Jeff Jarrett Recalls Changing Character For WWE's Attitude Era, Hair Match With X-Pac

As WWE programming underwent massive changes during the Attitude Era, every wrestler was forced to adapt to the new lay of the land. Jeff Jarrett was among those who quickly realized that he had to develop a character more in tune with WWE's new TV-14 product, or simply be cast to the wayside. 

On a recent episode of "My World," Jarrett recalled the time when D-Generation X cut his hair after he lost a hair vs. hair match to X-Pac at SummerSlam 1998, and how the moment allowed him to tap into a new persona.

"I had to figure out how to reinvent myself," Jarrett said recalling his return to WWE. "What extension of my personality is better served during this time? So, a haircut was ... I wouldn't say low-hanging fruit but it was definitely a piece of the puzzle to create a new image. Obviously, we weren't changing my name, but we had to go down a different avenue. I think it [haircut] was originally my idea, but Vince [McMahon] and Ed [Ferrara] had discussions. It was all, 'Let's put everything on the table and figure it out.' Their thinking was, 'If we're gonna cut the hair, let's get some mileage out of it.' So, we went down that road with X-Pac, which I absolutely loved."

Jarrett admittedly felt honored to be working with DX in 1998, especially since the Triple H-led stable was "super, super, super hot" at the time. After being forced to cut his hair, Jarrett continued to go down a different path from his previous musician persona, turning into a misogynistic control freak terrorizing his valet, Debra, and other women. 

Eventually, Debra would retaliate against Jarrett's abuse and the angle would lead to Chyna stepping up to Jarrett for abusing women. He eventually lost the Intercontinental Championship to Chyna at No Mercy in 1999 before returning to WCW.