10 Unfortunately-Timed WWE Releases

In something of a rarity, Jeff Jarrett’s ill-timed release was far more unfortunate for Vince McMahon himself than it was for anybody else, with Jarrett very much the beneficiary.

Heading into No Mercy 1999, Jarrett had been scheduled to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Chyna. The only problem was, No Mercy was taking place on Oct 17, while Jarrett’s contract with the company had expired on Oct 16. Technically, Jarrett was a free agent by the time No Mercy rolled around.

The Wrestling Observer reports that Jarrett had been "incommunicado" in the days leading up to the expiration of his contract before eventually speaking with McMahon on Oct 15. Their conversation saw Jim Ross seemingly take the blame for contract negotiations having fallen through, with an impromptu deal being struck between Jarrett and McMahon.

The champ agreed to work one more match at the PPV and drop the title to Chyna – which he did – providing he was compensated with a handsome sum, claimed to be in the region of $300,000 in both Chyna and Hardcore Holly’s biographies.

Sounds like a pretty good payoff for a single night’s work...