The unique thing about pro wrestling that makes it stand out compared to other sports is the backstage drama. Backstage drama and pro wrestling have been going hand in hand for a very long time. Sometimes they are scripted and sometimes they are real. One such backstage story came to light.

In an exclusive interview former Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarret revealed how this story unfolded and how he outsmarted WWE’s executive chairman Vince McMahon.

How Jarret outsmarted McMahon

Back in 1999, Jarret was the Intercontinental Champion. He had his title defense scheduled against Chyna in The No Mercy pay-per-view event. Although Jarret had received a tempting offer from WCW, he had said that he was not contemplating making the move.

He said, “I knew my contract was going to expire on a Saturday night, the pay-per-view was on Sunday I didn’t know until two weeks out that WCW made me an offer that I couldn’t refuse.”, talking about the offer he received from then WWE rival WCW. As WWE was about to go public then, Vince McMahon was traveling for business and was not in town to look into this matter personally. He further added.

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“He had told his team to get the job done and they weren’t getting the job done. The real story is that I did not really want to leave had they matched the offer. They didn’t match the offer.” As there were no negotiations happening, Jarret was out of contract before the No Mercy event rolled out, putting WWE in a weird spot. This gave Double J the leverage he needed and he negotiated the deal for an additional $150,000. He was paid $300,000 in total for that event.

However, Jarret said that it was not entirely about money. “When it came down to it I had a decision – little did they know – I don’t think I would have walked out without doing the honor.” This line of his showed his loyalty and respect for the craft of pro wrestling.

Jeff Jarret’s Career at WWE

Back in 1993, Jeff Jarret started his career when WWE was known as WWF. A second-generation pro wrestler, he joined under the ring name “Double J” Jeff Jarret. He was trained by his father and former pro wrestler Jerry Jarret.

He had multiple accomplishments to his name which included 1 time WWF Tag Team Champion, 1 time WWF European Champion, and 6 times WWF Intercontinental Champion. He later left WWF in 1999 and moved to WCW.

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As this veteran sheds light on the backstage drama of pro wrestling, fans get to know about the lesser-known unscripted things happening backstage. Let us know in the comments if you know about any such story.