10 Best Jeff Jarrett Matches Of All Time

Let's immediately address the elephant in the room. Jeff Jarrett has, for much of his career, been a partial figure of fun for wrestling fans.

This could stem from a number of things - his self-aggrandising heel persona, his acrimonious departure from WWE, or (most likely) his lengthy spells atop the WCW and TNA mountains.

Often seen as a midcarder who rose too far, it can be easy to forget that Double J was a very capable wrestler in his heyday. Although hardly the most eye-popping worker, his matches were often underpinned by old school, Southern rasslin' technique. Add to this his remarkable consistency and natural ability to garner heel heat, and it makes sense that Jarrett would have a number of highlights to choose from over the course of his career.

Of course, there's no getting away from the fact that Jarrett's run of dominance - particularly in TNA - often eclipsed younger, more deserving talent. But as you'll see from this list, when he did put somebody over, it was often at just the right time.

It's time to take a look at the ten best matches of Jeff Jarrett's career. His WWE Hall of Fame call-up may have been unexpected, but after reading this, you'll hopefully agree that it's more than deserved.

10. Jeff Jarrett Vs. AJ Styles - TNA Hard Justice 2005

When a match starts with chants of 'drop the title', you know that the heel has

probably

done a good job of getting heat.

Yes, these chants were more than likely a result of Jarrett's lengthy and various NWA World Heavyweight Championship reigns in the early days of TNA, but at least he did the right thing here - and for the right opponent.

AJ Styles wasn't the complete package we know and love today, but he was still a prodigious young talent, and already one of the best high-flyers in the world. Jarrett obviously couldn't match the youngster in terms of athleticism but provided a solid counterbalance in terms of cynical heel work.

The match wasn't a classic, but in terms of storytelling it hit the nail on the head. Heel Monty Brown hit the ring in an attempt to help the champ, only to miss and nail Jarrett by accident. Jeff then unwisely got on the wrong side of special guest referee and UFC star Tito Ortiz, who knocked him to the canvas, allowing Styles to nail the Spiral Tap and win the title.

9. Lethal Lockdown - TNA Lockdown 2007

Jarrett's long TNA run saw him partake in many multi-man bouts, from his signature King of the Mountain match to more than a few convoluted, overbooked main events. However, we've opted for the slightly more traditional Lethal Lockdown match - a stipulation clearly inspired by the beloved WarGames matches of NWA and WCW shows gone by.

Generally considered one of the better Lethal Lockdown contests, the 2007 edition saw Jarrett as a member of the babyface Team Angle - also featuring Samoa Joe, Rhino, Sting, and (of course) Kurt Angle. They took on Christian Cage and his team of AJ Styles, Scott Steiner, Abyss, and Tomko.

The match was a frantic, all-action affair, featuring big spots, thumbtacks, and even a crazy dive from the roof of the cage to a gaggle of wrestlers on the outside (taken by Styles, naturally). Jarrett's role, however, was more storyline-driven.

In the build-up to the match, all of Jarrett's teammates (bar team captain Angle) distrusted him. It's easy to see why given Double J's history of swerves and betrayals. However, in the match itself, we were treated to the seldom-seen fake-swerve. Abyss handed Jarrett a thumbtack-loaded guitar and instructed him to blast Sting with it, only for Jarrett to stay true to his team and nail Abyss instead. He even allowed Sting to make the winning pinfall - with a shot at the NWA World Heavyweight Championship awarded to the man who did so, no less!

8. Jeff Jarrett Vs. X-Pac - WWF SummerSlam 1998

We may have just seen an example of Jarrett playing an effective babyface, but there's no denying the fact that he was most effective as a heel - and if there's one thing we love seeing heels do, it's lose in humiliating fashion.

Jarrett's match with X-Pac at SummerSlam 1998 may have only been a shade over 10 minutes long, but it was a very satisfying bout indeed. With a hair vs. hair stipulation in place, the pair worked a relentless, desperate pace for most of the contest.

Jarrett was even able to kick out of X-Pac's finisher, only for one of his 'Southern Justice' henchmen to attempt to hit Waltman with a guitar - unwittingly giving him the perfect weapon in the process. Before long, it was Jarrett ironically taking his signature guitar shot to the head, making the result of the match - and the victim of the head-shaving - a dead cert.

