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Background
Third generation renaissance man Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is one of pro wrestling’s most fascinating stories and one of its most confounding conundrums. The son of renowned promoter Jerry Jarrett and grandson of pro wrestler Eddie Marlin, Jarrett has been in the orbit of many of modern wrestling’s most notorious moments but still staggeringly maintains a love for the sport he was raised in. Stepping back into the limelight recently as part of the Owen Hart Foundation Tournament, Jarrett is back on weekly AEW television, but does he have an on screen future beyond an ambassadorial role?
Jarrett was destined for the squared circle due to his family lineage. Born in Hendersonville, Tenn., the future King of the Mountain became entangled in his father’s Continental Wrestling Association promotion while still in high school. Much like another star born into the business, Bret Hart, Jarrett began his wrestling tutelage as a referee before progressing to being a competitor.
The CWA soon merged with the struggling World Class Championship Wrestling promotion and the two became the United States Wrestling Association. The early-’90s USWA would be dominated by both Jarrett and Tennessee legend Jerry Lawler. A working partnership between the USWA and the then-named WWF would follow, opening the door for Jarrett to make his WWF debut in 1992.
The newly christened “Double J” Jeff Jarrett would have a reasonably successful run in the WWF from 1992 until 1996. His egotistical country star persona was an effective heel and a highly memorable character from that era. Feuds with Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels would show off Jarrett’s obvious wrestling acumen in several well-received matches. Controversy would soon follow as Jarrett would depart the WWF over a contract dispute (not the last time such an issue would arise) and head for the then-red-hot WCW.
Jarrett’s initial WCW run would be marred by a confused alliance with the Four Horseman that traditional WCW fans never warmed to. Indeed, his first stint in WCW would last less than a year. Jarrett would be back in the WWF shortly thereafter.
Initially associated with the flailing NWA invasion, Jarrett would soon transition back to his Southern heel schtick without the neon and tassels of his earlier stay. A misogynistic gimmick was perhaps his most notorious period of this era and culminated with an infamous feud with the hugely popular Chyna. A defeat to Chyna at the No Mercy 1999 PPV and another contract dispute would signal the end of Jarrett’s second WWF tenure.
The Tennessee native would pinball back to WCW under the moniker of “The Chosen One” and become closely associated with then head writer Vince Russo. Pushed as a national level main event star in the first time in his career, Jarrett failed to capture the dwindling audience’s imagination. Despite a head scratching four World Heavyweight Championship reigns in the span of mere months, Jarrett’s second WCW run was unfairly viewed as many as one of the many nails in the Atlanta-based company’s coffin.
With an entrepreneurial spirit, Jarrett would see a gap in the mainstream pro wrestling market and seek to break the monopoly that Vince McMahon now held. Along with his father Jerry, Jarrett would form Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in June 2002. Initially running weekly PPVs, the fledgling company would blend the veterans of the now-extinct WCW with exciting independent talent.
While TNA may never have become a serious financial contender to the McMahon empire, the will and ingenuity of Jarrett and others to will (and maintain) its existence must be admired. A dastardly heel who used every cheap trick in the playbook to keep his position, Jarrett would be vilified by fans who suspected the King of the Mountain of using TNA to maintain his relevancy in the industry at the expense of more deserving talent. This narrative changed somewhat in Jarrett’s later years associated with the company as he became more appreciated for his passion for the TNA brand.
When the TNA door closed, many more opened for the ever-evolving Jarrett. Attempts at beginning a promotion in the untapped Indian market was an admirable attempt, his Global Force Wrestling launch less so. Associations with Lucha Libra and New Japan Pro Wrestling showed Jarrett to be a student of the business willing to broaden his horizons. This growing respect within the industry would culminate with a moment that many insiders suspected would never happen, an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame. A backstage producer role would complete a career 360 as Jarrett returned to the company he had reportedly twice walked out of.
Journey
August 2022 would signal the end of Jarrett’s most recent WWE run (for now!). After several appearances for independent stalwarts the NWA and GCW, Jarrett would land at All Elite Wrestling. Making his debut on a November 2022 edition of Dynamite, the Last Outlaw would align himself with former TNA colleagues Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal. It was also revealed that Jarrett would also have an important role behind the scenes for AEW. Named as Director of Business Development, Jarrett would work closely with owner Tony Khan to expand AEW’s live event schedule.
