My World with Jeff Jarrett - Walking Out on Vince: IYH 2 [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Vince’s steroid trial was decided on July 23, 1994. How long after that does your father finish up with the WWF?

Coming off the steroid trial…drug testing is a thing in the World Wrestling Federation. How often…what is your experience like during it…what did the boys say about it?

As we start 1995 you’ve made your way up the card in the World Wrestling Federation. You’ve got Jesse James...known then as the Roadie...as your heater at ringside. You’re quickly put into a big position as William Shatner makes an appearance on Monday Night Raw and he’s going to be in Bret Hart’s corner in his first match against you with Roadie in the corner.

Couple things here Jeff. How was Shatner to work with?

How big a deal is it to work Bret in his first match back on TV since losing to Bob Backlund at Survivor Series? Do you know if Bret requested to work with you?

Bret gets the win and Shatner even beats up on Roadie during the match. What do you remember about this match?

You’re working Razor Ramon & Diesel on house shows, the intercontinental and world champion at the time. Was this an increase in pay for you with the opportunity to work “the top guys?”

It’s announced you’ll be taking on Razor Ramon at the Royal Rumble for the Intercontinental Championship. When do you know that you’re going to win the title from Razor?

From Meltzer regarding the match… “1. Jarrett won the IC title from Ramon in a total time of 18:06. As was the story of the match, Jarrett did a good job of carrying Ramon but the crowd doesn't care about Jarrett and even when it got exciting, they never really got the heat they should have. The first part of the match finished when Ramon took a bump over the top rope and started selling his left knee. Outside the ring, Roadie clipped Ramon's knee and he was counted out of the ring at 11:47. Jarrett then said he didn't want to win via a count out because he wouldn't get the title, the same basic deal they've been doing at the house shows in Ramon's matches since November. He called Ramon a chicken so of course Ramon got back in, still selling the knee. Jarrett mainly worked over the leg Flair style, putting on the figure four at 3:15 before Ramon broke it after 70 seconds. He kept selling the knee during his comeback. They did a hot spot where Ramon went for a backward superplex, Jarrett reversed it in mid-air and Ramon reversed it again for a near fall, however the crowd for whatever reason just wasn't into it. Finally Ramon went for the Razor's Edge but his knee gave out and he dropped Jarrett, who scored with an inside cradle in 6:19. ***¼”

How big a deal was it to win this title as it’s known as the worker’s title?

The rumor and innuendo is that Razor and the “Clique” didn’t like losing but here he is losing to you. Was there any heat about putting you over?

At this point...this is a career highlight right?

Did you see an immediate pay increase?

Not long after you win the IC title you’re immediately put into a match with Diesel on Monday Night Raw where Diesel pins you. Did you find it odd you become IC champion and one of your first TV matches after and you’re already losing to a power bomb from the World Champion?

The re-match for the IC title is scheduled for WrestleMania 11 between you & Razor Ramon. How exciting is it that your first WrestleMania match (well that’s actually going to happen compared to WrestleMania 10) is going to be against Razor for the IC title?

You work with Bob Backlund for a taped show called Sunday Night Slam to help promote WrestleMania on the USA Network. From Meltzer … “Jarrett vs. Backlund for the title was awful but post was very good. Bob worked as the face as far as the spots went but did his heel facials. Nobody cared at all about the match, though even though Jarrett really sold great. Backlund had Jarrett set up for the chicken wing when Ramon attacked Backlund for the DQ, no doubt the storyline being he wanted to make sure Jarrett still was champ for Mania "next week." (1/2*)”

What are your memories of this match against Bob?

How’s this for a match Jeff? At Madison Square Garden on March 19th, you team with Shawn Michaels to face Diesel & Razor Ramon. 10,000 fans in attendance for this and it ends when Sid interferes. What was it like to be in this type of match at the mecca of professional wrestling?

