Tony Khan Opens Up About Jeff Jarrett's Recent AEW Interview About Owen Hart
For younger fans, seeing Jeff Jarrett in the bracket for the 2024 Owen Hart Foundation Tournament might seem like a strange move. However, no one in the tournament's history has had a closer relationship with the late Hart than "The Last Outlaw." The two men had a close relationship outside the ring and worked even better in it, becoming WWE Tag Team Champions together in January 1999.
Jarrett had the morbid task of wrestling immediately after Hart's fatal accident at the Over The Edge pay-per-view in May 1999. Due to these reasons, fans believe that no star deserves a spot in the competition more than Jarrett, and during the media call to promote the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay-per-view, AEW President Tony Khan seemed to agree following Jarrett's emotional backstage promo.
"To see Jeff open up and to see the side of Jeff we see backstage, I thought that was really amazing," Khan said. "Jeff gave a lot of insight into a friendship he had with the late great Owen Hart, and we're very fortunate this time of year to be able to present the annual Owen Hart Foundation Cup Tournament."
Due to their friendship, Khan thought it would be cool to feature Jarrett in the tournament given their extensive relationship. Khan also expressed his excitement for Jarrett's first-round match in the tournament, which is set to take place at the "Beach Break" edition of "AEW Dynamite" on July 3, where he will face a mystery wildcard participant. The winner of the match will move on to the semi-finals to face current Unified World Trios Champion Jay White, with the eventual final to take place on July 10 in Hart's hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
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