True or False: Jeff Jarrett Should Have Stayed Mid-Card 4 Life

[Steamboat Ricky]

Sorry I put the numeral in there, but I wanted to be slightly "edgy."


But seriously...should JJ have stayed mid-card for life? I mean...he never was much more than mid-card for life if you really think about it. He was WCW Champ 4 times from a period spanning from April 2000 to July 2000 totaling 58 days (41 days in one reign). WCW was pretty much done at that point, and he was competing with arguably other mid-card talent at the time. All of his NWA/TNA reigns occurred when TNA was easily a minor promotion. Thus, it could be argued that the most prestigious title he's ever held is the Intercontinental Title (as the WCW and TNA belts meant squat at the time).

So, should JJ have ever been put in the position to be "the man" of a company? Did he carry that kind of "stroke"? Should he have ever been anything other than a guy fighting for the IC and US titles?

True or false?

 

[The Infant Finite]

JJ is a guy who has no place in the main event, never has.
If Russo wasn't his boy back from the WWF mid-card days, Jarrett would have never have even known what that title smelled like, even when WCW was going under. As for his TNA reign well, I'm sure someone else will explain how deeply tied he is to that organization and mainly Dixie carter.
Much like Triple H, it's kinda hard not to be the face of a company when the boss takes a strong liking to you.


But that said, I've never hated Jarrett's work, there's just never been a time when i couldn't put at least ten guys in his company at the time in higher standing preformance wise. Jarrett's best role was his tag title run with Owen, and most of that was simply because owen was such a tremendous heel and Debra's boobs. But hey, the give him some credit, he's made his way to the main event table and solidified himself to SOME people as a legend in the buisness. Thats damn hard to do with such a mediocre array of god given talent and charisma, give the devil his due. He was never a great wrestler, just a really really wise employee. who took advantage when he saw oppurtunity arise.

 

[jmt225]

Should Jeff Jarrett have stayed a mid-carded for life? In my opinion, no.

Jeff Jarrett is an extremely talented wrestler and the fact is... he was getting as much heat as any heel in WCW at the time when WCW decided to give him the ball. I could never blame WCW for that.

And besides, let's say WCW doesn't ever give him a top push, WCW still goes out of business and I still believe Jarrett creates TNA down the line. And of course, he definitely should've been top guy in that company, because it was his and at the time it was created, he was the most talented, well known wrestler on the roster. Should he have stayed on top so long? Maybe, maybe not, but the fact is... TNA is where it's at today because of Jeff Jarrett and his run on top didn't hurt the company at all; it helped it.

 

[Ezekyo]

I always felt Jarrett didn't belong in main event status. Didn't buy it in WCW, thank God it never happened in WWE, and TNA was the Jeff Jarrett Show for a long time, so him as a main eventer there was pretty much a big joke. So to answer your questions, yes, I feel he is only a mid-carder at best.

 

[Carter121]

I would have to say false. One reason I am saying false is because Jarrett is one of my favorite wrestlers so I am being a little bias. Even when WCW was in its dying days, Jarrett was quite possibly the most hated man in the organization minus some guy named Vince Russo. Jarrett was extremely talented and even had the crowd saying his "slapnuts" catchphrase. I would buy the argument that Jarrett would have been a great US heavyweight champion if given an extensive reign, but the powers that be needed some new stars on the top so Jarrett was the ideal man to hold the strap albiet for a short period of time.

 

[bighomie]

Long story short...true mid card (cue the nWo fans) 4 life..lol..no fan has ever believed him as top guy in any promotion he's been in so with that said he's an all-time midcarder...

