A WWE Hall of Famer has been absent from AEW for a while.
Jeff Jarrett has been with All Elite Wrestling since the promotion’s launch, regularly featured on television in its early days. He helped build a heel stable alongside Sonjay Dutt, Jay Lethal, and Satnam Singh, and even signaled interest in pursuing the AEW World Championship. Over time, however, his television appearances have waned, and his final match for the company took place in January 2025. Jarrett now works primarily as a PPV analyst, making frequent appearances, while also wrestling on the independent circuit. This shift has left fans curious about his prolonged absence from AEW action.
“Well, I do Zero Hour. I’m very comfortable. I’m not in the creative department, I’m not in talent relations, I’m a talent. When I’m called to do Zero Hour and be an analyst, I do it. When I’m called to wrestle, I’ll be a wrestler.” [H/T Fightful]
Jeff Jarrett Explains Why He Opted Not to Return to WWE in 2009
After departing WWE, Jarrett played a key role in launching TNA Wrestling in the early 2000s, where he became a regular on TV. TNA grew to become wrestling’s second‑largest promotion, featuring rising stars such as AJ Styles and Samoa Joe, as well as former WWE veterans like Kurt Angle, Ric Flair, and Hulk Hogan. Jarrett, however, had to distance himself from TNA in 2008 due to backstage tensions involving Kurt Angle and Dixie Carter. When WWE contacted him in 2009, he chose to stay with TNA instead. Speaking on his “My World” podcast, Conrad Thompson asked Jarrett if he ever considered returning to WWE at that time. The Hall of Famer explained that his age was a deciding factor.
“Think about it. [I was] 42 years old in 2009. Vince doesn’t hire 42-year-olds and goes with them as a talent, he just doesn’t,” Jarrett explained. “In my mind, Vince has no use for a guy over 40 because that’s just where his head was at. I don’t think it’s a rationalisation, but that’s a part of it.”
It would’ve been interesting to see Jeff Jarrett have a WWE run in 2009.