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Jeff Jarrett: Not So Bad?
October 11, 2006 by Ryan H.

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The PWI 500 is the only list that is capable of determining just who deserves to be considered the best wrestler in the world. One name has been in the top 45 since the magazine first started publishing the list back in 1991 and that man is Jeff Jarrett. Who was ranked 10 out of 500 wrestlers this year. 12 of the past 15 years Jarrett has been ranked within the top 30 wrestlers in the world. It's time people notice that no matter what happens backstage, there will always be a tremendous heel out in the ring stirring up the crowd and causing almost near riots sometimes in the Impact Zone.

When Jarrett came from USWA into the WWF as the country music loving, using wrestling as a stepping stone Double J, fans didn’t really care for it. Fast forward a year later and he is linked to the IC title and having great feuds with Razor Ramon and HBK. He showed national audiences that he is able to be the heel that people love to hate and that he wasn’t just a one trick pony like some others in the past.

When Jarrett entered WCW, he right away got thrown into a very high midcard match with the Giant at Halloween Havoc 97. This showed fans that he wasn’t just pushed in WWF because there were no others to push, this showed that he could keep his momentum even while taking a few months off and come back better than ever. His team with Steve Mcmichael didn’t do wonders for his career, but it did show him in the spotlight most of the time with the Four Horseman. The team with Mongo also lead to a future business partner in Debra McMichael.

Jarrett came back with a pissed off tone and re-created the look a little bit and went on a tear, racking up singles titles and tag titles with the late Owen Hart. Jarrett only got better as the years went on. When he left WWF back in 99, the following night he was on Nitro, thus the Slap Nuts era was born. For a phrase as ridiculous as Slap Nuts, Jarrett once again worked with what he had and climbed to the top of a sinking ship at that time. But he should be credited as being the champion during most of those dying days as he was on a ship with a lot of glory hogs, but Jarrett still came out looking good as the top heel of the company.

When NWA TNA was created the Jarrett's knew that it was all or nothing, and that meant that Jeff would have to be on top of his game if he wanted to be the companies top heel, just like he was back in WCW. Since then he has been synonymous with the world title for one reason and one reason only; he deserves to be. His whole career he has been competing as one of the top ranked wrestlers in the world and after 20 years in the business is still on top of his game. Never had an injury leaving him out of action longer than a couple months (knock on wood), and always has that ability to cause so much hate filled chants. His promos are drowned out by TNA fans, and you know deep inside Jarrett loves every minute of it.

They tried to make him a face back in 2003 but they knew it would never work. Having Jarrett as champ is one thing, but he needs that killer instinct and that trash talking persona that only a true heel could have.

Detractors can criticize him all they want, but they know that without Jeff Jarrett as a top heel in the company, TNA would not be as successful as it is today. As long as there is NWA TNA, Jeff Jarrett will still be creating more and more controversy and that is what he thrives on. He only benefits from it.

Since TNA was first created Jarrett has been ranked in the top spots in the past years....

#24 in 2002
#15 in 2003
#12 in 2004
#11 in 2005
#10 in 2006

He's only getting better as time goes on. Like I said in the title, it's in the numbers.

by Ryan H. ..

Tris X P wrote: Ryan, I don't even know where to begin, but allow me to try.

With all due respect, PWI is like any other magazine, in that it is based on their editorial teams' opinions. What the editorial team feels is right will be represented as such, and in themselves don't bear more currency than others, ESPECIALLY in a subjective work like wrestling. Some people feel that a certain wrestler is better than another for whatever reason, so to merely begin with the assertion that the PWI list is "the only list capable of determining" the best wrestler out there seems to just pander to what you want to believe.

I'm not sure fans boo Jarrett so extensively because he's a great heel as opposed to the fact that he's choking the company. It's sometimes funny how TNA criticises WWE for allowing 20-minute promos for the son-in-law when they allow dumb vignettes for the son in their own 1-hour timeslot. I would say that fans boo Jarrett because they know his position in the company, and they're not happy that the focus is on him. When Christian was the champ, the focus was on Jarrett vs Sting. As long as Jeff continues to dominate TNA the fans will resent him. And this has nothing to do with him being a good heel.

And finally, numbers don't say a lot. I leave you with a quote. "There are lies, damn lies, and then there are statistics." Perhaps numbers don't say all there is to.

