Jeff Jarrett Brings A Few Badly Needed Skills To AEW
Jeff Jarrett #JeffJarrett
Jeff Jarrett isn’t the biggest surprise that AEW could have rolled out on Dynamite, but he could still be a significant asset for the company. Darby Allin and Jay Lethal opened the November 2 episode with a grudge match of sorts. It was a back-and-forth bout until someone dressed up like Sting interfered at the end. The turned out to be Cole Carter, who revealed himself to crickets. Sting’s real music began to play, indicating that The Icon would make his way to the ring to aid Allin. Instead of Sting appearing, Jarrett rolled into the ring behind Allin, drilling him with his signature guitar shot.
Allin was laid out, bleeding in the ring, while Jarrett declared war on All Elite Wrestling. It sets up a possible TNA invasion-type angle, significantly boosting AEW’s mid-card. That could be the first big thing that Jarrett brings to the table for Tony Khan and his company: A fresh storytelling direction that could make both Dynamite and Rampage feel more cohesive. Khan has pushed back hard against the notion that every match must have a meaning, but a mid-card feud between a handful of underutilized AEW originals and old-school TNA talent could very much work. However, there are other essential aspects of Jarrett landing alongside Khan.
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Jeff Jarrett’s Experience As A Booker Could Pay Dividends For AEW
No booker is perfect. Tony Khan hasn’t been, Vince McMahon wasn’t, and Triple H took some losses while running NXT. Jeff Jarrett’s time running TNA/Impact was not impeccable. He’s been accused of constantly putting himself in the spotlight and going over on younger talent like AJ Styles. While that may be true, that also gives him the perspective needed to prevent AEW from going down the same route.
Khan has hesitated to move away from the more established stars on his roster. He’s given some solid air time to Wheeler Yuta and Daniel Garcia, but those younger performers typically get overshadowed in their own programs. Garcia getting stuck between Jericho and Bryan Danielson fell flat, while Yuta was recently shoehorned into a short program with MJF following his return. With his experience on camera and behind the scenes, Jarrett is the kind of wrestling mind that All Elite Wrestling needs more of. He’s not a cure-all, but he can help. Not only that, but Jarrett gives the company another bonafide heel capable of cutting solid promos.
AEW Gets A Strong Heel Promo In Jeff Jarrett
Generally, AEW needs more heel performers who can cut heat-seeking promos. MJF is so good on the mic that he’s gotten over because of it. Jericho’s mic work is fine, but he typically comes off as lazy as he insults local sports teams. Christian Cage was generating a ton of heat following his heel turn, but that’s fizzled out since his unfortunate injury. That leaves a pretty massive hole in AEW when it comes to bad guys who can speak.
Jarrett is 55 but is still in fantastic shape. If Jericho can be on television in the main event matches a few times a month at 51, there’s no reason to believe Jeff couldn’t fill a similar role on the mid-card. (Except he could generate real heat before losing to the younger, up-and-coming faces.) The flexibility AEW has with Jarrett moving forward is tremendous. He can be another veteran voice backstage while also doing some talking on screen as either a wrestler or manager. Or, perhaps, even both. There’s a lot of potential for a Jarrett-led stable of former TNA standouts, and he gives AEW another experienced worker who’s been around the block multiple times and seen it all.
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