10 Classic Jeff Jarrett Matches You Need To See
Ain't He Great?!
An objectively good wrestler will make a Monday Night Raw in-ring return against all odds this week, but lukewarm takes on his in-ring skill probably won't enter the promotion of his battle with Elias
Like Jim Cornette, Alundra Blayze, Ultimate Warrior and other former pariahs that unexpectedly spoke on WWE's Hall Of Fame stage in recent years, Jeff's mere presence on the card will be the ultimate pre-show talking point. In 2018, 'Double J' went into the Hall primarily to sell tickets to curious punters keen to have a live experience of the latest unlikely WWE return. After breaking those million guitars, he finally drew a dime. Post-SuperBowl, can his match against a fellow guitar-swinger draw a rating?
An underrated performer on his day and one over-criticised for his faults, Jarrett's goalposts were admittedly always moved due to his familial and political links, but the art of the art-form was in more than just his genetics and silver tongue. A deserving Intercontinental Champion, and a safe - if unremarkable - slot-filler in main events, Jeff could go even when the aforementioned advantages meant he didn't really have to.
10. Vs AJ Styles (TNA Hard Justice 2005)
Jeff Jarrett's oft-criticised reign of terror in TNA during the mid-2000s was typically as much to do with what was happening on the other side. Whilst 'The Game' held Raw's World Title hostage in WWE, 'Triple J' appeared to be doing much the same in his own outfit.
Time has been kinder to his tenures though, with his efforts to keep the NWA Heavyweight Championship rooted in stability and security for the good of the TNA brand rather than his own fragile ego. Furthermore, when he did deign a colleague worthy of going over for all the marbles, he'd usually pick a performer that wouldn't fall on their a*se.
Such was the case in 2005 when AJ Styles heroically dethroned the 'King Of The Mountain' at the company's Hard Justice pay-per-view.
With referee Tito Ortiz looking on and bringing a slither of mainstream attention with him, Jarrett entered in a star-making display for the man perhaps most intrinsically linked to the troubled brand he'd fought to keep alive. It spoke to the rash judgement of the company that the 'Phenomenal One' was already a Triple Crown winner before it was even a year old, but he was an exponentially better performer in the two years since. Their main event relied less on the psychology-free razzle dazzle of the X Division, rounding AJ's edges as he grew into a shared topline role.