Jeff Jarrett: Overrated or Underrated?

[Kenny Powers]

We all know Jarrett's history dating back to his father and his rising in AWA and NWA. We know his brief history in WWE and in WCW where he became World Heavyweight Champion before it's ultimate demise. We also know that Jarrett and his father along with Dixie Carter helped to create what is now known as Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, which has been a steadily growing company in its brief tenure. Jarrett has never been known as a big name or a large draw. TNA has recently been his main claim to fame, and it looks like now that Jarrett may not even have a role in his company anymore. I just want to simply ask the question is Jarrett Overrated or Underrated? Here a few great and not so great Accomplishments:

* American Wrestling Association
o Rookie of the Year (1986)

* Asistencia Asesoría y Administración
o AAA Rey de Reyes (2004)

* Continental Wrestling Association
o AWA Southern Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Billy Travis (3) and Pat Tanaka (1)
o CWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)[38]
o CWA International Tag Team Championship (2 time) – with Pat Tanaka (1) and Paul Diamond (1)
o NWA Mid-America Heavyweight Championship (5 times)

* NWA Cyberspace
o NWA Cyberspace Heavyweight Championship (1 time)

* Pro Wrestling Illustrated
o PWI Feud of the Year (1992)[42]with Jerry Lawler vs. the Moondogs
o PWI Most Inspirational Wrestler of the Year (2007)
o PWI ranked him #5 of the top 500 singles wrestlers in the PWI 500 in 2000
o PWI ranked him #78 of the Top 100 Tag Teams of the PWI Years in 2003 with Jerry Lawler

* Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
o NWA World Heavyweight Championship (6 times)
o King of the Mountain (2004, 2006)

* United States Wrestling Association
o USWA Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
o USWA Southern Heavyweight Championship (9 times)
o USWA Unified World Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
o USWA World Tag Team Championship (14 times) – with Jeff Gaylord (2), Cody Michaels (1), Jerry Lawler (4), Robert Fuller (4), and Brian Christopher (2)
o USWA Western States Tag Team Championship – with Robert Fuller (1)

* World Championship Wrestling
o WCW United States Heavyweight Championship (3 times)
o WCW World Heavyweight Championship (4 times)

* World Class Wrestling Association
o USWA World Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Matt Borne
o WCWA World Light Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
o WCWA World Tag Team Championship (3 times) – with Kerry Von Erich (1), Mil Máscaras (1), and Matt Borne (1)[54]

* World Wrestling Federation
o NWA North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time)2
o WWF European Championship (1 time)
o WWF Intercontinental Championship (6 times)
o WWF Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Owen Hart

* World Series Wrestling
o WSW Heavyweight Championship

* World Wrestling All-Stars
o WWA World Heavyweight Championship (2 times)

* Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
o Feud of the Year (1992) with Jerry Lawler vs. The Moondogs
o Most Overrated Wrestler (2005)

Reference: www.wikipedia.com

 

[TellMeWhy]

I think he's underrated. Jeff Jarrett is a very very solid worker especially as a face. I just think it sucks that most of his career he's been a heel and has been working a heel style and not showing as much offense or showcasing what he has. As a face wrestler, he's much better. His matches and his style of wrestling as a face has worked much better and been much more enjoyable than most of his heel matches. Check his matches with Robert Roode and Kurt Angle.

Most will say that he's overrated though for the fact that he never became a world champion in WWE and held world titles everywhere else. Lots of narrow minded wrestling fans whether they know it or not will think less of him because they feel that WWE defines who a superstar is and since JJ was a midcarder in WWE, most fans carry that stigma with them and will feel he's not good enough to be anything higher. So don't be surprised to see lot of overrated answers and he isn't anything special or whatever.

 

[GeminiJ13]

Jeff Jarrett was and always will be a peon. Everything he did was unoriginal, from the figure 4 to the strut. This guy is one of the most overrated wrestlers in a long time. He got by on his dads name and somehow convinced shitty promoters to let him win midcard matches. Vince McMahon knew that Jarrett was a nobody, he had him job to Chyna for the IC title for christ sakes! Thats a smart business man. However, WcW in its downfall had few other choices than Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett could sell a raffle ticket and make it seem like he won the goddamn world series. He took the small bit of credibility he had and influenced those above him to push a wrestler that had no business main eventing (himself). As said in the rise and fall of Wcw Jeff Jarrett was just an idiot from Tennessee who thought he had great ideas. As far as rating him as a wrestler, he's not in my top 100. Somebody that I easily forget about and I think he is nothing but contraversy for Mick and TNA, along with Kurt Angle and washed up WWE stars, thats a sinking ship. The reason he never became World Champion is because he never deserved it, he's lame and couldnt draw. The most credit I give Jarrett is coming up with the phrase "Slapnuts" cuz lets be honest, its fun to say. Lets rate him (in my opinion) in a few categories. (scale to ten, ten being the highest) Technical skills:7 Entertainment Value:4 Gimmick:6 Athletic Ability:7 Heel Work:7 Face Work:5 Selling in the Ring:7 Selling Merchandise:3 Credibility:8 Resume':8 Mic Work:7
These numbers are similar to The MIz minus the credibility. Bottom line. Jarrett sucks, but I think smart wrestling fans wouldnt rate him very high to begin with. He owns TNA, he's running it similar to WcW (at their worst) he cant get along with creative, or his wrestlers and is generally hard to work with. If you look at his resume' though he seems like a great wrestler, but he was nothing special, just another *******.

