Jeff Jarrett: "Scott Always Wanted To Be Better - And Others To Get Better"
Jeff Jarrett kicked the year off with a high-profile match at Hammerstein Ballroom, and 2022 won't slow any time soon for the multiple-time World Champion. This weekend the Hall-of-Famer returns to FiteTV as part of the National Wrestling Alliance's Crockett Cup extravaganza.
"It's kind of surreal," said Jarrett of his involvement in the NWA's two-day tag team-focused pay-per-view, broadcasting Sat. and Sun., March 19-20, from Nashville. "In 2022, The Crockett Cup being held in my hometown, it's sort of the stars have aligned."
The Crockett Cup, an annual tag team tournament gathering duos from around the world, was first won by The Road Warriors in 1986 and became an NWA hallmark throughout the mid-1980s. After more three decades dormant, it reemerged in 2019 before Covid postponed 2020-21 plans.
Onboard are homegrown talent like "Strictly Business" Chris Adonis and Thomas Latimer, Dirty Dango and JTG (The Dirty Sexy Boys) and NWA World Tag Champions La Rebelion. Also competing are high-profile pairings of Doug Williams and Harry Smith, Ring of Honor World Tag Team Champions The Briscoe Brothers, and more.
Jarrett is pleased to be on-hand alongside luminaries such as broadcaster David Crockett, brother of former NWA owner/promoter Jim Crockett, as special guests. Even bigger for the six-time NWA Worlds Champion is the role he plays during Night 2.
"I never thought, in 2022, I would literally be right in the middle of an NWA Worlds title match with two guys I have long-standing relationships with," said Jarrett, who serves as special guest referee during Sunday's highly-anticipated Worlds title main event between reigning Matt Cardona and challenger Nick Aldis.
"I've got a business relationship currently with the champion, in the action figure world," admits Double-J. "And me and Nick Aldis go back to literally when he came into the United States."
It does weigh on Jarrett's mind whether he will be able to remain objective officiating such a high-stakes match between two long-time friends. He quips, "'Objective' is rather subjective."
Nevertheless, he promises to be "laser-focused," though another long-time friend is certainly fresh on his mind. Monday, Mar. 14, fellow Hall of Famer Scott Hall passed away at age 63.
"He was a lot of things over the years: coworker, colleague, opponent, rival, I can go on-and-on about that, but he was a friend," said an audibly emotional Jarrett.
"And it's a friend gone too soon," he continued. "It's still early in the process, so I'm still giving myself a few more days, but [Scott was] a special human being."
Jarrett notably defeated Hall's Razor Ramon at the 1995 Royal Rumble to become the WWF Intercontinental Champion. Their journey together continued as members of the NWO before Jarrett launched TNA Wrestling and, eventually, brought Hall and many other top names to the promotion.
"All you have to do is go online and look at the accolades and comments of just how talented he was. It's refreshing to see people giving him the kudos for his mind for the business," acknowledged Jarrett.
"You get in a car after a match, and you have 200-300 miles to drive, and you talk about wrestling," he concluded, "Not just the war stories, but the nuances and how to get better. Scott always wanted to get better — and others to get better."
National Wrestling Alliance Presents The Crockett Cup 2022 Sat.-Sun., Mar. 19-20, live in Nashville, TN. Order now on FiteTV.
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