Jerry Jarrett is the father of WWE legend Jeff Jarrett.
WWE confirmed on Tuesday that Jerry Jarrett, the iconic promoter and father of WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett, had passed away. He was 80.
Before hanging up his boots and co-founding the Continental Wrestling Association with Jerry “The King” Lawler in 1977, Jarrett competed in the ring for the National Wrestling Alliance in the Mid-America zone and won many tag-team championships. Eleven years later, the United States Wrestling Association was founded when the promotion combined with World Class Championship Wrestling.
It wasn’t until 1997 that Lawler would acquire majority control of the USWA from Jarrett. As the “Monday Night Wars” between WWE and World Championship Wrestling continued, however, the promotion eventually failed.
Jeff Jarrett would rise to prominence in WWE before leaving for WCW and becoming a top figure there in its waning days. It was the Jarrett brothers who founded NWA-TNA (later Total Nonstop Wrestling and now Impact Wrestling) when WWE acquired WCW.
By 2005, Jarrett had left the company following a disagreement over strategy, and he had sold his shares to Panda Energy. Future WWE superstars like A.J. Styles, Xavier Woods, and Bobby Roode would have their start at the business. Famous wrestlers from All Elite Wrestling, such as Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, and the Young Bucks, also competed.
A flood of condolences and well wishes for the Jarrett family came from the wrestling community after the news broke.
