Jeff Jarrett's WWF Return... the one in 1997

[Boxer 0]

After watching Jarrett's WWF re-debut in 1997 and how he started off with the shoot promo on Bret, Shawn, Austin, Bischoff and Vince, where was this going? Did this have potential? Also, is this where Jarrett gets heat with Austin calling Austin 3:16 a blashphamous? It was an interesting promo, and I think one of the earlier times that the words "WCW", "Bischoff" and "Notro" were mentioned on air. I guess he must have pissed someone off backstage because by Wrestlemania he was back to the DOUBLE J character that he apparently hated at the time of the shoot promo. What was the REAL Double J suppose to be? Upper card heel? A FACE even?

[Guest the_last_rites]

Just to help the people not in the know

[Jacques 0]

The crowd had NO idea what was going on.

[Mecca 0]

Yea the person he pissed off was named Stone Cold and his best friend Jim Ross had huge power at the time.....it's kinda funny that it's Jim Ross' fault they had to pay Jarrett that huge amount of money for his 1 night job to Chyna the day after his contract expired..

 

I guess that's what they get considering he wasn't offered a contract at all because Ross was doing what Austin wanted and getting rid of him.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Mecca is exactly right. Steve Austin was extremely pissed at Jarrett for his comments and totally buried him in the process. He was on the short list with Owen Hart as guys Austin refused to work with. I know that Russo intended to put him in the main event on several occassions until to have it shot down by Austin. That's why Jarrett jumped ship the second his contract expired. He saw that he was never going to get a fair shake in the company.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Yeah, it's funny how little crowd reaction his appearance seemed to get, or at least it was very mixed.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

I guess he must have pissed someone off backstage because by Wrestlemania he was back to the DOUBLE J character that he apparently hated at the time of the shoot promo. What was the REAL Double J suppose to be? Upper card heel? A FACE even?

The changes in gimmick to where he reverted back to the Double J persona was down to Jarrett not getting over a lick with what they were doing with him and trying to find a way to get him over. He didn't get over at all really until he Russo gave him the woman beater gimmick, which is when they became tight. Austin was pissed at Jarrett over the 3:16 comments, but that had nothing to do with Jarrett leaving or Austin's refusal to work a program with Jarrett, and neither was Austin wanting Jarrett out of the company. Austin didn't want to work with Jarrett because he felt Jarrett was not over enough for such a program, and it would do more to hurt him than help Jarrett, and because he felt Jarrett was too light with his work. He made the famous comment that he didn't expect Jarrett to treat the match like a UFC fight but to at least let him know he was in there.

[JJMc 0]

Who was the "drug addict" he mentioned in that promo?

[cabbageboy 0]

Given Jarrett's lack of drawing power in WCW and throughout TNA's history (not really his fault in WCW) wasn't Austin essentially right about Jarrett? Of course Jarrett had little potential to be a huge star in the WWF at that point, mainly because his act wasn't at all over. For the life of me though I have never figured out why Jarrett spent about 90% of his mainstream career as a heel, since those comments about his work being light are correct and hence he didn't really have much force as a heel in the ring. Jarrett was always best off as a whitebread babyface, since it allows his natural good old boy personality to show.

 

The thing is, could such an overt white meat babyface character have worked in the Attitude Era? I tend to doubt it.

[Darth Vader 0]

Funny how he buries Debra McMichael in that promo only to bring her in as his manager a year later. Was Jarrett the only guy to jump from one promotion to another and back during the Monday night wars?

[CBright7831 0]

Funny how he buries Debra McMichael in that promo only to bring her in as his manager a year later. Was Jarrett the only guy to jump from one promotion to another and back during the Monday night wars?

William Regal

 

WCW to WWF to WCW to WWF

 

[Richard 0]

Who was the "drug addict" he mentioned in that promo?

Scott Hall?

 

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Funny how he buries Debra McMichael in that promo only to bring her in as his manager a year later. Was Jarrett the only guy to jump from one promotion to another and back during the Monday night wars?

William Regal

 

WCW to WWF to WCW to WWF

 

 

X-Pac as well.

[JJMc 0]

Who was the "drug addict" he mentioned in that promo?

Scott Hall?

 

Yup, must be. That got away from me somehow.

[Only The Strong Survive 0]

Mecca is exactly right. Steve Austin was extremely pissed at Jarrett for his comments and totally buried him in the process. He was on the short list with Owen Hart as guys Austin refused to work with. I know that Russo intended to put him in the main event on several occassions until to have it shot down by Austin. That's why Jarrett jumped ship the second his contract expired. He saw that he was never going to get a fair shake in the company.

