The Jeff Jarrett interview: No double-talk from Double J

Closing on Honky Tonk Man’s record for most guitar shots, veteran WWF superstar Jeff “Don’t Piss Me Off” Jarrett has a new look and attitude which he hopes will propel him to greater glory. Recently reunited with his former WCW manager – Debra McMichael – Double J spoke candidly to SLAM! Wrestling about his famous wrestling family, his affiliation with the Four Horsemen and his days grappling in Memphis.

Jeff Jarrett and his manager Debra McMichael.

Q: When will you get a Intercontinental Title push?

– Matt Gardner (SLAM! Wrestling).

Jarrett: That’s a good question that I would like to know the answer to. I’ve been at that level before and in my mind it’s just a matter of time before I am there again. I am as ready as your reader is to see that.

Q: At SkyDome you take on X-Pac. Are you going to teach that punk a lesson or what?

– John Powell (SLAM! Wrestling).

Jarrett: Absolutely. The one thing that I warned everybody NOT to do was to piss me off. So, he’s got a lesson to learn.

Q: Do you miss the tapings from the Memphis studios and what was the most memorable angle that you remember?

– Greg Oliver (SLAM! Wrestling).

Jarrett: The answer to the first question is absolutely not. I don’t miss it a bit. I had my share of it. I had my fill of it for seven years each Saturday morning. I probably didn’t miss five Saturdays out of six or seven years, so I’ve had my fill. As far as the most memorable one, God, there’s a bunch. I guess in my early days there was some pretty interesting angles with Robert Fuller who ironically became my manager Tennessee Lee. The Moon Dog angles were classic brawling battles. There’s some of those that I won’t forget. And then, me and Lawler always had some pretty good angles during the years too.

Q: What is your father doing these days and does he miss promoting?

— Greg Oliver (Slam! Wrestling).

Jarrett: No, he doesn’t miss promoting whatsoever. He doesn’t miss the wrestling business whatsoever. He’s on the outside looking in and he enjoys it that way. He had his fill of it. He was successful during his years and he got out. Right now, he owns a land development-real estate company so he’s doing that and really enjoying it.

Q:Does he harbor any feelings towards Vince McMahon over what happened in the past?

– SLAM! Wrestling (John Powell).

Jarrett: Oh, absolutely not. Because when you get right down to it – and promoters know this better than anybody…even wrestlers – it’s strictly business. It’s not really on a personal basis. It is business and that’s how he looks at the past. There was some decisions at the time that I am sure he didn’t agree with or maybe still today he doesn’t agree with, but that still goes under the classification of business.

Q: What diet / workout routine do you employ? You look far different now than you did from your early days.

– Jody Newell.

Jarrett: You know, it’s funny how people remember things. Yes, I look far different from my early years. I weigh the same now as I did when I left Memphis my last year. So, yes, I look different than my early days but I train much smarter than I did back in those days. Back in those days I went “heavy” every day. Now, I give my body plenty of time to rest in and out of the ring.

Q: So, it’s more of a heads-up approach than you used to?

– John Powell (SLAM! Wrestling).

Jarrett: Yes. Not near as much reckless abandonment.

Q: Why are you and Debra together now? Does it have anything to do with Mongo?

– – Turkey XXX.

Jarrett: It doesn’t have anything to do with Mongo. None at all. Why is she with me? There’s going to be major developments with myself and Debra over the next six months to a year. So, stay tuned. That’s all I can say to that one.

Q: Anything you can hint at?

– John Powell (SLAM! Wrestling).

Jarrett: It’s going to evolve into an interesting storyline.

Q: How did it feel being a member of the Four Horsemen for the short time that you were there?

– John Powell (SLAM! Wrestling).

Jarrett: You know to me the nostalgia and the aura of the Four Horsemen was the original four. It’s almost like when history goes down you’re going to remember the Four Horsemen as Ric Flair and others. Yes, you had Arn Anderson and you can’t discount him. To me, it’s Ole and Arn with Ole as the strong member of that team. You had Tully Blanchard and to me there’s no Four Horsemen without J.J. Dillon either.

So, being a part of that group I liked all the guys in it but in my mind it’s almost like the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are forever going to be remembered as Michael Jordan’s team. It’s going to be a generation before they’re not remembered that way and it’s like Pipin, you know, he was on his own there two years when Jordan went to play baseball. It wasn’t the same team. It’s the same with the Four Horsemen.

Without the original four members with J.J. Dillon it just wasn’t the same. Not that I am discrediting the group while I was in it or any of the other twenty or so different members and I don’t know how many it’s up to. I know Terry Taylor and Kevin Sullivan had different plans when they put me with the Four Horsemen. They didn’t get to come to fruition like they’d liked them to but…

Q: What was supposed to happen?

– John Powell (SLAM! Wrestling).

Jarrett:Well, Ric was taking time off and it was going to be more of a heel group. They were going to do their best to try and re-establish it but obviously Ric wasn’t ready to hang it up. I’m not saying that is a bad thing either. His ratings have proved it. It was going to go in a little bit different direction. More of a youth-oriented movement and for one reason or another it took a left turn and never happened.

Q: I was wondering if Jeff Jarrett would rather be a fan favorite or have the fans against him?

– Student at Carlotte Town Rural High School.

Jarrett: Absolutely the heel.

Q: Who would you rather slap the figure four on: Hogan, Goldberg, Austin, The Undertaker or Sable?

– Luc Rochefort.

Jarrett: Steve Austin.

Q: Why is that?

– John Powell (SLAM! Wrestling).

Jarrett: Because he says he’s the toughest S.O.B. in the WWF and I’d like to find that out personally.

