Wrestling Legend Jerry Jarrett Passes Away At Age 80

Written by Sondra Ruth • Published 14th February 2023
Jerry Jarrett

Inside the Ropes is sad to report that longtime wrestling promoter Jerry Jarrett has passed away at the age of 80.

The news was first broken by fellow wrestling legend Dutch Mantell, who posted the following on Twitter:

“SAD NEWS: Iā€™m hearing reports of my friend and long time booker/promoter Jerry Jarrett died this morning in TN. I last saw him last year when we did the VICE show THE TERRITORIES in Atlanta. Very creative booker. Condolences to Jeff/Deborah and the Jarrett family.”

The news was also confirmed by NWA. Jarrett was the father of WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett, who is currently signed to AEW.

“He Did It All In His Lifetime” – Bryan Alvarez On Jerry Jarrett’s Passing

Speaking on the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Live, Bryan Alvarez had this to say about the life and career of the legendary promoter:

“A number of sources today, including Dutch Mantell, reporting the Jerry Jarrett has passed away today. And looks like it’s true. Obviously if it’s not, we’ll let you know ASAP but a number of people are reporting this right now. And Jerry Jarrett, talk about a guy who had been around wrestling forever.

“He started promoting, helping to promote in the early 50s, and did some promoting and then he did the refereeing gig. Then he became a wrestler, and then he became a promoter and promoted a number of different territories.

“And then after, he worked as a consultant for WWF and WCW, and after WCW went out of business, he helped create TNA, and you know, a lot of stories about everything that went down with TNA and everything like that, but you know, the fact of the matter is, that was not his greatest moment, was creating TNA. Did not work out. They had a they had a business plan, and it wasn’t gonna work.

“And you know, they claimed that they had a fella there, Jay Hassman I believe was his name, that had been giving them information indicating that it was working, but it wasn’t. And ultimately, I mean, this thing was like tanking, and that’s when they ended up selling to Dixie Carter, who had been working the office to Panda, and her family took on TNA through whatever you want to call those early years. I don’t know if glory years is the best term to use.

“But you know, he should not be remembered for TNA. He should be remembered for all of the other things that he did in his career. And and he did it all in his lifetime. So, you know, best wishes to Jeff Jarrett, the family, the friends of Jerry Jarrett, very sad news here today.”

Inside the Ropes sends our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Jerry Jarrett at this difficult time.

If you use any quotes from this transcription, please credit Bryan Alvarez on Wrestling Observer Live and link back to this article with a h/t to Inside the Ropes.