Would TNA Benefit From Jeff Jarrett Returning?

[MrAnderson123]

Jeff Jarrett has been gone from TNA television for a while now. He was a decent heel, could still work the mic and could perform at a good standard.

Saying he did return, maybe as part of the MEM, or maybe as part of the Aces and Eights, would TNA benefit from him returning?

 

[Vance Ryan]

No Jeff jarrett never drew at any position the xdivision drew fans when he was on top. I'd give him a month before the iwc starts to complain on him.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In the grand scheme of things, I doubt it. I'm sure there'd be some degree of nostalgia, at least initially, upon a return of Jeff Jarrett. Aside from that, I don't really see Jarrett contributing all that much.

After all, Jarrett was a central figure in TNA for years and, just me personally, never did much of anything for me. I've always been someone that's never really seen Jeff Jarrett as a headliner, at least not someone who is a constant presence in the main event scene. As a mid-carder or tag team wrestler, I thought that he was just fine and pretty damn solid overall.

If the reports are true that Jarrett has, for all intents & purposes, been ousted from TNA, then it sucks. As a human being and a wrestling fan, I respect Jarrett for going out and doing his own thing with TNA. That being said, Jarrett turns 46 years old in about 3 weeks, so he's not the future of TNA. Bringing him back would ultimately lead to another aging veteran as a central figure in a major storyline. With Sting, Angle, Hogan and Bully Ray as, easily, the top guys on the roster; adding Jarrett to that mix won't improve things.

If TNA brought Jarrett back and he was used to ultimately put over younger guys, someone like Magnus for instance, then I'd be fine with it. It probably wouldn't lead to any increase in viewership or anything, but it'd be a sign, to me at least, that maybe TNA could get firmly behind Magnus as someone that's a top player in the long run. If they wanted Jarrett as a mid-card wrestler or part of a tag team, I'd be fine with that as well. Jeff Jarrett can still be useful, just not as a main eventer.

 

[BigDaddyKewl]

I think he would be a good filler for the new Main Event Mafia. It would tell a good story that he's returning to help save the company that he founded. The Mafia is supposed made up of former World Champions and Jeff is a former WCW and TNA Champion. Id say bring him back for a few months leading into Bound For Glory. He's a guy that might be up there in age but he's still healthy and can still go in the ring.

 

[HBsam31]

I don't hate Jarrett as much as everyone else has seemed to over the years, but lets face it he never drew a dime. In this one instance though I think he would serve the Main Event Mafia well. Jarrett coming back to help save the company he started would be very fitting even if it was just short term. I agree that he has no real place left in the main event, and outside of this one angle I would want to see Jarrett then move on to start putting some of the younger guys over. Normally I would say that it would be useless to bring him back, but since Sting is reforming the Mafia I think it could work this time.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

Wow, the way that people talk around here you would think that Jarrett draws less than Alberto Del Rio. I seriously think that he is what is needed right now. Throw him in the new MEM, have him talk about how he started this company and a bunch of rogue bikers aren't going to take it away from him. Have this go on for 6 months or so, then bam Jarrett helps A's and 8's win a big match, then beat the crap out of Bully Ray. It is revealed that Jarrett was running the ship the whole time behind the scenes as he wanted to gain his company back, Bully Ray was just being led on into believing he had control.

 

[Pedigree1]

You know What Jarrett did was a dick thing to do. But that said he did co-found TNA so that in itself is amazing. Yah he never was the biggest draw but he did have great matches,and helped bring the company to what it is today. He was a central figure for a long time. But truth be told,Sorry Jeff i dont see you contributing all that much.

You have to ask yourself do you miss him? If you have to think about it even for a second then the answer is obvious. If he were to be brought back i dont see his role other than that to help put younger talent over. He is 46 so his main event days are over. He never was that guy that champion that you would say "Jeff Jarrett is a must see champion. He was never that.