 

[CKDaimen]

Hmmm...does Lariat know about this copyright infringement?

But I've always thought Jarrett was one of the most overrated wrestlers of all time. I might be in the minority, but I just never saw him as a credible World Champion. He's part of the reason I stopped watching WCW because they were trying too hard to make him a World Champion, and in TNA he obviously politiced keeping the title on him as much as possible, despite there being obviously more credible talent available on the roster.

I think Jarrett is very stale in the ring, and just screams "average". He knows how to get heat, I'll give him that...but to me he is the most average skilled and politicing World Champion that I've ever seen. Say what you want about HHH but at least he's credible, plus he was champ before he started banging Steph....when it comes to politicing...Jarrett is the king of the mountain.

 

[SAVE_YOURSELVES_111]

There was no wrestler, in this entire world, that I couldn't stand more than Jeff Jarrett. Yes even more than someone like Mark Henry, I couldn't stand the sight of Jeff Jarrett. There was nothing techinically wrong with his in ring work, but the guy was repetitive, and un eventful, his matches were not enjoyable, unless he had the right person in there with him. He just wasn't a guy anyone could buy into, and to this day, I never saw anything marketable, or enjoyable about him as a heel.

For some reason, I was completely annoyed by him. Not, "oh I wanna see him get his butt kicked" annoyed, the "what else is on?" annoyed. Even as a kid, I just couldn't tolerate him, just everything about him made me wince. I enjoyed a good "Superstars" squash, as much as the next guy, but even Jarrett made THOSE boring.

And his run in WCW, forget it. I'm not one of those guys, who says Jarrett's title reign helped kill WCW. It didn't hurt the company, but it never would've helped at any point whatsoever. Jarrett's "Slapnuts" phrase is the ONLY thing I ever liked about him.

 

[classicviolence]

Underrated totally by the IWC. Double J was a star back when he and HBK had a classic IC title match in 95. JJ was a star back when was in WCW the first time around, and he was becoming a breakout star in WWF during the "Dont piss me off!!" angle.

Jarrett is underrated for sure. Even back in the NWA-TNA days, we was working his ass off and putting over guys like The Truth and AJ styles. Jarrett also put over Booker T and gave Booker one of his best matches ever. He may not be everyone's cup of tea, but technically he is an outstanding performer. Jarrett is a legitimate 12 time world champion and deserves to be on TNA TV and chasing the title. Jarrett also has no problem jobbing to anyone and giving them the rub.

Jarrett has also shown is versatility by having not only classic wrestling matches but wild hardcore brawls as well. People need to give the man his respect and I would rather Jarrett get 16-17 world titles instead of someone like HHH.

 

[Rated_R_Superstar2010]

well i've only seen jeff jarrett from is days with tna so form that perspective i'd say he is underrated. everything i've seen of him i've been fairly impressed and i've always been entertained by the storylines he was in. he's not he best in the ring but i think his mic skills make up for it. i found him and foleys power stuggle very entertaining. from what i've seen of him i dont know why the iwc hates him so much. maybe i missed alot of his career but just on the fact that tna is what it is i give props to the man

 

[luxferre]

Jarret is one of the most overrated wrestlers i've ever seen. Despite holding a lot of gold, he's never drawn. He's been using the Honky Tonk's gimmick as long as i can remember which was bad enough in 1988, let alone 2009.
Face it jeff, you just ain't got it!

 

[JBK2008]

It doesn't matter how many times Jeff bashed someone with his guitar, because it didn't get him over or ever help him get people to watch him. His in ring skill wasn't too impressive and his mic skills were average at best. Def overrated.

