Jeff Jarrett continues his string of interviews about his WWE Hall Of Fame induction.
Impact Wrestling co-founder, Jeff Jarrett, has been a media mogul as of late with the announcement of his induction into the WWE Hall Of Fame. Jarrett has spoken with a number of media outlets to send his thank you's to everyone at WWE who acknowledged him for this opportunity and to reflect on what has led to what will be a moment, on April 6th in New Orleans.
Jarrett has an upcoming appearance with River City Wrestling and while promoting his appearance for RCW, "Double J" spoke with Kens5, which is a news publication based out of San Antonio, TX. Jarrett and the news publication would discuss a various number of topics, including Jarrett's reaction to getting the call that he was going to be inducted into WWE's Hall.
"It was in early January, it was on a Sunday morning. I got a text that said, “Can you chat for a couple of minutes?” In the wrestling industry and the entertainment industry, weekends you never have off. So getting a text on a Sunday morning didn’t really shock me. Me, my wife and kids were getting ready for church and I went up to my office and had a conversation." Jarrett added. "I was shocked because I didn’t think that on a Sunday morning I’d be getting that call in early January. But that’s our industry, that’s the uniqueness of it. We’re obviously not true sports and we’re an aggressive, physical form of entertainment. We’re a hybrid and always have been and always will be. We do things bigger and louder and prouder and boisterous and everything that goes with it. It’s still very surreal to me that I was asked and I’m really looking forward to April 6th."
Jeff Jarrett and the powers that be in the WWE have not always seen eye-to-eye. Although Jarrett was informed of the news in January, he was not expecting the call, as noted above; seeing as how a few months months prior and over the years, Jarrett would have a number of things to say about the WWE and how they ran things, but nonetheless, Jarrett is excited and thankful for this recognition.
"It’s no secret that the McMahon's and the Jarrett's have been promoting for generations and generations. In 2002, I set out and started our own organization and all the history that goes with that. So I haven’t had a working relationship, although there’s a lot that’s been made out of it over the last couple of years and sensationalized." He continued. "I went my separate way and ironic as it may be, the last time I worked for the..... at that time, the WWF, was the night before they went public. They’re a billion-dollar organization and they do things well, but I went on my own path with my career in the industry in and out of the ring." He said. "Who am I to be put in the Hall of Fame? There’s less than 200 of us. My family got into the wrestling business back in the 1940’s. We’ve seen a lot of wrestlers come and go, a lot of wrestlers lace their boots, managers, promoters, all kinds of personalities and for me to have the humble opportunity to go in, it’s shocking. It’s truly shocking."
The 6-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion has also been a part of some historic moments in the WWE, as he once lost his Intercontinental Championship to "The Ninth Wonder Of The World", Chyna.
"It was really unique in several ways. It was my last match with the WWF and then in TNA, I was involved in Chyna’s last ever wrestling match. It was me and my wife Karen against Kurt Angle and Chyna. During the Attitude Era, I hit the Fabulous Moola over the head; a 72-year-old woman over the head with a guitar. I was figure-fouring different ladies, it was a very edgy time. Obviously, it goes without saying that D-Generation X was red hot and Chyna really defined that Attitude Era from a female perspective and Chyna was perfect. The look, the aura, everything jelled. The buildup to it, a “good housekeeping” match, it all just blended together. It was interesting and it’s something where all these years later we’re still talking about it because it was unique. The IC Title was pretty hot, so Chyna winning it, it was a milestone, it was groundbreaking at the time."
The last time that Jeff Jarrett was in a WWE ring, sort of, was the night of the simulcast where Vince McMahon announced that he had purchased WCW. Kens5 asked Jarrett to reflect on that moment and to recall what he remembers from that infamous segment and the months leading up to it, that would officially put an end to the Monday Night Wars.
"The last three to four months of WCW, there was all kinds of sale talk. It was going in a bunch of different directions where people were questioning the future of the company." Jarrett stated. "I can remember vividly that Nitro was gonna be held in Panama City and there was a lot of promotion. I went down on a Wednesday or Thursday to participate in promotions and appearances. It was just a different time. I was under contract with the Turner organization and I knew that I had another eight or nine months on the contract and knew that whatever happened, that contract situation had to be resolved one way or another.
"Yes, so I knew I was going to be getting paid for however long that was. One thing Vince McMahon does and he does a lot of things great, but he knows how to create great television, very compelling television. But with all the things that are going into the production, it was a sad day for the production people. They knew that the WWF had their production people in place, whether it’s lighting or sound or graphics; whatever the department may be, they knew that that was the end of their “wrestling run” certainly for the time being, so that was an uncomfortable situation. It was their last night. Wrestlers, you name it, it was a mixed gamut. Some knew they were gonna be getting paid, some didn’t have a clue, some were excited about a new opportunity. It was a unique day in our industry without question. It was so memorable just because of the fact that we’re sitting here talking about it. Who would’ve ever thought that there would be a simulcast with Shane on one network and Vince on the other? My last night with WWF at the time was in Cleveland and how ironic that RAW was in Cleveland that night as well. So I’ve had two nights where I finished up in Cleveland with the organization."
The former 4-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion would discuss plenty more in the interview. Jarrett would give his take on what it means to be a successful heel in pro-wrestling, he would further reflect on his appearance for River City Wrestling and much more. To read the full interview, click here.