I dont see him anywhere near the MEM his only spot is to put younger talent over IMO

 

[IrishSpring]

Wow, the way that people talk around here you would think that Jarrett draws less than Alberto Del Rio. I seriously think that he is what is needed right now. Throw him in the new MEM, have him talk about how he started this company and a bunch of rogue bikers aren't going to take it away from him. Have this go on for 6 months or so, then bam Jarrett helps A's and 8's win a big match, then beat the crap out of Bully Ray. It is revealed that Jarrett was running the ship the whole time behind the scenes as he wanted to gain his company back, Bully Ray was just being led on into believing he had control.[/QU

Jeff Jarrett never drew a dime never has never will.
And wow that has never happened before ...Jarrett returns and talks about how he founded the company this time insert A&8's .

 

[thebarber]

Jarrett returning as a member of the new Main Event Mafia would be good, works with him being a Former World Champion. Being his old company, the company his father and he built from scratch, it would be nice to see him return. Not sure how Jarrett and Angle are getting along these days, but Jarrett returning for the period of the storyline of Sting's MEM, yes it woul;d work and yes he would be good to have around

 

[jimmyrave]

I think Jeff Jarrett would fit right into the new MEM, and he should be used to put over other talents. Okay, he's not a draw but he's still over enough that he can help the program. Plus he's has alot of history with various people, so it make for good television.

 

[Leveller]

If they decide to bring Jarrett back I actually believe he would be relevant but not in a wrestling format. They could easily step in and have him be involved in the Aces story line but maybe as a manager figure at ringside for the MEM.

People know he was the co-founder so obviously thats the main selling point with him. Have him come back at somepoint where Bully Ray is in a title match and have him cost him the match. He could cut a promo the next IMPACT and say how he has began taking power back to TNA and Hogan should start taking leads from him.

You could have him on screen in the same position as Vince but obviously no where near as effective and you could have him feed ideas to Hulk and Sting backstage

 

[Spack]

He should grow his hair back out and come back as "Double J". He could destroy Aces and Eights with the power of badly written country music.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Jeff Jarrett is the opposite direction of where TNA needs to go. This isn't even a "Jeff Jarrett sucks" rant, it just comes down to his time in wrestling is pretty much done. It doesn't mean he can't have a match from time to time but in all honesty what good would be done having Double J on TV again?

One of the things TNA has constantly fallen into in the past is going back to old dogs who made a name for themselves a LONG time ago, its like that even now. There's nothing wrong with that in some cases like Jeff Hardy and Bully Ray but when it involves having guys like Hogan and Sting constantly in the center of things it just makes it feel old. Coco made a thread within this week of WWE changing their production, that lesson rings true here as well, if you keep having old guys in the center of things it makes things feel dated and in the past, that's not a good thing.

I've always felt that's one of TNA's biggest problems over the last 4-5 years, it doesn't feel new. Of course you have new faces like Aries, Styles, Joe, Daniels and Sabin (well not new but fresh to a lot of people tuning in) but the show seems dominated often by the old guys. Maybe I'm not the best to comment on it as I don't watch TNA too often but I will turn to it every single week for at least a bit to see whats going on. In that time there has been 1 constant every time I turn it on:

I will see Hulk Hogan and Sting 9 almost every time. When this happens I roll my eyes and change the channel, even if I was watching a good match right before seeing them. I love them both, I respect what they did for wrestling but I don't want to see these guys when I watch wrestling anymore, that's what wrestling DVD's are for.

Now if you are a new fan, you turn it to Impact and what you see is 2 guys, 1 who had his prime over 15 years ago and one who had his prime over 20 years ago how long would you stick around? You wouldn't. Even if you were a fan of Hogan that doesn't make you a fan of 60 year old Hogan. Lou Thesz was one of the all time greats but he wasn't drawing mad crowds at 60 either (at least in the states). Austin at 60? Same thing. It's not a knock against Hogan but father time is someone that catches us all.

Jeff Jarrett falls in the same boat because he was a guy who was most popular around the late 90's and early 2000's, his time has come and gone.