A very simple storyline, but one told very well indeed.

7. Jeff Jarrett Vs. Nick Bockwinkel - CWA 1987

WWE Hall of Famer Nick Bockwinkel is often regarded as one of the greatest technicians in the history of wrestling, and its quite shocking to see a young Jarrett comprehensively wrenched around and tied in knots by the older, larger man.

This match told the story of a cocky, superior champion having to dig deep in order to see off a determined younger challenger - and for once, Jarrett was actually in the latter role. Not only that, but he played it very well indeed, standing up to Bockwinkel with great babyface fire and selling appropriately throughout.

The finish looks very weird in hindsight but would have been completely acceptable at the time. Jarrett, getting overexcited towards the end of the match, headed up top to deliver a Missile Dropkick (or something similar), only for the champion to sidestep neatly out of the way. Jeff crashed and burned, allowing Bockwinkel to steal a dastardly win. Lovely old school stuff.

6. Jeff Jarrett Vs. AJ Styles - NWA-TNA 2004

Another of Jeff Jarrett's best matches, and another in which he dropped the NWA World Heavyweight Championship to AJ Styles - this time one-year prior in a steel cage.

The closing stages of the match (although 

slightly 

sloppy in parts) perfectly encapsulated the in-ring personas of both men. Styles climbed to the top of the cage, determined to leap off with a death-defying high-risk manoeuvre. Jarrett used his heel wiles in response, shoving the referee into the cage wall, causing AJ to lose his balance and fall halfway to the outside. Jeff helped him all the way down with a shoulder-charge into the cage wall, sending his opponent crashing to the floor. There were, thankfully, no escape rules in play - so this all made sense.

Moments later, having retrieved his trusty guitar from ringside, Jarrett prepared to blast Styles with it - only for the challenger to demolish it in mid-air with a spinning kick. Jeff was dumbstruck, but still the fresher man. Styles, however, shocked the more experienced man by rolling him immediately into a pinning predicament - capping one of the biggest title changes in the early years of TNA.

5. Jeff Jarrett Vs. Razor Ramon - WWF Royal Rumble 1995

You may have noticed that, aside from the team-based Lethal Lockdown match, Jarrett lost every match on this list so far. Let's instead take a look at maybe the biggest upset victory of his career - a 20-minute barnburner against Razor Ramon for the WWF Intercontinental Championship.

This match opened Royal Rumble 1995 and did so in style. The more nimble, technical Jarrett looked to grind down the larger man with holds and evasive tactics, frustrating both Ramon and the crowd (in a good, heelish way).

Razor tweaked leg while taking a spill to the outside, an injury compounded by Jarrett's sidekick ('The Roadie', an early incarnation of Road Dogg). The referee actually counted him out, but Jeff urged the official to restart the match - titles obviously not changing hands on a count-out.

From the restart, Double J viciously attacked the leg, but the champ somehow endured - even surviving a Figure Four Leglock. The damage was done, however, as in a nice example of ring psychology, Razor's leg gave out as he was attempting the Razor's Edge. Quick as a whippet, Jarrett rolled him up for three and became the new Intercontinental Champion.

4. Jeff Jarrett Vs. Kurt Angle - TNA Lockdown 2011

A strong case could be made to suggest that Jarrett's best matches actually came towards the end of his career - specifically those against Kurt Angle. Nobody brought out the best in Jeff like the Olympic gold medalist, and their two out of three falls match at Lockdown 2011 is a prime example.

The bout took place in a steel cage and told a logical story throughout. The first fall (submissions only) was easily won by Kurt in five minutes or so, a fitting outcome given his style and level of expertise. Jarrett won the second fall (pinfalls) with a roll-up and a handful of tights, a move perfectly befitting his wily veteran ways.

The third fall (escape the cage) admittedly got a little convoluted, as Karen Jarrett - the former wife of Kurt, no less - helped her new husband win by smashing the door into Angle's face. Thankfully, the rest of the match was more than good enough to make up for the screwy finish, particularly Kurt's mammoth Moonsault from the top of the cage.

3. Jeff Jarrett Vs. Kurt Angle - TNA Bound For Glory 2008

Another of Jeff's best matches, again facing Kurt Angle, and again robbed of a higher place on this list thanks to a screwy finish. Bound for Glory 2008 saw the pair face off in Jarrett's return match after an absence of over a year, with Jeff as the newly-humble babyface, and Angle as the merciless heel.