Jonathan Preston wrote:
You know what, a normal wrestling fan would problem talk crap about you writing an article about Jeff Jarrett, but you know what. This was very interesting, I gotta give you mad respect for it. Jeff Jarrett is probably the greatest heel of all time. I mean there is no wrestler that is more hated than Jeff Jarrett, which makes him great. He's not the most technically sound wrestler in the world but his mic skills are incredible. Not only can he use his mic skill to piss people off, but considering he keeps winning the NWA belt over and over again, that makes people even more mad at him. Mad props on the article Ryan, I dig it!!!

Joe Kirwin wrote:
Finely someone who feels the same way about Jeff Jarrett as I do. After years of wrestling, carrying companies and holding word titles the fans of Jeff Jarrett have been few and far between. I have never been able to think why? Maybe it is because every time he has been on top it has been on a sinking ship USWA an WCW or because he has only be on top of companies that are classed as the number two TNA an again WCW. I don’t understand it he should be well liked the things said about his matches could also be said about Ric Flair. So in closing thank you for writing about a world champion on the same level as Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan. Long live Double J.

Anita wrote:
I LOVE JEFF JARRETT!!! HE'S THE ONLY REASON I STARTED WATCHING TNA. I ONLY WATCHED RAW UNTIL I SAW JEFF ON TNA. ITS A SHAME THEY DON'T GET ANY MORE TALENT THEN HIM, I FF THROUGH ALMOST ALL OF IT EXCEPT FOR JEFF.

Will Knight wrote:
I will give Jarrett his due, he is better than most guys out there...at one time he was considered for a push to the WWF title...though it was vetoed by Stone Cold...but since then he has been an overrated guy who does nothing but make it all about him and his feuds...Jarrett vs Sting has been the whole show for nearly a year now...STOP IT!!! Wanna know why TNA guys can't talk on a mic...they never get any opportunities to work on it in a show. So many other guys have been held down in TNA because Jeff (Christian Cage, Ron Killings, Rhyno) just as mush as Triple H (Randy Orton, Chris Jericho) for either personal reasons or to gain more tv time. By the way since Jarrett was brought for running 20 mins promos in a hour show despite TNA fans mentioning Triple H on that issue...ever notice that Jim Corrnette constantly mentions he will not be like "other owners" and not be hogging airtime, but yet he is in every other segment?

CM Parcy wrote:
FINALLY! Another Jeff Jarrett supporter. Jeff Jarrett is the best in TNA. He has the total package and does not get the recognition he deserves. We have all heard the jokes. Like people calling him Triple J because he always has the title and all of that garbage. The fact is that there is NOBODY(with the exception of Kurt Angle) that can carry the championship and the company at this very moment. Guys like AJ, Daniels, and Samoa Joe while extremley talented with bright futures are not in a position to carry a company right now. So thank you Ryan for finally telling it like it is.

ActionJack wrote:
The reason people hate Jarret so bad is not necesserily because he is a great heel, even though I must admit he is.

You see, Jeff Jarret is amazing on the mic and everything, but when it comes to wrestling he really lacks talent, and there's no doubt about it...

Jeff Jarret used his position in the company to become world champion too many times, and the fans sick and tired of it. There are more deserved wrestlers in TNA for the NWA Heavyweight Title who are being held back by Jeff Jarret. He is parhaps the ONLY ONE in TNA that has so awful in-ring abilities, and his finisher (I mean The Stroke, not the Guitar Shot) is just pathetic and unreliable.

When Christian won the title and Jarret moved on to his rivalry sting I really felt that there's a chance that the NWA Heavyweight title is going to gain the respect it deserves, and with Jarret out of the title picture, it was a great opportunity for other wrestlers, like Abyss, to step in. I must admit that when he's out of the title picture, Jarret is a much better wrestler to watch, and I really enjoyed him. But it wasn't long before he took this so prestigious title back and made it a joke again.

Jarret is parhaps the greatest heel ever, but also the worst wrestler ever won the title so many times. He needs to stop using his position in the company for his own benefit and start to think about the company he's running, because with Jarret stucked in the title picture the company is being held back. It's time for him to retire or to step out of the title picture as quick as possible.

Navin Panesar wrote:
Wow This Is Funny, Jeff Jarrett (JJ) fans all unite to see how great that worthless piece of rubbish is, you all dont have a clue really do you, Joe Kirwin i can say to you that JJ and Ric Flair there is no comparision because Ric Flair is good, he wrestles 60minute matches in his day, sadly JJ has problems doing a 10 minute match, especially without him winning with a guitar shot.