I understand that some people say "it's Hogan, of course its beneficial for TNA to have him around" but that's not true. Ten years ago I would agree but no one wants to tune into wrestling to watch a 60 year old man. Frankly all Hogan should be is an ambassador for TNA, that's really the only role he can do that would be beneficial to the company. Jeff would be able to do a little more but I wouldn't have him as a wrestler, maybe a manager or a commissioner or something but not a wrestler. It's fine to have him on TV every week just limit it to 5-10 minutes at most.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Jarret, though not a huge star on par with the oft injured/arrested Kurt Angle or ageing Sting, is a known commodity to the overall wrestling audience. He is someone that if a casual wrestling fan is flipping channels and sees on TV they might stay and watch. No one else in TNA outside Angle & Sting has that power (Hogan obviously but his ability to generate interest is lessened by his inability to actually wrestle a match).

Think about it, most wrestling fans dont even realize Angle wrestles there or that at one time in recent years the TNA Roster also had Kevin Nash, Mick Foley, & Ric Flair. RVD said it himself, he was constantly being asked by wrestling fans if he would ever wrestle again when he was front and center in TNA storylines. They dont tour hardly at all and the TV ratings are a fraction of what WCW had in it's final few months on TV, which was a fraction of what they were getting in the Pre NwO days when it was mostly the Hogan/Flair/Sting show.

If TNA wants to attract fans they need to milk guys like Sting, Angle, Jarrett, even Hogan for all they are worth and put them in storylines with TNA talent the company wants to promote. Otherwise they'll never get above that dismal 1.1 rating that seems to be their high water mark, which is less than half what RAW was doing when it was losing the ratings war to WCW in the mid 90s.

 

[FlairFan2003]

Now if you are a new fan, you turn it to Impact and what you see is 2 guys, 1 who had his prime over 15 years ago and one who had his prime over 20 years ago how long would you stick around? You wouldn't. Even if you were a fan of Hogan that doesn't make you a fan of 60 year old Hogan. Lou Thesz was one of the all time greats but he wasn't drawing mad crowds at 60 either (at least in the states). Austin at 60? Same thing. It's not a knock against Hogan but father time is someone that catches us all.

.

The opposite is true... as a casual fan if I turn on and see Hogan & Sting I will watch, just out of curiosity of what they are doing, and if it is entertaining and involves some younger talent even better. If I am changing channels and come across two random TNA stars, guys simply known to the tiny TNA universe, guys I do not know, appearing on an unknown program with no affilliation with WWE, I will keep right on channel surfing.

Sure fire way to kill any chance you have of genetrating interest from casual fans, especially those disenfranchised with the dull nature of WWE right now ? Take away the handfull of known commodities you have and give all the promotion and TV time to unknown guys with no connection to the vast audience. People will be channell surfing by you in record numbers.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

The opposite is true... as a casual fan if I turn on and see Hogan & Sting I will watch, just out of curiosity of what they are doing, and if it is entertaining and involves some younger talent even better. If I am changing channels and come across two random TNA stars, guys simply known to the tiny TNA universe, guys I do not know, appearing on an unknown program with no affilliation with WWE, I will keep right on channel surfing.

Maybe the 1st time but you aren't gonna turn back to it every single week to see what they are doing. Go back to '02 when Hulkamania started up again. Hogan had an awesome match with The Rock which got people noticing him again, it lasted for a couple months and died right off. The difference now is Hogan ISN'T gonna be having that awesome build and match with possibly the biggest wrestler in history that isn't Hogan or Austin. If Hogan and Sting can't prove they still have it people will roll their eyes and change the channel. If Michael Jordan came back and could only score 10 points a game he would garner interest for a cup of coffee and people wouldn't care anymore.

Case and point 01-03 when Jordan played for the Wizards and Jordan still averaged over 20 points in those seasons but he wasn't the man anymore so people didn't care after a week.

Say whatever you want but I hear a fuck ton more people not watching Impact because of Hogan than people who do watch it because of Hogan. From a popularity standpoint Hogan brought in some fans at the very beginning then started turning those same fans away later. I understand a lot of people don't get that and although wrestling is entertainment its also athletics. No one wants to see a washed up athlete pretending to still be relevant.