Here are we for WrestleMania 11 in Hartford, CT and you’re second on the show. Here’s the recap of your match vs Razor from Meltzer:

“2. Razor Ramon beat Jeff Jarrett via DQ in 13:32 so Jarrett retained the IC title. 1-2-3 Kid came out with Ramon to counter Roadie. Ramon got the early advantage but set up the Razor's Edge but Roadie pulled Jarrett out of the ring by his legs for safety. At 10:28, Ramon missed a leap off the top rope and "injured" his knee. Jarrett put on the figure four but Ramon reversed it. Kid helped Ramon add leverage to the hold but the ref caught them and forced Ramon to break the hold. Ramon superplexed Jarrett and set him for the Razor's edge but Roadie did a run-in, clipping Ramon's knee for the DQ finish. Kid ran in for the save nailing both with spin kicks, one of which gave Jarrett a legit bloody nose. The heels came back and Jarrett locked the figure four on Kid until Rene Goulet and several refs broke it up. Good match with a bad finish. **¾”

Was this building to something more since the finish was a DQ on the biggest show of the year?

Any heat on Sean Waltman for the spin kick busting you open?

Were you happy with the match and did you think it lived up to what I’m sure was your dream WrestleMania match in your mind?

Coming off this show it’s reported in the Observer that your dad made a deal with WCW to serve as a consultant on April 3rd. Are you aware of this deal at the time?

Do you think this was the beginning of the end of your time in the WWF?

Any heat on you from anyone in the office about it?

The story has always been that WrestleMania finishes and Vince turns to Pat Patterson & Bruce Prichard and talks about how Shawn Michaels needs to be a babyface. That sets in motion a lot of events. At the time it was always that WWF creative had most of everything thought out well in advance. Do you know what your plans were coming out of WrestleMania and do they change with the shift of Michaels to babyface?

You put over Aldo Montoya in Glens Falls, NY on a Superstars taping in a non-title match to set up a title match that you win. This doesn’t sound like “top guy” stuff when you’re holding the second most important title in the company. Where do you think this creative is coming from and did you have any issues with it?

You head out of the usual european tour after Mania and it’s based in Germany. In some of the 5 cities you visit on the tour you’re main eventing teaming with Sid against Razor & Diesel. What was that tour like? Any fun memories?

It’s being built up that you’re going to be taking on Razor & 1-2-3 Kid at the upcoming In Your House pay-per-view and teaming with Roadie. But in a freak accident Sean Waltman gets hurt at a TV taping in a dark match run through for you guys. What do you remember of this match and Sean’s injury?

I have to ask you about this because in my research this tickled me...from Meltzer … “Notes from the 4/25 Superstars taping in Des Moines, IA. They opened the show with a dark match where Jeff Jarrett and Razor Ramon went to a double count out in a title match with Roadie hung in the cage above the ring. After the match as a rib they put Jarrett and Roadie both in the cage and kept them hanging above the ring for a few matches.”

Jeff...come on tell me it’s fiction by the greatest fiction writer of all time.

You do another odd title scenario with Bob Holly at a set of Challenge tapings where you do a no contest with him after he pins you and then you pin him and the title is held up only for you to win the rematch on the next TV episode. Jeff...what the hell is going on here? Aldo Montoya & Bob Holly?

The talent roster is thin at this time. Let’s run through some of the heels…Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, Kama, Titania, Hakushi, Adam Bomb, Mabel & Mo, MAN MOUNTAIN ROCK…Jeff there isn’t a lot of you at this time in the company.

Are you happy at this point in time in the World Wrestling Federation?

You work one of the bigger shows of your career at this point…you vs. Razor at the last show in the Boston Garden…in a ladder match. What was that experience like?