A PPV match at Full Gear 2022 with old enemy Sting and tag partner Darby Allin would position Jarrett firmly in the tag team division. Early 2023 would see Jarrett and his crew feud with AEW Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed.
Fans didn’t take Jarrett and Lethal as serious contenders for gold and indeed the two veterans were soundly defeated in title matches on both Dynamite and Battle of the Belts V. Multi-man matches would become a staple of Jarrett’s AEW tenure. As did Memphis-style street fights which helped hide Jarrett’s limitations.
One infamous example was the ill-conceived Texas Chainsaw Massacre match with Jeff Hardy. The match was formulated to tie in the Warner produced Texas Chainsaw Massacre video game and was a critical disaster. A complete departure from AEW’s initial mandate of a sports-like presentation the match cemented many fans opinion of Jarrett. Wins opposite fan favourites Dax Harwood and Eddie Kingston further seemed to send the wrong message and had undesired echoes of the early days of TNA.
A recent association with the annual Owen Hart Memorial Tournament has brought Jarrett back into the AEW conversation. Jarrett’s inclusion was understandable from a sentimental point of view. Jarrett was legitimately good friends with Hart up until his untimely death and the emotion of the awful event still resonated with a determined Double J. Defeat to a returning “Hangman” Page would signal a swift exit from the tournament, but the fallen Jarrett would return to be special enforcer in the tournament’s final.
Future
Jarrett’s AEW career has been both surprising and confused since its inception. As a wrestler competing into his fifth professional decade, his longevity is something to be admired. Given his years of experience in nearly every facet of the industry, a place behind the scenes for someone with Jarrett’s expertise is a sound appointment.
Inevitably, questions have been raised regarding his in-character appearances on AEW television in this current era. Perhaps unfairly, Jarrett is associated with critically reviled periods of several companies, be it the New Generation era of WWF, the dying days of WCW Nitro, or his perceived “reign of terror” atop TNA wrestling in the mid-2000s.
His hiring by AEW as an on-screen talent was seen to some as a direct contradiction to All Elite’s initial youthful and independently-spirited mandate. Jarrett’s in-ring style did little to quell these fears as his heel stable reverted to every convention of the Memphis wrestling playbook.
Referee distractions, multiple run-ins per match, and convoluted match finishes have led to eye rolls from an AEW fanbase which regards in ring workrate and technical prowess above all else.
I would argue, though, that there is still a place on AEW television for Jarrett’s brand of pro wrestling. If wrestling truly is a buffet (the something for everyone approach), then the hullabaloo that a Jarrett match brings does help shake up an AEW television show. It should certainly not be the centerpiece of the promotion or a template for future storytelling, but as a sideshow restricted to a Rampage or Collision, it is relatively harmless.
Jarrett’s recent babyface persona has been a confusing switch with no narrative explanation, but does point a direction in which the Last Outlaw could be successful in the short term. His genuine and touching displays of emotion linked to Owen Hart has given recent fans a differing viewpoint on the classic sneering heel.
As a tremendous Owen Hart Tournament video package proved, Jarrett is a likeable babyface when channeling real emotion. Why not tell a compelling story with Jarrett in the twilight of his in ring career? Recent clashes between Jarrett and Hangman could be translated into a short-term program. Both have Western-related gimmicks and could build to a showdown match for Jarrett’s career.
The weary gunslinger entering the town for one last dual is a tried and tested cinematic convention (see “The Searchers,” “True Grit,” and “Unforgiven” for examples). A series of video packages could focus on Jarrett’s lengthy career. Display his family life, his struggles and heartbreaks, and build audience support behind him. This would also require Jarrett to break away from his current heel group.
Hangman in turn could tear Jarrett down verbally before culminating in a career-ending match for the embattled Jarrett. The match need not take top billing on a PPV but could main event a special Dynamite and conclude his well-traveled career on a positive note.
Verdict
Ain’t he great? I’ll admit that I harbor a great deal of respect for Jarrett for his accomplishments in and out of the squared circle. Though the sun might be setting on his lengthy career, one last hurrah before the saloon door closes may not be out of the question.
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