 

[Hulkamaniac]

Completely overrated. He is not now, nor has he ever been a top draw, but he continues to book himself that way. He can't draw a dime. He's a decent worker at best, which is unfortunate, since given his size, he needs to be a better worker to be noticed. The only reason he ever held a world title is because Vince Russo, that esteemed wrestling mind, has a man crush on him in WCW, and then he bought his own company which is by default the main competitor to WWE. The guy is not very charismatic, he's not over, he can't draw, he's a mediocre worker given his size, and he's not good on the mic.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Overrated. I've been calling Jeff Jarrett overrated for years. To me, Jeff Jarrett will always be a fairly good mid-card guy that got put into the main event despite the fact that he's never really belonged there.

The first 6 or 7 years of his career, he worked primarily in the Memphis area for his father. First for the old CWA and them for the USWA and became a big fish in a little pond. He won all sorts of titles while working there, he had some good in-ring ability and all. So, he sets out for the WWF and does get slapped with a lame character. However, I do have to say that his time as Double J is the only time in his career that I've ever liked or been interested in Jarrett. Whether or not it was the intention, Double J made me laugh when I was a kid and I kinda liked him then.

He had a couple of stints in WCW, the first one didn't really amount to much I don't think. They made him one of the revolving door members of the Four Horsemen and it just didn't work at all. Jeff Jarrett cannot be a serious heel because he just doesn't project a "mean heel aura" I guess. He just never has come across as a bad guy no matter how much WCW tried to change his looks, no matter how many fake guitars he blasted people over the head with and no matter how many times he called someone slapnuts.

As far as in-ring work and promos, Jeff was pretty good. He was a good, solid mid-card guy and that's where he ultimately should have stayed. Now, some will say he won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship 4 times. That's true, it can't be disputed. However, three of those four reigns equaled a grand total of 17 days and took place when WCW was, pretty much, on it' deathbed. All of Jeff Jarrett's reigns took place in 2000, a year in which the WCW Championship changed hands 19 times.

I'm not saying I don't respect the guy. He's got guts, I'll say that about him and he has been a talented guy. But he is NOT main event material and he never has been no matter how hard he or others have tried.

 

[The Gribbler]

Personally cannot stand Jeff Jarrett; completely over rated as far as I am concerned. Multiple time NWA world champion only because he owned the company and so far as I am concerned he should never have been anything higher than the European Champion.

Just My Opinion

 

[SinCityBlitz]

Overrated. I've been calling Jeff Jarrett overrated for years. To me, Jeff Jarrett will always be a fairly good mid-card guy that got put into the main event despite the fact that he's never really belonged there.

I couldn't agree more. He was generic in the ring and his interviews were not too great either. As a mid card kind of guy he would have been fine but Russo had to help his buddy. He was given so much yet deserved so little.

 

[jmt225]

In my opinion, Jeff Jarrett is the most under-appreciated wrestler in history. The guy has done so much for the business, but is usually viewed in such a bad light. Why? People always claim how horrible the last couple of years WCW were, but I'll tell you this: I, personally, was NEVER disappointed with a Jeff Jarrett main event match. His run with Booker for the WCW Title was fantastic. While the booking was crap, Jarrett always delivered when it came to his matches.

In WWE, he didn't do much, but even so... he still had one of the greatest matches in the company's history when he lost to Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship. So, while he was never given much of a chance to succeed in WWE, he still gave us that match.

Onto TNA, he gets looked at as a person who held people down and always wanted to remain on top. But really, who deserved to have his spot all those years? Raven in 2003 is the only guy I can remember thinking that he deserved a run and could carry the main event scene as well as Jarrett did. Before someone mentions AJ Styles, the guy had his chances and did great with every single one of them. He was never held down. But who else was there? Monty Brown? Abyss? Killings? None of those guys were and never will be World Championship material. However, Jarrett was and he did a great job until someone else finally came along who would carry the company as well as he did (Christian, Angle, Sting, Joe, ect.).

Jarrett is definitely underrated, and I think when he's dead and gone, people will finally start appreciate the man for the great performer he truly was in that ring.

 

[Kenny Powers]

I personally feel Jarrett is a great performer and a great heel. He may not have Flair's or Hogan's status, but he did help elevate a company from nowhere to where it is today before AJ Styles, Sting, Angle, Foley, and Morgan were in the picture. I think Jarrett is a good business man and performer, he may have not drawn a dime in WCW during its end but neither did Hogan or anyone else at that time since the company was so bad off and bankrupt.

I find Jarrett Underrated as a business man and a performer since WWE will never acknowledge Jarrett or TNA. I don't think Jarrett is in the same category as Hogan or Flair or maybe even Triple H, but I find his work to be extremely Underrated since he did the most he can do with his career with the little ability he has.