 

Did Austin not want to work with Owen because of the Summerslam incident that nearly killed him?

[Dobbs 3K 0]

Yeah, that was pretty much it. He didn't feel like he could have a safe match with him...I think I remember him saying that he was mad Owen didn't really apologize for it, but I don't know if that is true or not.

[Only The Strong Survive 0]

Someone mentioned on the YouTube video that Vince fired Jarrett right when he bought WCW... I remember this pretty well... why did Vince hate Jarrett so much at that point?

[cabbageboy 0]

It was due to the way Jarrett kinda held Vince up for money in late 1999 to job the IC belt before he left for WCW. Besides, Jarrett was on top of WCW when they were REALLY tanking, so it's not like he would have been a really logical signing.

 

Speaking of Austin/Owen, am I the only one who always found it lame and insincere on the Owen Raw that Austin was the last guy on there giving his beer tribute? I thought "Dude we know you hated the guy...."

[Corey_Lazarus 0]

Didn't matter. He was paying his respects to a fallen comrade. I have doubts that if HHH were to drop dead tomorrow, people who hated him personally wouldn't be saying positive comments about him in some way, shape, or form.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

It was due to the way Jarrett kinda held Vince up for money in late 1999 to job the IC belt before he left for WCW. Besides, Jarrett was on top of WCW when they were REALLY tanking, so it's not like he would have been a really logical signing.

 

He didn't really hold them up for money. JR let his contract expire without bothering to get the belt off him. Jarrett offered to vacate the belt since he was leaving the company, but Vince wanted him to come back and do the job. JJ asked for $200,000 to come and do that. It's just business.

[Dobbs 3K 0]

If Jarrett had come back to WWF after Vince bought WCW, he probably would have been booked badly and been gone a year later to start TNA anyway. I mean, look at what happened to Bagwell, DDP, etc.

[Guest Mos_Def]

Speaking of Austin/Owen, am I the only one who always found it lame and insincere on the Owen Raw that Austin was the last guy on there giving his beer tribute? I thought "Dude we know you hated the guy...."

 

It would have been petty of Austin to not pay his respect. Beef should not trump a tragic death....Austin had every right to be mad at him while Owen was still breathing tho.

[cabbageboy 0]

Okay fine, have Austin come out in the middle of the show and say a few words. But him being the last guy doing the main tribute was always hollow to me.

 

As far as Jarrett goes, hell I don't BLAME him for what he did. If they wanted me to do something no one else had ever done (as in job a title to a woman), and my contract is up to boot, they better pay me some serious $$. But Vince took it as a major slight and that is that.

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Okay fine, have Austin come out in the middle of the show and say a few words. But him being the last guy doing the main tribute was always hollow to me.

 

It was Vince's idea. He wanted the company's biggest and most recognizable star to give the final toast to Owen. For the general masses that were watching the show, it was probably the best idea, even it felt forced to those a little more in the know.

[Boxer 0]

More Jeff Jarrett goodies from 1997:

 

http://youtube.com/watch?v=kROdik_daqE

 

Seriously, the more I see these old interviews, they must've had more plans for Jarrett. Either that or he REALLY, REALLY, pissed someone off. No pun intended as that gimmick came in 1999.

 

Boy, is it just me or does Jarrett have a huge ego in those segments?

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

They had plans for Jarrett, but he simply couldn't get over. And he didn't get over at all until he got the women beating gimmick.

[Jacques 0]

The smarks start having seizures whenever there is a semblance of a shoot these days while the most popular era had wrestlers shooting all over the place.

[cabbageboy 0]

The hilarious part of this was Jarrett saying WCW gave him no opportunities. I mean WTF? Vince gave him a shitty 2nd generation Honky Tonk Man act that was always lame. Bischoff at least let him be himself for the most part and at one point kinda joined the 4 Horsemen. It was Jarrett's own lack over overness that prevented him from doing more in WCW and even then he at least got the US title for a while.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

I never got the hate for Jarrett, he's a decent wrestler who can put on a great match when paired with the right person (Ramon, Michaels, Benoit, Page, Booker, Christian, etc.) Okay, so maybe he shouldn't have fought Austin on PPV, but not even a throwaway match on free? I have to call bullshit on that. That's no different than Goldberg / Jericho, except Y2J was over in this case.

[Boxer 0]

Even if it's heel vs. heel a Shawn Michaels vs. Jeff Jarett match at Royal Rumble would've worked. Just base it on the comments Jarrett said about Michaels and we have an insta-feud. Plus they had chemistry in the ring, so I don't see how couldn't work, in the ring that is.