 

[shafe_41]

It's a really fine line with Jarrett. I do believe he earned what he was given in WCW when it was going down the tube. The 4 reigns as champion in like a 3 month period was a little extreme, but what was WCW going to do when they knew their Judgement Day (no pun intended since the ppv is today) was coming? They could really do whatever they wanted at that point. Throw the title around to other mid-card talent and it wouldn't have mattered. Who better than Kanyon right? lol Anyway... Jarrett did get good heat in WCW and he carried that with him when he created TNA. So to say Jarrett didn't deserve to be a main-event star... is total blasphamy. He started a company from scratch and at the time, he was the most established star in that company. So of course he's going to make it "his" show and compete in "his" show. It's already well-known heels make better champions so you have a face to root for and to hoopefully have go over the big monster heel of the company. And who better to have play a monster heel than the head (or face...sorta) of the company? Mr. McMahon... amazing heel character... if not one of the best of all time. Bischoff when he joined the nWo... amazing heel. Jarrett... also top heel. And since he put that company together from scratch and made it successful (because unlike some people, I do believe TNA is succeeding), I believe Jeff can do whatever the hell he wants to do. He and Russo built Jarrett up as the biggest heel of the company and they did it with amazing success. I always believed when you had fans throwing garbage into the ring at a heel who just won a title match or pulled off some other devious heel tactic, you were doing something very very right. If that made the brand of TNA better, then I believe Jarrett deserved everything he gave himself because in turn... it made the company better. It was a good decision for the big picture. I'm not the world's biggest Jarrett fan, but he does carry a good bit of "stroke"... if u will. I think he's one of the most underrated performers ever.

Jarrett does deserve the main event picture, especially in HIS company, that HE BUILT, from the ground up. I can't stress that point enough. Everybody bitches about people that don't deserve the main event status that get it... Jarrett does deserve it. Just like Vince putting himself into his product as a character for people to loathe and despise. Vince deserved it since WWE is the company he built. Vince being champion and all that stuff was a little overboard seeing as he wasn't an actually performer...but he earned it with the years of work he put into the WWE. I don't see many performers going out and starting a company from scratch. For that alone, Jarrett deserves it. He put more hard work into that company than say...your typical WWE performer just does for 12-15 minutes a night in front of a crowd. Not saying they don't earn their spots...because they do. But you can't deny the work and sacrifice Jarrett put into TNA. Then to add in all the awful things that happened in his personal life such as his wife getting cancer, then Jarrett comes back, then she passes away. That kind of stuff really took a toll on him and he has still come back. That my friend takes a very big man.

So really in summary, Jarrett does deserve it. He earned it in more ways than one. He paid dues in so many ways both professionally and personally that would cut most men down at the knees and then they would never step in the ring again. I respect Jeff Jarrett for doing what most people wouldn't have the courage, balls, or work ethic to go out and do by starting a company to compete with the big boys.

 

[TheOneBigWill]

Honestly this is a tough Question for someone who's a Jeff Jarrett fan, such as myself. On one hand I'd say without question, no, because everyone deserves a shot at becoming a Main Eventer and Jarrett proved to be capable of hanging with some top names in the business.

However, on the other hand, I'd say Yes, because even when I use Jarrett through most storylines "I" create in games, or in my head - I use him as an upper-Mid Carder, Lower-level Main Eventer. (in cases of which the Main Event would need 3 or more individuals.)

You see, the problem I believe a lot of people are running into is the fact that by the time Jeff Jarrett finally got his big break in W.C.W, for whatever the reason may have been, most of the Main Event level talent was either on their way off the sinking ship, or being jobbed out to lesser known/named talent, that when they lost to Jarrett.. it didn't mean anything, anymore.

You add onto this, the fact that Hulk Hogan, arguably the biggest name and icon in Professional Wrestling blatantly and bluntly refused to lay down for Jeff Jarrett on a Pay per view card - because, and to slightly quote Hogan "He wasn't anywhere near Hogan's league". That was a huge pile of dirt thrown on the "Grave" that would later be known as Jarrett's Main Event career.

