WWE Hall Of Famer Jeff Jarrett Gets Candid About Working With Elias
Jeff Jarrett's return to WWE was brief, and only saw him compete in the 2019 Royal Rumble match, and later clashed with Elias during an episode of "WWE Raw." He recently looked back at his return and the interactions he had with Elias – who shared a similar gimmick to his – describing his position at the time as "perfect."
"People see legends, they know that it's, 'We're gonna be entertained by them' and then they're going to be out," he noted in a recent episode of his "My World with Jeff Jarrett" podcast. He then expressed his gratitude for his friendship with Elias. "It just fit. From the day I met Elias, we hit it off. Extremely good working relationship that turned into a personal relationship."
Interestingly, Jarrett revealed that he hasn't ever been a fan of giving or taking chair shots, despite it being his staple. Jarrett, who was on the receiving end of a chair shot from Elias, also claimed that the fans got their money's worth in the few minutes he shared with Elias. The veteran then commented on Elias' WWE run, claiming that he was never pushed to the next level despite the fan reaction to him.
"He's talented, and he can work, and he's got a unique air about him -– his charisma is unique -– I think it was just a lack of focus that creative never defined him as a heel or a babyface," said Jarrett about Elias.
Jeff Jarrett got a memorable backstage reaction when he donned his old gear
Jeff Jarrett has had similar gimmicks throughout his career, but when he first established his "Double J" character, his attire was far more flamboyant than what it was later in his career, especially with guitar strings coming down from his neck to his torso. Upon his return to WWE, the promotion had him wear the attire again, which got quite the reaction backstage.
"'And they said, 'Yeah, we're gonna go get the hat out and get it back working.' And I went, 'Oh, yeah, oh, boy, it is full-on Eric Bischoff's favorite outfit of mine.' So, that was ... people were like, 'You wore that?'"
The outfit also notably included a hat with lights, and according to Jarrett, not only did WWE have one of the originals, but managed to get it working for his entrance. "That hat was literally 25 years or however old it was, and they got it back working."
However, the outfit also caught Vince McMahon's reaction, which Jarrett claims is something he'll never forget. "I'll never forget, in Gorilla [Position], Vince was like, 'What in the hell?' We had a good laugh. Triple H, too. Folk in Gorilla were like –- when I came down the steps — 'Yeah, he's definitely all in for this Double J character."
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "My World with Jeff Jarrett" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.