AEW's Jeff Jarrett Recalls Standards & Practices Meeting Over Old Catchphrase

Catchphrases in pro wrestling today are not as controversial as they once were. D-Generation X's two-word catchphrase with or without the hand gesture got many young viewers in trouble, and there were times when the Turner Network standards and practices committee asked for clarification on something seen or heard on WCW. 

Jeff Jarrett looked back on the year 2000 with Conrad Thompson on "My World," and how a fan sign of one of his phrases caught the wrong attention.

"I'll never forget, Conrad, in Detroit at The Palace, those young guys up ... they were, I'll call it, the 'cheap seats' 'cause they were up high, and they spelled out 'Slapnuts,'" Jarrett recalled. "That's when standards and practices called me in after my segment and said, 'Hey, man, we need to talk about this. There's a sign out in the crowd and I know you said it, there's quite a bit of talk about it, we need to know what is a 'slapnut,' and I just chuckled."

Jarrett appreciates fans bringing signs to the shows but understands that due to the value of the network airtime to broadcast the show, a promotion's production team needs to be careful not to show any vulgar or inappropriate signs, and if one is caught, edits would have to be made.

"When talent would screw up in the ring and the chants of 'You F'ed Up,' and that kind of stuff, the audience — there was a timeframe when they were vocal," Jarrett remembered. "I love signs. It's engagement. If somebody is gonna take the time to make a sign, it means for the most part they're emotionally engaged in the product, and specifically the talent, so I think it's a great thing."

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