Jerry Jarrett, a longtime pro wrestling promoter, passed away at age 80.
Jerry Jarrett, a former professional wrestler who later became a promoter and established the Continental Wrestling Association in Memphis in 1977, passed away on Tuesday. He was 80.
Former wrestler Dutch Mantell broke the news of Jarrett’s passing first, and the WWE expressed its sympathies. Jarrett apparently battled esophageal cancer. However, no specific cause of death was disclosed.
The NWA’s Mid-America promotion featured Jarrett, the father of WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett, as a contestant. He gave up a ring in 1977 and co-founded the Continental Wrestling Association with Jerry “The King” Lawler.
RIP Jerry Jarrett…a man who brought me in from Puerto Rico and kinda shaped my career. Rode a million miles with him picking his brain. Actually, Memphis with Jerry was eons ahead of the other territories in presentation and story. Taught me tons about booking. @WSI_YouTube pic.twitter.com/XTFyzAbP2L
— 𝔻𝕣. 𝔻𝕦𝕥𝕔𝕙 (@DirtyDMantell) February 14, 2023
According to Wrestling Inc., in the late 1980s, the Continental Wrestling Association and World Class Championship split off from the United States Wrestling Association. In 1997, Jerry Jarret sold Lawler the majority owner of the promotion.
Following five years of advising for World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), the father-and-son Jarrett tandem founded the promotion Total Non-Stop Action, which would later become Impact Wrestling, according to Wrestling Inc.
According to Fox News, Jarrett later sold Panda Energy an interest in the business.
On Wednesday, Jeff Jarret posted a poem-styled tribute to his father using the hashtag #Dad at the end of each tweet.
Over the years, Jarrett remained close to the McMahon family, first with Vincent J. McMahon and subsequently with his son, current WWE CEO Vince K. McMahon, according to Pro Wrestling Insider.
Jerry Jarrett was a phenomenal wrestler, one of the greatest storytellers ever, a revolutionary influencer, and a thinker whose ancestral roots in wrestling will last a lifetime, according to a tweet from All Elite Wrestling.
According to Pro Wrestling Insider, the senior Jarrett penned two books on his experience in the industry: an autobiography with Memphis Wrestling historian Mark James and one about the development and execution of the TNA brand.
Often the struggler has given up,⁰When he might captured the victor's cup.⁰And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,⁰How close he was to the golden crown. (3/4)
…
— Jeff Jarrett (@RealJeffJarrett) February 15, 2023
Legendary wrestling promoter Jerry Jarrett Dead At 80
Jerry Jarrett, a renowned wrestling promoter best known for establishing the Continental Wrestling Association in 1977 in Memphis, has reportedly passed away at the age of 80. Longtime CWA performer Dutch Mantell first broke the news on Twitter, and Pro Wrestling Insider later confirmed it. Mark James, a Memphis Wrestling historian, was credited with making the initial statement.
Jerry Jarrett, a longtime booker and promoter, reportedly passed away this morning in Tennessee, according to sources, Mantell tweeted. “The last time I saw him was when we filmed The Territories for Vice in Atlanta last year. Extremely inventive booker. The Jarrett family and Jeff/Deborah are sent our condolences.”
The cause of death has not yet been disclosed by the Jarrett family. However, podcaster Conrad Thompson claimed Jarrett had been fighting esophageal cancer in a podcast with Jarrett’s son, AEW wrestler Jeff Jarret, that was made earlier today and made public.
As a wrestler and promoter, Jarrett had a long and successful career. He entered the ring for the first time in 1969 while competing for NWA Mid-America, where he later won the NWA Southern Tag Team Championship 10 times. Prior to promoting the United States Wrestling Association in 1988, Jarrett retired from in-ring combat. Nonetheless, he continued to wrestle occasionally for the USWA until his final fight in 1995.
After serving as consultants for World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation for several years, Jerry and his son Jeff launched Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling, or Impact Wrestling, in 2002. After a disagreement about the direction of the organisation, Jarrett left TNA in 2005. This caused a rift between Jerry and Jeff that persisted until their reunification a decade later, when they agreed never to discuss wrestling again.
Jarrett was honoured with a spot in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2018.
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