AEW Star Jeff Jarrett Looks Back On Opportunity Ahmed Johnson Had In WWE

Ahmed Johnson didn't leave the wrestling business with too many friends, but he did leave an impression on fans, however brief his run may have been. Debuting in 1995 as part of the WWE's "New Generation" era, Johnson had the look that Vince McMahon was known to value, and it was believed his charisma and power could overshadow whatever inexperience he displayed in the ring. 

Jeff Jarrett squared off with Johnson on more than a few occasions, and he talked about his impressions of him on a recent episode of "My World." 

"What an opportunity he had," Jarrett said. "For a period of time, they pushed him to the moon. Was he ... too much too soon? Was he ready to have all that responsibility on him and be able to carry the load in that style? Obviously not. I'll kinda say, at the end of the day, the cream always rises to the top, and your in-ring abilities, at some level, they just put limitations on you. Ahmed could get a reaction. He could do multiple power moves, but ... put together a 20, 25-minute match?"

Jarrett said one of Johnson's downfalls was his unwillingness to sell for his opponents.

"He didn't want to sell my guitar, he didn't want to sell my chair shot," Jarrett recalled. "In a match, you gotta be able to give and take, sell back. There's only one Ultimate Warrior ... but later on, Warrior's style was a complete disaster. That's only a short window. When you get into that no-sell, or very limited sell, it just limits everything."

Johnson's three-year WWE tenure fell short of what some felt could've been a World Championship-level run. Along with a plethora of injuries, Johnson's peers have suggested he held himself back, although Johnson himself has decried racism as the reason his career wasn't more successful.