Sure fire way to kill any chance you have of genetrating interest from casual fans, especially those disenfranchised with the dull nature of WWE right now ? Take away the handfull of known commodities you have and give all the promotion and TV time to unknown guys with no connection to the vast audience. People will be channell surfing by you in record numbers.

Yeah those ratings sure went through the roof when Hogan showed up, same with them buyrates and everything else. TNA wasn't suffering without all those "known" commodities you speak of they only started bringing them in because they got it in their heads they have to compete with Vince instead of doing what they were already doing. At first it was awesome when guys like Angle came in but then every other popular wrestler from the late 90's came in. Did any of these guys do great business for TNA? No.

If you are gonna bring in guys past their prime with some name recognition why don't you..... I don't know use these guys to build your future instead of using them to cling onto the past? They are starting to do that a little more now but they wasted a good 4-5 years before then doing the opposite. I would argue those established talents did more damage to TNA then they helped it outside of a few names like Angle and Sting at the very beginning.

Scott Steiner, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Jeff Jarrett, Hulk Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Booker T are all examples of guys who didn't do ANYTHING for TNA and them being on TV as much as they were hurt things more than helped.

Lastly since this is a Jarrett thread why would you or anyone else think someone would actually watch the television to see Jeff Jarrett? He didn't draw in his prime so why would he draw now?

 

[brochester8]

I think he would be a great addition to the Main Event Mafia. He is the founder and Aces are trying to take over TNA. Why wouldn't it make sense for him to join.

I can see him with Aces to though. Being the mastermind behind the whole thing because he wants all the power in TNA like he once did.

Either way him returning right now would be cool...

 

[FitFinlay4Life]

Yes, TNA would benefit from a returning Jeff Jarrett. People can go on about his drawing and so on and so forth but anyone who didn't enjoy his last two programs the last time round (with Angle and Hardy) probably shouldn't be watching wrestling.

Jeff will be 46 in a matter of weeks and is the number one name everytime the HoF topic appears. Should he return now as a member of the MEM, this means he can be the third inductee and work a retirement storyline for BFG 2014.

He can work, he is criminally underrated on the mic, he has the ultimate history with TNA (AJ may be an original but Jarrett was the originator) plus he has eons of history with the other members of the MEM to provide an understated level of unpredictability.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

Of course. Ignore the DVD Parrots who waltz in every single Jeff Jarrett thread saying he never drew a dime. Double J is one of the most natural heels in the business. I doubt the people who dislike him can pin-point exactly why they dislike him. Is he a bad wrestler? No. Is he a bad talker? No. Does he have bad rep outside of the ring? Allegedly but anyone who hates a wrestler for what he does backstage is way too fucking jaded in the first place.

I always loved his work and thought he nailed everything I've seen him do since I started watching. I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to have him back, hopefully in heel fashion he's not as effective as a face. Double J all the way.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Of course. Ignore the DVD Parrots who waltz in every single Jeff Jarrett thread saying he never drew a dime. Double J is one of the most natural heels in the business. I doubt the people who dislike him can pin-point exactly why they dislike him. Is he a bad wrestler? No. Is he a bad talker? No. Does he have bad rep outside of the ring? Allegedly but anyone who hates a wrestler for what he does backstage is way too fucking jaded in the first place.

I always loved his work and thought he nailed everything I've seen him do since I started watching. I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to have him back, hopefully in heel fashion he's not as effective as a face. Double J all the way.

Its not so much I hate Jeff Jarrett but he's not a main eventer yet he got shoved down our throats for years as being some sort of all time great.

He's not bad in the ring or on the mic but that's it, hes not bad, he doesn't excel at anything either. For a guy who has been wrestling over 20 years his best match was at In Your House vs. HBK in 95 as a midcarder, that was the best thing he ever did in wrestling. He's a midcarder posing as a main eventer and that's my issue with him.

In closing Jarrett returning won't hurt, but it won't benefit either, he's never shown me the ability to really put over other talent and a win against Jarrett isn't very impressive.