Going into the next pay-per-view...the first In Your House...your match with Razor & 1-2-3 Kid is turned into a handicap match. From Meltzer’s report on the match…

“2. Razor Ramon beat Jeff Jarrett & Roadie in a handicap match in 12:40. Jarrett went for the figure four, Ramon kicked him off into Roadie, then pinned Jarrett after a Razor's edge. After the match Ramon had Roadie up for the edge but Jarrett clipped him again and put on the figure four. Aldo Montoya made an attempted save but he was quickly disposed of. Jarrett went back with the figure four on Ramon until someone who they tried to indicate was a fan did a run-in and cleaned house. They even brought the police out to give the indication this "wasn't part of the show." However later in an interview Ramon called the guy Savio Vega (Juan "TNT" Rivera of Puerto Rico aka Kwang without the mask) with the idea that Ramon knew the guy. ***”

The repackaging of Savio here is one thing but man you’re the #2 champion in the company and here you are getting pinned as a heel instead of your lackey. Was this the beginning of the split between you & Roadie?

Coming off this show you lose to the Undertaker to not qualify for the King of the Ring tournament and then you head to Canada and do some quick title changes in Montreal & Trios Riveres in LADDER MATCHES with Razor Ramon. You’re drawing 8,000 fans in Montreal but still Jeff these are house shows you guys are doing ladder matches at. Matches that have shortened and ended careers. Where did this come from Jeff?

Around this time the music video for “With My Baby Tonight” starts coming together as a plan. Who’s idea is it to have this video? Did you think this was a sign of good things to come?

Your King of the Ring qualifying match with Taker that I talked about headlines Raw and draws the all-time record rating at the time...a 3.9. How satisfying is that for you?

From the Observer on 6/19/95: “There is already advertising out in the Nashville market for the 7/23 In Your House II PPV show announcing Diesel vs. Sid for the WWF title as the main event for the show and that Jeff Jarrett would both make his singing debut and also defend the IC title. The singing debut is apparently part of the angle to split up Jarrett and Roadie since Roadie is the one who can actually sing and at some point apparently Jarrett will be singing and it'll be surprisingly good and it'll later come out it was Jarrett lip-synching and Roadie singing.”

Being part of the major local promotion for Nashville has to be a big deal for you. But man if Meltzer didn’t hit the nail on the head regarding what the angle was going to be. How exciting is it for your return to the local market to be in this form & fashion?

At King of the Ring in Philadelphia you second Roadie for his tournament match with Savio Vega where you & Roadie bump into each other to cause Vega the victory. Creative is full steam ahead with you & Roadie splitting up. Are you having second thoughts on this around this time?

Around this time you’re doing a on sale for Pittsburgh for the upcoming SummerSlam show which you’re not even at! How burned are you?

It’s announced you’ll be defending your title against Shawn Michaels in Nashville. Was the plan always for you to lose your title in Nashville?

The music video is filmed and debuts on WWF Superstars. Tell me about the filming of the video and how it went. Any fun memories?

What did you think of the finished product?

You’re the intercontinental champion. You’re in a slow burn of a storyline with Roadie. You’re about to return to Nashville as the intercontinental champion and face the best worker in the business at the time Shawn Michaels. The company has just invested several thousands of dollars in you filming and producing a music video…

Where does it all go wrong Jeff?

There is talk of a second music video being filmed in Denver in August to introduce the Double J strut as a line dance. What do you remember hearing about this?

Where is your mind at going into the show?

What are the types of conversations you & Brian are having?

Where is your father in all of this?

We’re finally here. Nashville, Tennessee for In Your House II. You walk into the building with Brian I’m assuming. You two have a plan in place, yes?

Roadie works the first match and pins 1-2-3 Kid but they’re showing you in the back not particularly caring about the match. So far everything that creative has laid out for you is going to plan yes?

From Meltzer’s recap of the show… “The live concert with Jarrett doing the lip synch was bordering on unbelievable considering how one would think a pro wrestling group would handle something of that type. In fact, the entire angle has been from a creative and execution standpoint, an all-time classic. It's not a classic angle because at the end it probably isn't going to draw money since at this point it doesn't look like it'll even come to fruition, but the set-up was well executed.”

Were you happy with the way the concert went and the reaction you got?