The story of the match saw Jarrett outclassed by the better Angle, but resilient enough to prevent Kurt from putting him away. A frustrated Angle blasted special guest enforcer Mick Foley with a steel chair (following a slightly predictable ref bump), causing Foley to involve himself on Jarrett's behalf to the delight of the crowd.

A Mandible Claw and guitar shot later, and Jarrett had surprisingly defeated the Olympian. In the wider context of TNA, this was a particularly important match, as it caused Angle to snap and form the Main Event Mafia alongside Sting, Booker T, Kevin Nash, and Scott Steiner.

2. Jeff Jarrett Vs. Shawn Michaels - WWF In Your House 2: The Lumberjacks

Many consider this Jeff Jarrett's best match, and it's easy to see why. Of course, it's easy to have a career-defining bout when you're opponent is maybe the greatest of all time, but Jarrett still played a huge part here.

The pair meshed very well here, with Jeff raising his fundamentally-sound game to compete with Shawn's more frantic pinballing. The spot that best encapsulated this came in the form of a 

massive 

dropkick from Jarrett, leaping level with Michaels' head and blasting him right in the face.

Jeff was the Intercontinental Champion going into this match and used a few heel tricks to attempt to keep the title - including the help of The Roadie. Ironically, it was his friend who inadvertently cost Double J the match, accidentally tripping Jarrett after a reversed Irish whip. Sweet Chin Music was soon to follow.

1. Jeff Jarrett Vs. Kurt Angle - TNA Genesis 2009

We've seen two Jarrett vs. Angle matches on the list so far, both being somewhat hindered by messy, interference-heavy finishes. The pinnacle of their rivalry was thankfully free of such shenanigans and came at Genesis 2009 under a No DQ stipulation.

Having lost to Jarrett at Bound for Glory the previous year, Angle was desperate for a rematch - and when he finally got it, he set about attempting to hurt Jeff rather than beat him. There were bucketloads of blood here, as well as several crazy spots - including an Angle Slam off the stage through a table!

If there's any argument to be made against this match, it could be that Jarrett survived a 

lot 

of punishment and still managed to kick out. He also withstood several Ankle Locks, although the damage dealt played into the finish. Double J waffled Kurt with a chair but was unable to make a quick cover due to his ankle. When he eventually crawled across into the pinfall attempt, Angle reversed it into one of his own.

This was, for my money, the best match in Jarrett's career - and it's well worth watching if you haven't seen it already. However, if you can't stand big main event-style matches full of kickouts and set-piece moments, check out Jeff's match with HBK for something a little more pure.

10. Firebreaker Chip

WWE.com

Early 90's WCW was a real mishmash of good and bad.

Some of the wrestling was truly exceptional, but a lot of the gimmicks were duds and showed why the company was in such a rotten slump before Eric Bischoff took the reigns in the middle of the decade.

One of the many crap tag teams from that time were the WCW Patriots, which comprised of Todd Champion (Gulf War veteran) and Firebreaker Chip (fireman).

Chip was portrayed by Curtis Thompson, a compact ball of muscle who had been working for a few years on the independent scene and in Puerto Rico. As part of the gimmick, he wore a fireman's helmet and looked every bit the low-rent Chippendale with his greased-up physique and suspenders.

Special Forces had a couple of feuds with the the likes of the Fabulous Freebirds and Young Pistols, but didn't achieve much success. Their biggest match was probably their (unsuccessful) Tag Team Title match with The Enforcers at Halloween Havoc '91.

One of the most notable aspects of Thompson's WCW run was not anything that happened in the ring, but his backstage fight with Diamond Dallas Page at a house show.

He left WCW in 1993 and went on to wrestle for Smoky Mountain Wrestling.

9. Reno

WWE.com

A former amateur wrestler and professional kickboxer, Richard Cornell was one of the many hopefuls who got their pro-wrestling training at the infamous WCW Power Plant in the late 90's.

It made sense, then, for him to join up with a bunch of his fellow Power Plant graduates in the Natural Born Thrillers stable.

The man with the queue ponytail took a bit of a backseat to hot prospects like Sean O'Haire and Mark Jindrak, but he did find success in the company's hardcore division, holding the title for a month between October and November 2000.

