10 Wrestlers You Won't Believe Got The Better Of Vince McMahon

9. Jeff Jarrett

cm punk vince mcmahon
WWE.com

Jeff Jarrett extorted Vince McMahon ahead of No Mercy 1999, and while that word carries a lurid connotation, it's not inaccurate.

Jarrett negotiated the fee - that he would only accept as a condition of dropping the WWF Intercontinental Title to Chyna - with Jim Ross. Per the November 15, 1999 Wrestling Observer Newsletter, he threatened to pull out unless the dollar amount duly owed to him was upped. The eventual agreement saw Jarrett take home "significantly" more money than he would have made under normal circumstances.

This in itself was an alpha play from Double J. By receiving money for doing nothing, incidentally, he proved himself a natural fit for Vince Russo's WCW before he even entered it.

But that was it. He was mortgaging his future by burning the bridge. He had to make as much money as possible doing it because there wasn't going to be any more. Jeff Jarrett didn't actually work the last Nitro, but Vince still went to the effort of splicing him into the simulcast just to fire him. "Double J E Double F is G Double O Double N Double E," Vince said.

That, just to clarify, was "Goonnee".

And yet!

Jarrett, after leading the charge to compete with WWE as the leading force behind TNA, went home in the end. The man Vince said he'd never do business with again works as a producer, advising the younger generation on when not to do cool sh*t that might get over.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!