Jeff Jarrett Recalls Vince McMahon Screaming At Him While Doing WWE Commentary
On the latest episode of the My World Podcast, Jeff Jarrett covered the WWE SummerSlam 1999 event. While speaking about the lead up for the show, Jarrett spoke about how during a show in Detroit when he was on commentary to talk about his upcoming SummerSlam match, Vince McMahon was yelling in his ear.
"One time he was screaming in my ear so loud I could not hear myself think, and I literally froze and didn't say anything," Jarrett said. "I could hear him say, 'Are you just going to sit there and say nothing?' It's not easy, but yes, he's in your ear. I don't remember specifically who was there, who wasn't there on this show. But yeah, that was a rough go of it.
"If somebody is going to sit in that booth in TNA, I don't mandate much. But if someone was going to sit in, I always wasn't a big fan of it. But if you were going to, I always made sure Mike Tenay and Don West had the talent, they pulled them aside and went through their points. How are you going to bounce this hot potato around, you got a four or five minute match and as a part of that four to move minute match, you have to go around the horn a few times. What are you hitting?
"I want the talent to feel comfortable, not so much Mike and Don. I want the talent to say this is when I'm going to join the dance and this is when I'm going to lay out because nothing worse than announcers talking over the top of each other. It just doesn't work. JR and The King, they knew when one was zigging, the other was zagging. If they did, it felt organic. There's an art to doing it well."
Jim Ross highlighted what it was like having Vince McMahon in your ear during commentary on an episode of Grilling JR. Ross revealed that he and Lawler would both look at each other with a "twinkle in our eye" when Vince wasn't backstage producing the announcers.
The Founder of TNA revealed on a previous podcast how he left the WWE at the end of this year following his feud with Chyna. Jarrett continued to speak about that situation and how he really wanted to respond back to Vince but couldn't given that they were on live television.
"By this point I felt very comfortable behind a mic, at an in-ring or holding my own whatever it may be," Jarrett said. "I'm having a conversation with [Michael Cole or Jim Ross] and it's foreign to have somebody in your ear screaming at you and you want to talk back to them. Again, it's an art."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit My World with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.