Jerry Winston Jarrett (September 4, 1942 – February 14, 2023) was an American businessman, professional wrestling promoter, and professional wrestler. Along with his long-term business partner Jerry Lawler, he was a key figure in the history of professional wrestling in the Mid-Southern United States.[4] Described as a "wrestling genius", he was inducted into the National Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame in 2009.[5]
Jarrett was born to Christine "Teeny" Jarrett (1923–1998) in Nashville on September 4, 1942.[1] His parents divorced when he was three. To support Jerry Jarrett and his sister, Christine began working as a ticket vendor at the Nashville Hippodrome for Nick Gulas and Roy Welch, the promoters of NWA Mid-America. Over time Christine Jarrett was given more responsibility by Gulas and Welch, and by the early-1970s, she was promoting shows on their behalf in Indiana and Kentucky.[3] At the age of seven, Jerry Jarrett began selling programs for Gulas and Welch.[1][6]
Early ventures (1966–1977)
After receiving a hardship driving license at the age of 14, Jarrett began promoting professional wrestling events: renting buildings, advertising shows, constructing the ring, selling tickets, and stocking refreshments.[1][7] He worked as a promoter until enrolling in Peabody College. After graduating in 1963, Jarrett worked four years for the Murray Ohio Manufacturing Company as a purchasing agent before deciding to pursue a career in professional wrestling. He began working for Welch and Gulas as an office assistant and became a referee by default after a referee was a no-show.[1]
Jarrett formally retired in 1988, although he came out of retirement in 1993 and 1995 to wrestle on several occasions for his United States Wrestling Association.[4]
In the early-1970s, Jarrett and his mother began promoting professional wrestling shows on behalf of Gulas in the Memphis area.[12][13] After a dispute with Gulas in 1977, Jerry Jarrett opted to break away beginning a promotion, the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA). With the support of his mother, Jerry Lawler, and Buddy Fuller, Jerry Jarrett built the CWA into a successful promotion, staging events each Monday that regularly sold-out the Mid-South Coliseum and airing television shows each Saturday morning on WMC-TV. In 1981, NWA Mid-America folded due to competition from the CWA, with Gulas selling his territory to Jarrett.[13][14][15]
In 1979, The Freebirds asked Jarrett to play "Free Bird" on their entrances. They first tried it in the Mid-South Coliseum and twirling the house spotlights. As a result, Jarrett became one of the first promoters to use music and videos to promote his roster of wrestlers.[16][6]
In 1984, Jarrett entered into a talent exchange with Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling promotion. Jarrett and Lawler advised Watts to bring more young performers into his territory to attract a younger generation of fans, especially females since they would often bring their boyfriends to the shows.[16] In 1988, Jarrett began talks with Verne Gagne, owner of the Minneapolis, Minnesota–based American Wrestling Association, about a potential merger. After negotiations broke down in 1989, Jarrett instead entered into a merger with World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), a promotion based in Dallas, to create the United States Wrestling Association.[17]
The United States Wrestling Association began promoting shows in Tennessee and Texas in 1989, with Jarrett aspiring to make it a national promotion. In 1990, WCCW withdrew from the USWA after a revenue dispute and folded shortly afterwards.
In 1992, the USWA began a talent exchange program with the World Wrestling Federation. By the mid-1990s, attendances at the Mid-South Coliseum had fallen sharply, and Jarrett sold his stake in the promotion to Jerry Lawler and Larry Burton before it folded in 1997.[18]
World Wrestling Federation (1993–1994)
In 1993, Vince McMahon was indicted on suspicion of supplying illegal anabolic steroids to professional wrestlers. Before the trial, McMahon appointed Jarrett to run the company in case he was found guilty and sent to prison. When McMahon was found not guilty, Jarrett left to focus on the USWA.
Various ventures (1995–2002)
After stepping back from working in promotion, Jarrett worked as a consultant for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the WWF.[7]
In 2001, Jarrett suggested the acquisition of WCW, calculating that he could return the company to profitability by aggressively cutting costs. The WWF acquired the company after WCW programming on TBS and TNT was canceled.[7][1]
After the sale of World Championship Wrestling to the World Wrestling Federation and the bankruptcy of Extreme Championship Wrestling, the North American professional wrestling industry lacked a viable competitor to the WWF. Jerry and Jeff Jarrett attempted to fill the void.[19][20] On May 9, 2002, they formed J Sports and Entertainment (JSE), the parent company of NWA:TNA, a new professional wrestling promotion that began airing weekly pay-per-views on In Demand on June 19.[21]
In October 2002, JSE sold a 72% controlling interest in NWA:TNA to Panda Energy.[22][23] Jarrett remained part of the NWA:TNA management team until departing in late-2005 over a dispute about the direction of the company.[24] In October 2005, he introduced professional wrestler Oleg Prudius to WWE, where he became Vladimir Kozlov.[25]
Companies
After stepping away from professional wrestling, Jarrett owned a construction company and an international television distribution company.[24][19]
Personal life and death
Jarrett had four children: a daughter Jennifer, and sons Jerry Jr., Jeff, and Jason.[2][19] Jerry Jarrett became estranged from Jeff in 2005 after they had disputes about their operations while running NWA:TNA;[7] they reconciled in 2015.[26] Jerry Jarrett was married to Eddie Marlin's daughter Deborah.
Jarrett died of a heart attack while undergoing treatment for esophageal cancer on February 14, 2023, at 80.[18]
Books
Jarrett contributed to 2004's The Story of the Development of NWATNA: A New Concept in Pay-Per-View Programming and released the autobiographical The Best of Times in 2011.[27]
^"Memphis/CWA #12 Page #2". KayfabeMemories.com. Retrieved February 3, 2023. Back in the studio, The Hawaiian Flash appeared. The masked man wanted revenge for Lawler against Dundee. It became clear as the man talked that the Flash was Jerry Jarrett underneath a mask.
^Csonka, Larry (June 9, 2009). "NWA Class of 2009". Retrieved February 22, 2009.
^Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2006) [2000.]. "(Memphis, Nashville) Tennessee: Southern Tag Team Title [Roy Welsch & Nick Gulas, Jerry Jarrett from 1977]". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Waterloo, Ontario: Archeus Communications. pp. 185–189. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