Now the match…

“4. Michaels pinned Jarrett in 20:01 to win the IC title. Shawn Michaels and Jeff Jarrett was easily the best worked PPV match thus far in 1995 and except for the Eddy Guerrero-Dean Malenko ECW match, as good as any singles match I've seen in the United States. Michaels used a flying clothesline and a flying forearm and a double ax off the top for near falls. He did a great Randy Savage elbow off the top (a lot better than Savage does) and crotched Jarrett on the post. Michaels went to the top but Roadie shook the ropes and Michaels crotched himself. Jarrett used a superplex and went for the figure four but Michaels got a near fall with an inside cradle. After a kneebreaker, Jarrett went for the figure four again, but Michaels kicked him off into the ref. Michaels signalled for the superkick but Roadie clipped him. Jarrett used a crossbody off the top for a near fall. Jarrett signalled for Roadie to trip Michaels as he whipped him into the ropes but Michaels reversed it and Jarrett was tripped. As he got up, Michaels hit him with the superkick for the pin. After a celebration with Michaels in the dressing room, they went back to the ring presumably for the Jarrett/Roadie split, but it didn't happen and later Hendricks did a stand-up babbling about a phantom split. ****½”

So before we get to the phantom fight you guys had a hell of a match and it’s high praise from Meltzer when he talks about at this point it’s one or two in the talk of best matches in the United States in 1995. How was the match to put together as you & Shawn aren’t strangers at this point?

Were you happy with it?

Now to the phantom break up…from the Observer …

“The biggest story revolving around the WWF In Your House II show was just minutes after being involved in the two best matches on the show, Jeff Jarrett and The Roadie (Brian James) quit the promotion. Details as to why are sketchy as press time although it is known they were unhappy about the angle which had been a major source of discussion over the past few weeks. Originally during the In Your House PPV show, when Jarrett was lip synching a concert of the song, there was to be a screw-up revealing Roadie as the singer, and between that and the screw-up in the IC title match, it would start the feud with them meeting at SummerSlam. There was a lot of talk, largely based on how well the video was received, that doing a turn this early was premature. As it was, they did the turn or at least were booked to do it later in the show during the match where Jarrett lost the IC title to Shawn Michaels with an attempt at interference by Roadie backfiring and leading to the finish. Jarrett and Roadie were supposed to do a break-up after the match, but didn't do it. Instead they went backstage and had Dok Hendricks in his lone appearance talk about the break-up happening backstage and a fight without it actually taking place. Jarrett and Roadie both simply walked out of the building that night in the middle of the show. There are plenty of rumors as to why the two would leave together since Jarrett, mainly from the video, was actually starting to show some charisma after a lengthy megapush had for the most part been unsuccessful. There are also rumors with Jarrett's father Jerry working as a consultant to WCW that somehow there's a connection there, and WCW is said to be interested in Jarrett but there is a not so small matter of Jarrett's WWF contract to overcome. Roadie, who was being given his first career break after being a jobber with WCW and SMW as Brian Armstrong, from the looks of things seemed to be walking away just as his career was getting ready to take off. At the live Raw show 7/24 in Louisville, they didn't give a strong impression that both were gone but Vince McMahon did give away that Jarrett was lip synching the previous night and left the impression Roadie was singing, and said that Jarrett would never sing again on a WWF show.”

How fucking ballsy are you to just get done your match and not do the angle that’s booked afterwards?

When do you & Brian say fuck it we’re not doing it?

Did you know that you were done right then and there?

It’s told that you guys walked past gorilla and got your shit and got out of there. Is that true?

From the Torch… “When Jeff Jarrett and Roadie walked out of the arena on Sunday, McMahon left his broadcast booth and sternly yelled at them to get back in the building to film their break-up angle in the locker room. They kept walking. Jarrett and Roadie did not show up at the television tapings Monday or Tuesday, which confirmed to Vince McMahon that they were serious about quitting and not just pulling a one-night protest.”

Did you ever hear that Vince left to chase after you?

Did you ever give any feedback at any point in time to someone in creative that you weren’t happy? Our friend Bruce has said that you did talk to Pat and that you had cold feet but you still planned on going through with the angle. What do you remember of that conversation?

