Jeff Jarrett Reflects On His ‘Don’t P*ss Me Off’ Gimmick

On a recent edition of his “My World” podcast, AEW Director of Business Development Jeff Jarrett discussed his ‘Don’t Piss Me Off’ character that started in 1998 while working in WWE.

You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:

On who decided to cut his hair in 1998: “[I] went back from WCW in October of ’97. So this is about a year later. And we had done Tennessee Lee, the Double J character, the ins and outs. You know, it’s well documented that when I returned the promo didn’t get off on the right foot. So I’ll call it about a year. And it was just time for a change in that, big picture, the Double J New Generation character? It was very obvious to me and others, it didn’t fit in the Attitude Era. So I had to pivot and figure out what will work, ‘How do I reinvent myself?’ I think that kind of term’s been thrown around there, but ‘What extension of my personality is better served during this time?’

“And so a haircut was, I don’t say low-hanging fruit, but it was definitely a piece of the puzzle to create a new image. But obviously, we’re not changing the name as in Jeff Jarrett, but we’re going down a different avenue. So I was — I think it originally was my idea. But I know Vince and Ed, Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara, but also Vince McMahon [had] discussions. It was all, ‘Yeah, let’s put everything on the table and figure it out.’ And then, you know, ‘If we’re going to cut the hair, let’s get some mileage out of it.’ And we kind of went down the road with me and X-Pac, which I absolutely love working with those guys. And at the time DX, I mean they were just — red hot isn’t really the word. I mean, super, super, super hot was at this time, so I was all for it.”

On the downside of his ‘Don’t Piss Me Off’ character: “[It was intentionally a different presentation] down to, we were going to shoot vignettes. And we did shoot some vignettes, but I wore the shirt today in honor of Conrad, because as I was reading the notes last night and I said, ‘I think I’ve got that shirt, I’m going to pull it out.’ Which was the pivot of — my shirt says, don’t tick me off.’ That is the PG version that the action figures had to be and — you know, it was one of those things that as I as you look back on, and you’re going, ‘Okay, it’s the Attitude Era.’ But boy, you talk about really softening, it was maybe the worst thing that you could do, if you will, in the Attitude Era. You know, to a censor it’s like, ‘Oh, okay. So now you can’t say it.’ But USA Network, cable, you could not say ‘piss.’ So ‘Don’t piss me off’ didn’t completely pass all the standards and practices.

“But the vignettes, the guitar, obviously the short hair, the attitude, the catchphrase — all that was a part of the direction we were going. That I mean, right before, right as we were kind of forming all this. We’re going to lose the hair, which I thought was cool to have a hair match in the Garden. But that’s kind of the launching point to go into vignettes and attitude, and storylines, and finishes, and everything that went with it. It was the new Jeff Jarrett, if you will… And that is something the education of my own personal standards and practices. Like, fast forward a year from this time when I went to the Slapnuts, and they called me in in Detroit really early. And I said, ‘Whoa, let’s get this out on the table. Is this a concern?’ They’re like, ‘Yes, it’s a concern. Explain to me, Jeff, what a slapnut is.’ And I said, ‘Okay, it’s really simple.’ Once you kind of explained it, it passed their test. I said, ‘Okay, this can be monetized.’ I didn’t actually think those words, but I thought, ‘Okay, we can use this.’ Coming off — and that was something that Russo didn’t think of, and Ferrera didn’t think of. I’m even going to say no one in the creative circle, to my knowledge, threw a red flag.’ It was, ‘Oh, wait a minute,’ maybe a Kevin Dunn, or maybe somebody told Kevin or USA Network. It was, we were already, the toothpaste was out of the tube so to speak. And then you start hearing the licensee. I don’t think it was completely thought through. And I’ll take responsibility, it’s my character. But as a talent. That was a lesson learned for Jeff, for sure.”

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