10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE In 1995
8. Jeff Jarrett Has Previous
You'll doubtlessly remember that, on the infamous Raw/Nitro simulcast, Vince McMahon made it absolutely clear that Jeff Jarrett wasn't coming back to the WWF.
That's no entirely true - confusingly, Vince said that Jeff was G, double O, double N, double E. This spelt "goonnee", which was an insane attempt to take the piss out of Jarrett's catchphrase. It made Vince look daft, but he didn't care: he was happier than a pig in filth, which is less a saying and more a very literal description of the person and the environment he built around himself.
This scorn was driven by the events of No Mercy 1999 at which, in return for agreeing to drop the Intercontinental title to Chyna with the maximum conviction, Jarrett demanded everything that was owed to him and then some, there and then, before departing for WCW.
This was a "fool me twice" situation, since the capricious Jarrett had already peaced out, very suddenly, in 1995.
At the absolute peak of his powers, when the WWF needed star power, Jarrett left abruptly after one of the best WWF matches of the year against Shawn Michaels. As in, minutes later; upset that the WWF wished to accelerate the storyline in which the Roadie was to be revealed as the real singing talent of the act, Jarrett walked and convinced his mate to follow him out of the door. It was a bold gambit - Jarrett had just got over, but perhaps he thought by leaving at his hottest, he'd maximise his free agency.
It didn't quite work out; ain't that great went his WCW run, and he only truly got over four years later before making the exact same error.