2018 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee: Jeff Jarrett

2018 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee: Jeff Jarrett

The announcement of Jeff Jarrett going in this year was a complete shock to me. Seeing a fellow Tennessean go into the WWE Hall of Fame honestly makes me so happy. Though Jarrett's career as wrestler and promoter didn't go without controversy, he still found a way to be successful.

Jarrett spent the early part of his wrestling career wrestling for different promotions that his father owned; including WCCW. He also wrestled for several other promotions as well as the independent circuit.

His WWF television debut came in October of 1993. His gimmick was a country singer that went by the name of "Double J" Jeff Jarrett. He used the phrase "Ain't I great?" in his promos and end interviews by spelling out his name. 

During the 1995 Royal Rumble PPV, Jarrett defeated Razor Ramon to win the Intercontinental Championship for the first time. Over the next several months, he would be joined by The Roadie and become a three-time Intercontinental Champion. That same year, at In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks, he performed his legendary hit "With My Baby Tonight." Though it was later revealed that The Roadie had really sung it, and Jarrett had been lip syncing. 

Jarrett would head over to WCW in 1996 by signing a one-year contract. During that short time, he would be accepted into The Four Horsemen and would win the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship. 

By late '97, he would return to WWF and win the NWA North American Heavyweight Championship. He would align himself with Debra and form a tag team with Owen Hart in '99. His run with Owen, and winning the tag titles, is my favorite from his entire career. After Owen's tragic death, Jarrett would take part in many rivalries involving the Intercontinental Championship. His last match would be at No Mercy, losing the title to Chyna. 

From 1999 to 2001 Jarrett would spend his time in WCW again. He ended up joining the nWo and winning the WCW World Heavyweight Championship multiple times. After WWF bought WCW, Vince McMahon would announce Jarrett's firing from the company live on WCW television. 

In 2002, Jarrett and his father would start a new wrestling promotion, calling it Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA). He would wrestle for the company and remain a small owner of the company. Many championship wins would form under his belt during his time with the company. He even feuded with wrestlers such as Raven, Samoa Joe, A.J. Styles, Scott Steiner, and Kurt Angle. In late 2013, he would resign from the company but still remain as an investor. 

Jarrett ending up wrestling for International Wrestling Association (IWA) and AAA from 2004 to around 2006. He would return to AAA in 2011. Also, from years 2013 to 2015, he wrestled for Wrestle-1, Global Force Wrestling (GFW, which was his own promotion), NJPW, and TNA. 

January 2017 would be another return for him to Impact Wrestling, formerly TNA. The company would now be under Anthem Sports & Entertainment. Later that year, it was announced that Jarrett had been terminated from the company. 

In October 2017, WWE and Karen Jarrett, Jeff's wife, set up for him to be entered into a rehabilitation facility. It was said that Jarrett had showed up to an event intoxicated and drank until he passed out. 

I think the Jarret's Hall of Fame announcement not only was a shock to me, but to the entire pro wrestling community. Some find it strange that WWE is inducting someone that helped create one of their major rivals. I expected him to be inducted, but certainly not this soon. 

Jarrett's career may have been filled with many ups and downs, but he definitely made it one that pro wrestling fans will never forget. 

Notable Accomplishments

1986 AWA Rookie of the Year

4-time AWA Southern Tag Team Champion

5-time NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Champion

2004 AAA Rey de Reyes (King of Kings)

1-time AAA Mega Champion

9-time USWA Southern Heavyweight Champion

1-time USWA Heavyweight Champion

3-time USWA Unified World Heavyweight Champion

14-time USWA World Tag Team Champion

3-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion

4-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion

1-time TNA King of the Mountain Champion

6-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion

TNA Hall of Fame Class of 2015

6-time WWE Intercontinental Champion

1-time WWE Tag Team Champion

1-time WWE European Champion

WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018

It is said that Jarrett has had around 77 title reigns throughout his career, so the ones mentioned above are not the only ones. 

As mentioned earlier, my favorite Jeff Jarrett moments are when he teamed up with Owen Hart. The chemistry between the two was top-notch. I highly recommend looking up some of their matches and segments together.

Jeff Jarrett & Owen Hart Promo: https://youtu.be/X6ST7UV9-kw

Let me know your favorite Jeff Jarrett moment, segment or gimmick in the comment section below!

Thanks for reading! Stay tough, and stay positive!