10 Wrestling Matches That Inadvertently Became Infamous

7. Jeff Jarrett Vs Chyna (No Mercy 1999)

Chris Benoit Elijah Burke
WWE.com

Chyna and Jeff Jarrett over-delivered in their No Mercy 'Good Housekeeping' melee, but for 'Double J', it represented one last payday from Vince McMahon that would sever their working relationship forever.

Jarrett became something of a ventriloquist's dummy for WWE's head writer Vince Russo in August 1999. Cast as a rampant misogynist, the reigning Intercontinental Champion was abusive towards manager Debra and other female talent in the organisation as a build-up to his eventual dispute with Chyna.

The two had battled once at Unforgiven in September, with the 'Ninth Wonder of the World' proving Jarrett's equal only to be cheated out of the title by incompetent refereeing. Before their October rematch though, noted Jarrett supporter Vince Russo shockingly left WWE for WCW alongside creative colleagues Ed Ferrara and Bill Banks.

It was during this period that Jeff's contract lapsed, but management failed to notice this until the day of No Mercy when the Intercontinental Champion revealed he'd be leaving for WCW immediately following the broadcast.

Threatening to take the secondary strap with him, Jarrett insisted on a payout ranging from $300,000 to $500,000 and/or stock options (depending on which version of the story is to be believed) in order to go out and lose as planned. McMahon acquiesced, and Jarrett gleefully contributed to an outstanding brawl significantly richer than he was earlier in the day.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett