On a recent edition of his “My World” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett discussed his return to WWE as an on-screen talent and producer.
Jarrett left WWE in August 2022. He currently serves as the Director of Business Development at AEW.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On whether he has an agent job before making a surprise Royal Rumble appearance: “From the very first phone calls, but probably the phone call, was, ‘Hey, we want you to do the Rumble. And we’re thinking about maybe following it up the next night. We’re not really sure.’ So we did the Rumble. And the following night, they thought they wanted to follow that up. But it was contingent upon the reaction we got at the Rumble. That could have easily been scratched. I mean, easy. When we did the thing on Raw, and it got that kind of reaction, Vince and company said, ‘Hey, let’s put Jeff and Elias in a match and get Elias the win.’ Which made sense.
“So the second week was completely unexpected. But from the very beginning, the request was, ‘Come do to the Rumble. And then we for sure want you to be a backstage producer. And we’ll just kind of see where things go from there.’ So that was the first — that was the arrangement, agreement, thought process. At the same time, I wouldn’t come in just to do the Rumble ever. I mean, that wasn’t just going to be a standalone. It was ‘do the rumble and then come work behind the scenes.’”
On Bruce Prichard bringing in people he worked with in TNA Wrestling: “Quicker than I thought. You know, I was hired to be a producer. And I’ve always — I made it clear. And Paul Levesque could not have been any more open and — again, I think that’s a skill set. He’s a listener. I think that’s — listen, and I said, ‘Hey, man, I — Shit, I appreciate the hell out of this.’ Again, putting my life back together. I love wrestling, I love producing wrestling, I love being a part of the creative business, I love doing it all. I told him, ‘Hey man, producing is one or two days a week. I would love to do more.’ And the next thing you know, I’m in Stamford having a meeting with him and Vince. And basically saying, ‘Hey–‘ And when you think, what’d Dave Meltzer call it? A roving consultant? I don’t know, I’ve never used that term or never heard that term. But it’s kind of accurate that basically, I went from a producer role pretty quick within not even a month to, ‘Hey, come to the office, be a part of creative meetings, be a part of the live event meetings.’ Basically, ‘Dive in headfirst, and we’ll figure it out as we go.’ There was not any title given, none of that. It was, ‘Creative that meets on this day, live event’s this day. The jet leaves here. The jet leaves there.’ So it was quick, about a month.”
On what he was doing at TV: “So when I first went there — I’ve gotta kind of recalibrate my brain. Because Smackdown had not moved to Friday night yet. Yeah. Gosh man, time just flies. But I would leave my house and go to Raw, wherever it may be. And then do TVs and go from there, fly to the — you know. Raw, SmackDown, Stanford, home on a Friday. So it was five days a week. And you know, the creative sessions, sometimes — you know, the stories are out there. I’d love to listen to a few here and there of Bruce [Prichard] reminiscing through the years. But yeah, creative sessions go to 1, 2, 3 in the morning. You know, all hours of the day. But no, that was creative, and get Raw written, SmackDown written, pitches, and all that kind of stuff. So I mean, in general, that was it. TV, office work, and come home.”
In a recent episode of his “My World” podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett opened up about his return to WWE as an on-screen talent and producer. Jarrett, who left WWE in August 2022, currently holds the position of Director of Business Development at AEW.
During the podcast, Jarrett discussed various aspects of his return to WWE and shed light on the behind-the-scenes discussions that led to his surprise appearance at the Royal Rumble. He revealed that from the very beginning, the plan was for him to participate in the Rumble and then transition into a backstage producer role. However, the decision to continue his on-screen involvement was contingent upon the reaction he received from the audience. Fortunately for Jarrett, his appearance garnered a positive response, leading to a subsequent match with Elias on Raw.
Jarrett also touched upon the influence of Bruce Prichard, who brought in several individuals he had previously worked with in TNA Wrestling. Jarrett expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to work as a producer but also expressed his desire to do more. This led to a meeting with Paul Levesque (Triple H) and Vince McMahon, where Jarrett’s role expanded beyond just producing. He became involved in creative meetings and live event planning, essentially becoming a roving consultant for the company.
When it comes to Jarrett’s day-to-day activities at WWE, he mentioned that he would travel between Raw and SmackDown tapings, as well as visit the Stamford office. He participated in creative sessions that often lasted late into the night, working on developing storylines and pitches for both shows. Despite the demanding schedule, Jarrett expressed his passion for wrestling and his enthusiasm for being involved in all aspects of the business.
Jarrett’s return to WWE has been met with excitement from fans who appreciate his contributions to the industry over the years. As an experienced wrestler and producer, his insights and expertise will undoubtedly be valuable to the company as they continue to create compelling content for their audience.
Overall, Jarrett’s return to WWE as both an on-screen talent and producer showcases his versatility and dedication to the wrestling business. His involvement in creative meetings and live event planning demonstrates his commitment to contributing to the success of the company. Fans can look forward to seeing Jarrett’s impact on WWE programming and witnessing his continued contributions to the industry he loves.