The rumors wouldn’t stop coming for a reason, it turns out. And now the debate can continue.
NBC Sports got the latest exclusive, and WWE has posted their own story on it... Jeff Jarrett is joining Goldberg, Ivory and The Dudley Boyz in the 2018 Hall of Fame class. Double-J will return to WWE Network for the induction ceremony on Friday, April 6 in New Orleans, and presumably be on stage at the Superdome for the customary wave to the crowd at WrestleMania 34 two days later.
What a time to be alive.
This was something many expected would never happen... for a bunch of different reasons. And the fact that Jarrett started and was synonymous with the closest thing WWE’s had to a rival in the 21st century isn’t even the main one.
No, that would be the rumors he was blacklisted by Vince McMahon for extorting $300K in order to wrestle Chyna and drop the Intercontinental title after his WWF contract expired and before he jumped ship to join Vince Russo in WCW back in 1999.
NBC’s announcement, and WWE’s confirmation, don’t address that. The announcement does cover Vince personally firing Jarrett when he officially announced the acquisition of WCW, however. Jeff explains it away as “ just good TV.” But that’s it.
Instead, the focus is on the Jarrett family legacy - Jeff’s father is legendary Tennessee promoter Jerry Jarrett - and his championship accomplishments working in McMahon’s company and with WCW - including runs with the tag, Intercontinental, United States and European titles, and a stints as World Heavyweight champ for WCW.
His time with TNA is described by The ‘E as continuing to compete and “promote shows that gave future WWE Superstars like AJ Styles, Bobby Roode and Eric Young their first major exposure.” NBC does mention the company which now calls itself Impact, and Jarrett says he believes the fact AJ is set to head into ‘Mania as WWE champ is a sign.
Jarrett himself told NBC he didn’t ever expect this to happen, but...
“I would have never dreamed that in 2018 I’d be going into the Hall of Fame, but as I’ve sat back and looked I said, ‘Welp, I guess there are some things that are just meant to be.’”
Meant to be or not, “Jeff Jarrett: WWE Hall of Famer” is a thing that is happening.