Jeff Jarrett Says This Notorious Gimmick Match Made Sense In 1986

Sometimes controversial AEW star Jeff Jarrett believes that one match he took part in back in 1986 had the right stipulation. Jarrett teamed with his father Jerry Jarrett (who recently passed away) to take on Akio Sato and Tarzan Goto in a strap on a pole match, held inside the Mid-South Coliseum. Jarrett and his father emerged victorious. While any type of pole match in wrestling is usually frowned upon nowadays, Jarrett believes that it made sense in that situation. He explained why during an episode of his "My World" podcast.

"The thing about putting stuff on a pole, look, all the criticism that is modern day, it's all appropriate in a lot of ways because from a creative, episodic storyline, you have to give, 'Okay, why are we putting the strap on the pole?' Well, here's the reality: On Memphis TV, Tojo and Tarzan whipped the hell out of this guy over and over with the strap. So, as a promotion, we don't wanna have just two guys getting in the ring, beating the hell out of each other with straps."

Jarrett said that the goal was to make the strap legal only for the end of the match. He recalled Dutch Mantell telling him that if you give a gimmick match some wrestling logic, it'll pan out most of the time. With that said, Jarrett noted that if it doesn't make any sense, like Judy Bagwell on a pole, then it becomes an "LOL" moment. He said for the most part, all angles and gimmick matches were done with some of that wrestling logic Mantell was talking about in Memphis.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the "My World" podcast, with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.