While Reno had a unique look and received a little bit of a push, he just didn't yet have the tools to pull it all off. Outside of his Roll the Dice finisher, his wrestling style was basic and unpolished. It also didn't help his cause that WCW was a creative wasteland around this time and that people were tuning out in droves.

WWE felt like the he had some potential and bought his contract out when they acquired WCW, but he never made it past developmental, was released and left the business soon after.

8. Lash LeRoux

WWE.com

Lash LeRoux! With such excellent use of alliteration, who could you forget him?

LeRoux was another product of the Power Plant, paying his dues in the training facility before being called to the main roster and paying more dues as a designated jobber.

He was soon promoted to the cruiserweight division, but that was a crowded field and he didn't exactly stand out amongst the Kidmans and Mysterios of the world.

His most prominent role was as a member of the Misfits in Action group, which saw him re-christened as Corporal Cajun. Once again, though, this was latter-day WCW and the company was a mess, so it was hard for anyone to really care about what was going on.

As a member of MIA he won the WCW Tag Team Titles with Chavo 'Lieutenant Loco' Guerrero. For less than a day, of course, because WCW.

LeRoux was signed to a WWE developmental deal following the sale of WCW, but it didn't work out. He then bounced around from here to there before retiring in 2006.

A talented performer who was unfortunately in the wrong place (WCW) at the wrong time, LeRoux now works as a cartoonist and pastor.

Cartoonist and pastor, erm what's the difference, am I right?

Satire. That is satire.

7. 'Hardwork' Bobby Walker

WWE.com

'Hardwork' Bobby Walker was around in WCW for the best part of a decade and, in that time, managed to do almost nothing memorable.

Some nasty injuries didn't help, but the truth is that WCW didn't position Walker - who had worked for Japan's FMW, did some enhancement matches for WWE and trained at the Power Plant - as anything more than a jobber-to-the-stars.

His best year was probably 1996, as he wrestled his most amount of yearly matches (25) and got televised victories over the likes of Billy Kidman, Mr. JL and Brad Armstrong.

WCW even gave him Teddy Long to act as his mouthpiece, but he didn't exactly receive a big push on the back of it.

Walker was charismatic and athletic but never given a storyline or anything substantial to work with. In the end, he was just one of many on a bloated WCW roster at the time.

Post-WCW, however, he caused lots of headaches for them (and later WWE, who inherited some of WCW's legal mess) when he - along with others including Sony Onoo - filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the company.

Walker (and the others) received a payout when the lawsuit was settled, and he now works as a portrait illustrator in Atlanta.

6. Joe Gomez

WWE Network

I know what you're thinking; 'how could I forgot someone with such a ridiculously good head of hair?'.

Gomez started with WCW in 1990, wrestling as Allen Iron Eagle and losing to just about everybody, before leaving the company and resurfacing later in the decade.

In 1996, Gomez came back and got something like a mini push teaming with other generic, uncharismatic performers like Mark Starr and Jim Powers in a brief feud with the Dungeon of Doom.

I suppose when you've failed to eradicate the mighty Hulk Hogan from the face of existence, the next logical step is to go after Gomez, Powers and Starr.

While the New World Order was running rampant, the crew of jabronis also got into a dispute with the Horsemen and Gomez even wrestled (and lost to) Steve 'Mongo' McMichael at the Bash at the Beach pay-per-view.

WCW soon lost interest in Gomez and he was moved down the card, forming a loser tag team with The Renegade.

He went out on a high, beating The Gambler on an April 1999 episode of WCW Saturday Night.

5. Swoll

WWE.com

A former NFL player and a trainee of Brad Rheingans (who had a hand in coaching Brock Lesnar prior to him starting in WWE developmental territory OVW), Randy Thornton's career began with brief stints in the AWA and New Japan in the early 90's.

He finally received his big break in 1999, when he got a gig with WCW thanks to his friendship with real-life friend Master P, who was then with the company as the leader of the No Limit Soldiers.

Thornton joined the Soldiers as the group's muscle, hence the apt name of Swoll.

The NLS primarily feuded with the West Texas Rednecks in a country music versus rap rivalry, but Swoll himself only wrestled in a handful of tag matches, including at that year's Bash at Beach pay-per-view.