JJ is a bad wrestler, the company is centred around him because of his own ego, JJ doesnt sell tickets, people mainly go for other reasons to the shows, and also i hate to hurt the JJ fans but the only reason he gets so many title shots are because he helped create the company not down to any other abilities he has which are hard to name because there arent any.

If Anyone ever compares JJ to the great Ric Flair they need thier head examined, JJ is nto in the same league as people like Flair and is making the NWA Title look like a joke holding it a record number of 6 times of which i can recall.

and i love the comment about Glory Hogs because that is JJ down to a T, he needs to see that he is not a great wrestler and he does not deserve all the chances he gets because lets face it Jeff; you cant wrestle longer than 10-15mins and thats a fact.

Dr. Dave wrote:
Is Jeff Jarrett a great heel? No. Do people hate him? Yes. The two are not always the same. I don't think that I've watched a TNA main event in my life. Why? Because I know exactly what will happen. It will feature Jeff Jarrett. They will brawl outside the ring/in the crowd. The babyface will make the comeback, then it's a couple of guitar shots, the stroke and that's the show. Fifteen years ago, Jeff Jarrett was great as the fiery babyface in the USWA, but I don't think he has ever been able to get over on the national stage. Why? Because he's boring. It's the same crap over and over, and it wasn't entertaining the first time. The fans hate him, yes, but this is what's known in some circles as X-Pac heat. They don't hate him for his dastardly deeds on camera, they hate him because his work is terrible, yet he monopolizes the top spot. It's not that they hate his character and want to see the babyface kick his ass, it's that they hate the man and want to see him leave and never return. Great heels are an asset to whatever company they ply their trade for. Jeff Jarrett has been a detriment to every company he's worked for since he and Lawler were fighting the Moondogs.

Anto G. wrote:
I had to respond to this column, firstly good idea talking about Jeff Jarrett who doesn'ty get enough credit for his wrestling despite having world titles in a sinking ship and then a company he helped create. Sorry but you just can't compare him to Ric Flair though in spite of the fact that he has held the NWA World title six times. I should point out that the PWI numbers see title wins and fueds as bigger factors then how good of a wrestler he is although his impressive rankings ovber the last five years is a eye opener for me ( I thought they would be lower). Despite the fact that he always cheats ands he is the dominant heel of TNA, he doesn't get enough credit. He is a solid all-round wrestler (and watch USWA and WWF if you don't beleive me) and to Jarrett haters, if he needs help from his buddies to win titles, explain his mulitple IC and Tag Team reigns in WWF. Navin Panesar, you are an idoit, Jarrett can wrestle matches over 10-15 mins are you sure you watch TNA much and if you watch some of his other matches in his 20 year career, you will notice he can wrestle, get your facts right. In closing, here's something for you Jarrett haters to chew on, Jarrett is a good heel because the fans hate him and he does get heat beacuse if they react to him, that means he gets heat duh, his finisher is not that bad because the stroke lands his oipponents head-first which would hurt (although it does look out-dated in TNA) and he helped create TNA and give the wrestling world a competitor which WWE has helped made stale. Anyway decent column.

Dave W. wrote:
Ryan--Nice article, really. The only problem I have with Jeff Jarrett, is that he's a complete hypocrite. Do you remember the New Blood that WCW tried years ago? He was pretty much at the head of that, and his biggest complaint was that the older stars wouldn't put over the younger stars for the good of the business, and to keep pro wrestling's future bright with new stars. That's the same crap he's pulling now in TNA. He needs to use his star power for the good of the business, not for the good of Jeff Jarrett, like he's doing. He refuses to let the younger guys to get over him. Jeff Jarrett is pulling the same load of crap that he was pissed off about years ago when he was the up and coming star in WCW. Hulk Hogan continues to pull that on a match by match basis. If Hogan comes backto wrestle, it needs to be to put over a younger talent, not to line his pocket and make himself look better. He's already been there, so has Jarrett. They don't need that at this stage of their careers. They've already proven themselves. Jeff Jarrett needs to take 6 months off, come back without that dumb guitar, be a true superstar by wrestling and performing for the fans the way that he has proven time and time again that he can.

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