Q: When Blue Blazer and Owen were kicking the crap out of Steve Blackman, were you the Blue Blazer?

– Todd.

Jarrett: I’m enjoying watching Owen’s antics probably as much as anybody else. Curiosity kills the cat so….the Owen and Blue Blazer storyline is interesting.

Q: When you first returned to the WWF, you were trying to form yourself into a “man of his word”, a “man of honor” and that kind of thing through the promos. What happened to that as direction goes. Was there a change of heart or something like that?

– John Powell (SLAM! Wrestling).

Jarrett: Well, it was the WWF’s change. If you look back at my first night back in the WWF and you look at my persona now; it’s exactly the same. I was pissed off at a lot of things and that’s how I am today. What’s happened between then and now is a lot of things the WWF regrets and I do too. But, it’s not a strong regret. It’s just we try things and you know, I don’t think that myself and Tennessee Lee were given the proper opportunities. We didn’t have title shots and I could go on and on about that but that’s where we are at right now. I’m enjoying the direction that I am going now.

Q: Speaking of Tennessee Lee…was it your idea to him when you came back and why is he not by your side anymore?

– Adam Gonshor.

Jarrett: It was a number of people’s idea. You can’t put it on any one person I think. And the reason he is not with me is he has some old views which didn’t translate into 1998. I am glad that I experienced it but it was time for me to move on.

Q: It seems that when you had your hair cut by X-Pac you’ve become more aggressive, why is this?

– Sean Ritchie.

Jarrett: He pissed me off.

Q: Which wrestlers in the WWF would you most like to feud with?

– Salim.

Jarrett: I would like to work an angle with any member of DX. I started with X-Pac and to me the ball just got rolling and it was cut short. You know, there’s a number of people. The Rock. I think we would have some fantastic matches as well as Steve Austin. Actually, I’d also like to work with Ken Shamrock. There’s several members on the roster.

Q: What do you think about D-Generation X?

– SLAM! Sports (John Powell).

Jarrett: Possibly the…I don’t want to say the second highest thing in wrestling…but they are right up there at the top. They’ve really captured what the youth of America is all about. They do some over the edge things and things people don’t agree with but that’s what the youth of America is about.

I’m not talking about seven, eight, nine, ten year-olds. I’m talking about the high school kids. That’s what they are all about and at heart that’s what most members of DX are all about. So, as far as personal feelings…do I agree with what they do on TV? Sure, I do. If I had a seven, eight, nine, ten year-old kid watching it I’d say…No. They aren’t your role models. You can watch them and enjoy it but don’t try and emulate them because they’re trash. They’re degenerates just as what their moniker is: D-Generation X. They are degenerates.

Q: What were your thoughts on the Exposed! Pro Wrestling’s Greatest Secrets program and has there been any talk in the locker room about it?

– John Powell (SLAM! Wrestling).

Jarrett: You know, I don’t speak about others so I won’t go into that but you can get my feelings on it. As a matter of fact, it’s sitting in my den right now. I’ve yet to get a chance to watch it.

I’ve heard all kind of reports. Number One…What an honor it is that our industry is so big that they want to expose it. Now when you say “expose” professional wrestling to me…what a joke! It’s 1998! We’re entertainment but we’re also just as much entertainment or maybe bigger than the NFL or the NBA and they’re so called “legitimate” sports. But revealing secrets…they had the “secrets of magic” program and supposedly that revealed magic tricks. Well, let’s see anybody off the street or for that matter, I’d like to anybody try to do what David Copperfield does. He’s the best at what he does.

The guys in the WWF – not all of them but some of them – are at the top of their game. We are the best at what we do. So, sure. We’ll tell you how we do it but you still can’t do it.

Q: Being the son of a famed wrestler, have you found this to be a help or hindrance to your career?

– IamMisty.

Jarrett: You know what? That’s the probably one of the most frequently asked questions. And you know what? In 1998, I find it a hindrance. I think it helped me in my early career. Different guys get different breaks getting into the business but once you’re in, you’ve got to make your own breaks. You’ve gotta perform in the ring. That’s what it’s still about: performance in the ring. My dad or anybody else can’t help me in the ring. So, I think it’s been a hindrance the latter part of my career and a big help in the early part.

Q:What are your feelings towards the WCW now that you’re in the WWF? Have they changed at all?

– SLAM! Sports (John Powell).

Jarrett: I don’t think they (WCW) have changed at all. They are a very disorganized organization and there’s not one person you can blame that on. The main thing is their whole system is not geared towards organization.

You know, I could sit here and talk for a day and still not really explain it to you because you have to live it. You have to be in the environment to realize how many different people you can report to (not that you have to) so it’s really tough. Most of the people in authority down there are trying to organize but when there’s more chiefs than there are Indians, I think it’s real tough to win a battle.

Q: So, how much control does someone like Hollywood Hogan have over what you see on TV?

– SLAM! Sports (John Powell).

Jarrett: You know that I really don’t know. I’m sure he has control over what he does. But in the wrestling business you realize it’s all one big dance. We’re all on a big dance floor and we’re cutting in on each other constantly. So, he’s in control of his dance. Now, whether he’s in the center or the fringes of the floor it depends on how much he controls. It’s a real, real tough situation. He has been ultra successful at what he’s done. It’s tough to answer and say…well, has he hurt others? Sure he has but who hasn’t when they are working on top? It’s tough to answer that.

Q: When you hang up the tights, how would you like to be remembered as?

– Dr. Placid Lasrado.

Jarrett: He entertained us every time out. He genuinely tried to entertain us when came through the curtain.

Q: Before we finish up, here’s some word association for you.