Swoll was a brawler who lacked finesse and was noted for his palm thrust finisher, but he wasn't around the long-term. After the feud with the West Texas Rednecks ended, Thornton left WCW and retired from the business.

A born-again Christian, he has since worked as a motivational speaker and recently overcame some serious health issues.

4. Yoshi Kwan

WWE Network

Another case of a talented wrestler being saddled with a terrible (and in this case highly offensive) gimmick.

A Kentucky-born Florida resident and student of the Malenkos, Chris Champion had a decent run in the 80's and early 90's, working for groups like Championship Wrestling from Florida, Mid-Atlantic and the USWA, before finding his way to Ted Turner's organisation in '93.

Not as Chris Champion, but as Yoshi Kwan, a stereotypical 'sneaky' Asian heel - was it China or Hong Kong? WCW never did decide - managed by Harley Race in his attempt to rid WCW of Cactus Jack.

With his garish mullet and over-the-top fake eyebrows, Kwan turned heads with his appearance but he didn't stick around long enough or have good enough matches to make too much of an impression.

After losing to Cactus Jack at Fall Brawl, he was put on the sidelines with a knee injury and never did return.

He passed away in 2019, at the age of 57.

3. Kendall Windham

WWE.com

It can be hard to some members of famous wrestling families to live up to the legacy and carry on the name.

Son of Hall of Famer Blackjack Mulligan and brother to Hall of Famer Barry Windham, Kendall Windham had the size and the surname but, sadly, lacked the charisma or ring nous to get halfway as far as they did.

A veteran who had worked for All Japan, as well as various American territories in the 80's, Kendall was used by WCW as little more than a glorified jobber, losing to (in 1998 alone) the likes of Jim Duggan, Jim Neidhart, Finlay and even the lowly Kenny Kaos, among many others.

His career received a boost the following year when he partnered up with brother Barry, Curt Hennig and Bobby Duncum Jr. in the West Texas Rednecks, and he briefly held the Tag Team Titles with big Baz.

He left WCW late in the year and bounced around from here to there before calling it a day in 2002.

Though some would say he didn't fulfil potential, Kendall's own father admitted in an interview that he wasn't gifted with the 'it factor' in the way that Barry was and actually overachieved, considering his physical abilities and personality.

2. Braun The Leprechaun

WWE Network

Seeing that name written down makes me sad that we never got to see Strowman morph into a seven-foot Hornswoggle.

It also makes me sad because it means I have to think and talk about Braun The Leprechaun, an ungodly WCW creation portrayed by DeWayne Bruce.

Bruce had worked for WCW since the late 80's as an undercard talent, most notably as Sergeant Buddy Lee Parker in the naff tag team State Patrol.

He was repackaged as the woeful Braun the Leprechaun in the summer of 1996, managed by Jimmy Hart as a member of the Dungeon of Doom. Seeing him run around and scream while pretending to be the folkloric Irish creature, while the ultra-cool nWo kicked ass and took names at the same time really showed the strange dichotomy of WCW at the time.

The company clearly realised it wasn't working and canned it before too long.

Bruce then wrestled sporadically while working as the head trainer at the Power Plant. As seen during his appearance on Louis Theroux's weird weekends, Sarge (as he was known) clearly had a massive small man complex.

Which leads me to think the whole leprechaun thing may have been a rib.

1. Emory Hale

WWE.com

You can see what WCW had in Emory Hale the second you lay eyes on him.

The guy was massive and, during an era where those with larger-than-life physiques got opportunities despite lacking in other areas, Hale got an opportunity on the big stage.

The man was a monster but, strangely - or perhaps not-so-strangely, since this is WCW - the company didn't book him as such. Instead, his first handful of televised matches were quick squash losses to Van Hammer, Lex Luger, Barry Windham, Booker T, Hugh Morrus and Mike Enos.

He disappeared and re-emerged a year later as the masked 'The Machine', but again lost, this time to Diamond Dallas Page. Worse than that, Hale (who was managed by Jimmy Hart) looked completely out of his depth and mistimed a crotch spot move so badly that it probably sealed his fate with higher-ups.

WCW persisted for a little longer, giving him (as Hail) a few squash match victories over nobodies on the barely-watched Saturday Night and Worldwide shows.

He left WCW later that year and, sadly, passed away from kidney failure in 2006 at the age of just 36.