As someone with over seventy championships to his name, Jeff Jarrett certainly has some memorable championship victories to his name. However, when we recently spoke for Love Wrestling, I wanted to ask Double J about one of his most famous championship losses, the time he lost the Intercontinental Title to the 9th Wonder of the World, Chyna.
“Of course, someone that you famously lost the Intercontinental Championship to was Chyna,” I commented to Jarrett, “and I know, again, you’ve dove into that story quite a bit on your end of things.”
“But, with the documentary just coming out on her, I wanted to just maybe get some thoughts on Chyna the person rather than the professional wrestler, and again, the situation that maybe caused you to lose the championship to her.”
“You know, I’ve said this a lot on My World and a lot in my life,” Jarrett began with a smile. “My kids have heard it. I don’t believe in coincidences. I just don’t. I believe in convergences. I don’t think anything really happens by accident, and when I sit here today, obviously years removed from the situation that when I left the WWF at the time, I had my last match with Chyna. Then, fast forward, Chyna’s last match was against me in a TNA ring. That didn’t happen by accident, and for whatever reason, and I don’t know, but God rest her soul.
She really battled her demons.”
“The fond memories that I had, that Good Housekeeping [match]. That night there was – obviously, I’ve gone into a lot of drama about the pay and that whole we’ll say out-of-the-ring situation. But, as far as the creative, and the in-ring, and the match that was laid out, and Pat Patterson, and just the different finishes, and how Pat came up with that creative swerve. I knew in my mind before I got to the building sort of a match that I wanted to layout and building up to that.
The entire story, as you know, sort of goes back several weeks, if not months.”
Jarrett went on to describe his thoughts on Chyna’s influence not only on his own career, but the Attitude Era overall. While the era was certainly full of first-class talents, he says, Chyna provided something completely unique, regardless of gender identification.
“Quite a bit because DX – yes, Stone Cold in so many ways identified the Attitude Era, and so did Mick Foley and Hell in a Cell and all that,” began the two-time Hall of Famer.
“But, when you look at DX at the real height of the Attitude Era, you know, the New Age Outlaws and Road Dogg and his catchphrases and just the emotion that evokes. But, also a part of that was, to me, just right up there at the top of it all [was] a female for the first time, and her look, and her charisma. That’s Chyna. I mean, she identified the Attitude Era in so many ways, and the storyline [of] me beating up women, and Cindy Margolis, and Moolah, and just the whole build-up to that, and the mud match and all those kinds of things. It really was a fantastic creative story. I’ve nothing but fond memories of all that, but man, what a tragedy.”
“The documentary was heart-wrenching in a lot of ways,” Jarrett concluded solemnly. “A lot of people say, ‘Oh, my God, why’d they document that,’ but if they can help one person – and it can help, I can assure you, I feel like it will help a lot of people – seeing Chyna, the megastar on TV, but realizing in everyday life, she, in a lot of ways, was literally living in hell on earth. That’s tragic in so many ways.”
Please credit Spencer Love with any transcriptions used. Thank you!
