10 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: TNA (Part 3)
2. Just How Bad Jarrett’s Drinking Was
Before watching all 3 parts on TNA, you'd be forgiven for never knowing how brutally bad Jeff Jarrett's drinking problem was. By his own admission, Jeff has always been great at "masking" things and putting his best foot forwards. He did that following the Owen Hart tragedy, then when his first wife died, then when his TNA dreams fell to bits.
Something had to give.
Jarrett started drinking heavily after returning to the TNA/Impact fold under Anthem in 2015. He'd start at 10am and wouldn’t really stop. Speaking about what it was like to be around him, Karen said she knew she was watching her husband killing himself, but didn’t know how to stop it. Things came to a head when he went over to AAA and was visibly drunk on camera. Jeff flew back to the States, and Anthem chiefs told him he needed to enter rehab.
Scott D’Amore reasoned that he only cared about saving Jeff; if Jarrett didn’t talk to him ever again but got clean, then he could live with that. Coming out of rehab for some shows, Jeff ordered a double rum and coke on a flight, and kept drinking. “At the time, I had no idea how much denial I was in”, he said. Jeff Hardy described it as “rock bottom”, and says he can relate to where Jarrett was at.
Karen had to phone 911 occasionally, because she thought he was going to die; Jeff booked himself into rehab/treatment and Karen called WWE for help. Their Wellness Policy kicked in. “I didn’t even know who I was at this point”, an emotional Jeff offered.
Jarrett gutted out treatment. He was determined to do so.