Bruce has told the story that Jerry Lawler flags him down on the road after the show and that Lawler heard from your father that you were all drinking wine in Jerry Jarrett’s hot tub and that you & Brian were heading to WCW.

Your dad goes to the Torch and does an interview regarding the situation, “"Jeff was unhappy with the direction of his character in the WWF," Jerry Jarrett said in the interview. "His departure was an accumulation of many things. He didn't feel his character was being utilized where he would have longevity. Then compounded that with the burn factor--that there are now 24 pay-per-views (between WWF and WCW). Your candle starts burning the second you are exposed in either of the two national companies. Everybody has a certain shelf life. … He is out of the wrestling business as far as I'm concerned. And I am delighted. I hope he sits out a year. With 24 pay-per-views per year, where are these promotions going to hatch wrestlers to fill the cards? … This is not a power play. Jeff had talked to Vince McMahon about his dissatisfaction with his character development and push for the last six months. Now Vince is telling people he didn't know Jeff was upset. As someone who has sat in the promoter's chair,I would tell you to do what the office wants you to do or get out of the kitchen. Jeff expressed his views, didn't get a response, and then walked."

Are you aware that your father goes to Wade Keller regarding your situation?

Is that accurate Jeff? You talked to Vince about your dissatisfaction and your push?

From the Observer afterwards… “As the week went on, Jeff Jarrett and WWF officials were still in the talking stage and WWF officials were trying to patch up the problems. While in most cases, it would be an unforgivable sin to walk out in the middle of a show without executing the plans for the show, Titan apparently thinks enough of Jarrett as a performer and up until that point had been a model employee, not to mention the fact the company is desperately thin on the heel side and lacks depth when it comes to quality performers. The belief is that Roadie walked out based on loyalty to Jarrett and that if Jarrett were to return, Roadie would as well, and it isn't out of the realm of possibility that the original storyline of them splitting up and starting to feud at the end of this month would be postponed. Despite reports elsewhere to the contrary, Jarrett has several months remaining on his contract with Titan which means Titan could keep him from working elsewhere. It is doubtful Titan would exercise that option when it comes to if Jarrett wants to work USWA, but would almost certainly keep him from going to WCW. Roadie, who has more than one year remaining on his contract, is booked as Brian Armstrong with SMW starting this coming week.”

Was the plan to sit out until the contract expired to go to WCW?

Did you need a break from the business?

From the Observer...“The basic problem appeared to have been that Jeff, and people have pointed the finger at his father, who works as a consultant for WCW after having a short and basically unsuccessful tenure working with WWF, felt that the combination of dropping the title and being exposed as a fraud as a singer, both in his hometown, would do too much damage to him in one night.”

Is that it? All of it in a nut shell?

The Torch at the time also reported… “Locker room sources cite that there were a variety of reasons for their departure. Roadie was drug tested before the card and was obviously upset. He was heard complaining about the WWF wanting to "run his life for him." Jarrett and Roadie were also upset, as are many wrestlers lately, with the payoffs they have been receiving.”

Was Brian drug tested at that time and was that a major issue for him?

Also from the Torch… “In what may simply be a coincidence, Jarrett had agreed to wrestle a few independent dates. Apparently the payoffs for the dates were so generous, he was given permission to work them.”

Were the payoffs becoming issues?

Did you consider yourself a model employee until then?

Dude...you leave the show and blow off an angle and they’re still talking to you. Did it make you feel important?

What do you think is the biggest misconception about you walking out on Vince?

Do you regret it?

You do an interview with NewSport Talk on July 20th: “"I'll be honest with you. Monday morning I was in Tampa, Florida. I missed two flights. They got delayed. I got home at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I got meetings I missed all day Monday. I crammed them in all day Tuesday. Then Wednesday morning what did I do from Nashville? I hopped on a plane to come up to Chet Coppock's show. That's when you ask, 'When is it ever gonna stop? I've been going non-stop.' Sometimes you wake up, it's a different town, and it's tough. It really is tough. But that's all part of it."

Was the road just a complete grind to you?

How important was JJ Dillon in this whole process?