the storyline "Executive Shareholder"...
. The show led to a Hardcore Homecoming tour, and the show's DVDs broke Billboard's Top 10 Sports and Rec DVD releases. The recent release of Forever Hardcore and Hardcore Homecoming in the UK debuted at #1 and #2 on the Sports and Recerational charts, over two years after their US release.
Other television appearances
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|
| 2005 |
Blue Collar TV Blue Collar TV was a television program on the WB Television Network with lead actors Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall and Larry the Cable Guy. The show's humor dealt principally with contemporary American society, and especially hillbilly, redneck, and Southern stereotypes. The show was greenlighted...
|
Himself |
along with other TNA Superstars |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|
| 2003 |
Head of State Head of State is a 2003 comedy movie directed, written by, and starring Chris Rock and also co-starring Bernie Mac.-Plot:Mays Gilliam is an alderman of the 9th Ward in the Washington D.C. area...
|
"Wrestling announcer" |
|
| 2005 |
Forever Hardcore |
Director |
|
External links