Jarrett holds victories over such names like; Edge, Shawn Michaels, Kurt Angle, Sting, D.D.P, Scott Steiner, Booker T, Kevin Nash, Ric Flair, Chris Benoit, and several other top named talents. Yet once again, depending on when he defeated those individuals.. they were either still mid-card themselves, in the same position Jarrett was trying to become Main Eventers, or Main Eventers that were on their way out merely putting over other talent for the sake of doing it.

Through my eyes, Jeff Jarrett could hang with anyone, but his matches weren't what I'd consider "Main Event" exciting. By that, I mean he's more of a technical type of athlete, with no overly huge amount of charisma, or pzazz behind him. In fact, if it wasn't for Vince Russo & Eric Bischoff backing him in W.C.W through storylines (or behind the stage, real life issues) then Jarrett likely would've never became a Main Event talent in any Company.

On that note, if he'd have went on to create T.N.A, and tried putting himself over as the Main Event talent.. he'd have failed worse, just because people would've been smart enough to realize no other Company that he didn't have creative control over took the chance of pushing him.. so he's only in that spot in T.N.A, because he's pushing himself and that'd look selfish and careless for business.

So, on those notes.. Yes, to me Jeff Jarrett has some of the qualities to be a Main Eventer and he can hang with most of those we have today. (Shawn Michaels, Edge, Sting, Angle, etc, etc, etc) However for the most part.. he's got more Mid-Card "blood" in him, than he does Main Event material. (not enough to carry the Main Event, anyways - but similar to Jericho, enough to support one by way of multiple men involved)

 

[Mr. TM]

Fuck that, the boy looked great with the belt on. In WCW, he entered the Main Event when it was horrendous. What was horrendous about it? Not the talent that had entered the main event. Diamond Dallas Page was great, Booker T was amazing and Jeff Jarrett fit right into it.

He deserved the Main Event of WCW while he was in it, and the WCW Main Event deserved to be a Main Event of a company not on its last leg. When he started TNA, I believe that is what he believe in.

 

[Moriya]

HHH > JJ , the end

 

[HHHDiedForOurSins]

True. I liked Jeff Jarrett as a wrestler but he should never have got near the main event.

In WWF he was a solid upper mid-carder and usually had good matches but I really don't think he was main event material, his ring style was very basic and I don't think people would have accepted him in that spot.

In WCW I didn't mind him working main events as much, his matches with Booker T, DDP etc were a refreshing change from the likes of Hogan & Nash, but still he wasn't over, I remember more than 1 PPV World title match when the crowd was just dead, people didn't take him seriously.

TNA didn't really have anyone else to carry the World title when they first started out, but when it got to 05/06 and he was still dominating...come on.

The fact that he's had around 10 World title reigns in his career and every single one of them happened when either himself, his father or his best friend was booking says it all really.

 

[bioshock]

The question must be this, if WWE signed JJ when Vince bought out WCW would JJ become a 1-mid carder for life, 2- future wold champion?

I think for sure JJ would of become a future world champion, he could put on solid matches as good as anyone, he was great on the mic, he could sell matches, the fans really had heat on him, he had one of the best finishers. He had the making of being a challenger for the WWE championship.

Hell look at Scott Steiner, he signed with WWE and became a guy who headlined 2 ppv's in a row and challenged for the World title both times. And JJ was much better then Steiner at that point. Goldberg he signed and became World champ for a while, Booker T signed and had many PPV main events, even one at WM19.

So no JJ shouldn't be a mid carder for life, or should'nt of been one, and wasn't luckily.

 

[rko2779]

yes JJ should be a mid card guy. If TNA ever wants to really make it JJ, Booker no talent T, kurt pill popper angle and all the wwe rejects should stop pushing down the real talent and step aside. JJ was never a great wrestler and never will be. But when the guy you have writing the show is you BFF, then it's easy to stay at the top. Russo has no place in the wrestling business and should be thrown out. JJ needs to get off tv go back to the office and stop trying to make TNA WWE south.

 

[Megadeth]

Ponder this for a moment: Back in 1999 when Vince Russo was still the Head Writer for WWE, he wanted Jeff Jarrett to feud with Steve Austin. Austin refused allegedly because he has a real personal hatred for Jeff Jarrett from some stuff dating back to their Memphis days when Austin worked for Jeff's dad Jerry Jarrett. This is the supposed cause for Jeff quitting the WWE. Imagine if Austin had done the program with Jarrett. I think Jarrett would have been then pushed into the main event at least for a short time in the WWE, and if things had gone well may have stayed there. If they had their feud, wrestling today as we know it very well may have gone different. Jeff would probably stayed with WWE or at least left on good terms (for those unaware Jarretts contract with the WWE expired the day before he lost the IC title to Chyna and he allegedly blackmailed Vince to go out and drop the belt). If Jeff had stayed on good terms with Vince, then TNA would probably never have been started who knows what would be in its place.

That being said, I think he deserved what success he had. He is a solid wrestler who seems to have a genuine love for the business, and he worked his way up through and paid his dues. Had he stayed with WWE or had WCW not folded, I see him more in comparison of say the Big show, Rey Mysterio, or even Chris Jericho (which this pains me to say as he is my favorite wrestler in the WWE currently) in the sense that they stay close to main event but tend to spend more time in the the upper-mid card. They get the occasional reign as World Champ but I dont think would ever be considered "The Man" or the face of the company and will always be forced to play second fiddle to HHH or Cena or back in the day Austin or the Rock.

 

[Tim_Seraphim]

Listen up slapnuts! When did J E double F J A double R E double T ever leave the mid-card? More importantly, where are his flashing JJ hats?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Jarrett, to me, will always be a good mid-card wrestler that was put in a situation he couldn't make work.

Now while I think Jarrett is a fine human being, I've never been overly thrilled by any aspect of him at any point in his career. When he started out wrestling for his old man's CWA, and later USWA, based out of Memphis, he looked like a big deal. So did the Von Erichs out of WCCW when Fritz owned it. When he left for the WWF in 1992, and showed everyone what he had in the big leagues, I did not see a main eventer.

He was a good looking guy sure, had some decent to good moves in the ring. He achieved a lot of success in the WWF as a mid-carder:

WWF European Championship - 1 time
WWF Intercontinental Championship - 6 times
WWF Tag Team Champion - 1 time with Owen Hart

Not too shabby at all.

After he made his way to WCW, at least during his first run there, WCW all but kept him as the Double J character. He was wearing the same style of tights, talked the same and did the same strut. The only thing that was missing was the flashing hat. They tried to make the guy a Horseman and it didn't work out at all. He went back to the WWF in 1997, though not much else happened and when he came back to WCW in 1999, the company was starting to circle the drain. He comes back with the hair cut shorter, moused, different trunks, sunglasses and the guitar and tries to act like a badass. I've never, ever bought into Jeff Jarrett as a tough guy. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body and it comes across. Whenever he tried to act tough in the ring, calling everybody slapnuts, he seemed about as threatening and mean spirited as a bright summer's day.

Back in WCW, during his second run, he won the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship on 3 occassions for a total of 184 days. Not the best, but pretty good over all. Then he gets moved to main event status and wins the WCW World Heavyweight Championship 4 times, with 3 of those 4 reigns totaling 17 days. There was also Jarrett's involvement in the debacle surrounding David Arquette winning the title, which destroyed any shred of credibility the belt had left.

What I said about Jarrett's 3 U.S. title runs being pretty good, but not the best pretty much sums him up for me. Pretty good equals mid-card, not main event.

 

[Sasori]

JJ deserves to be on the main event cause he is extremly talented and worked his ass off to get to where he is today! Than again I do think he is kinda over-rated 11 time world champ? (4 WCW, 6 NWA,and 1 WWA) his max should have been like 5 or 6