Jeff Jarrett Reflects On Vince Russo Siding With Dixie Carter, Jim Cornette’s Time In TNA

Jeff Jarrett recently shared his thoughts on Vince Russo’s time in TNA and how he was a little more on Dixie Carter’s side than his at the time. Jarrett and TNA were, of course, documented in the recent three-part episode of Dark Side of the Ring. The episodes noted that toward the later years of Jarrett’s time there, Russo showed more loyalty to Carter than Jarrett in the power struggle between the two.

Jarrett spoke with Justin Dhillon for The Wrestling Classic and was asked when he realized Russo was “a little bit more Team Dixie than Team Jeff.” He noted that Russo, like most in TNA, were doing what was best for them by ensuring they kept their jobs. He also reflected on Jim Cornette’s time in the company. You can see the highlights below:

On Vince Russo Picking Carter Over Him:

“At the end of the day — I’ll say this about Vince, and it’s not just about Vince. Vince was beholden to the paycheck. Yeah, that is something, I don’t think it came out in the episodes. But when all that went down in — I’ll say from 2010 to 2000 when I resigned at ’13 — Scott Steiner is the only one who went up to Dixie and didn’t care how it came out, and told her, ‘Dixie, you’re getting worked. You’re getting spun, you’re going down a bad road. This ain’t a Jeff talk, although it’s going to appear that way. This ain’t the boys talking. I’m trying to help you as an individual. Look, if you fire me, you fire me. You’re going down the wrong path.’

“So, I understood people have to pay bills. People have to make a living, people have to further their career. And so I always looked at Vince through those lenses in that, no matter how you slice it and dice it, for better or worse, Vince took care of Vince.”

On Jim Cornette Working In the Company:

“I’ll never forget Dutch Mantell backstage at Orlando Universal Studios. He came up to me in classic kind of a Dutchism and he said, ‘Jeff, you know how much I respect your father?’ ‘Yeah, Dutch, I do.’ He said, ‘You know how much I think your dad is super innovative?’ ‘Yeah, Dutch, I do.’ ‘And you know how much I think of you, Jeff? ‘Yep.’ He said, ‘I got a lot of respect for you, just like your father. I think you’re an innovator, too.’ ‘Yep.’ He said, ‘But never in my wildest dreams did I think you would have the ability to get Vince Russo and Jim Cornette to work in the same company at the same time.’

“Look, Cornette — when he came on as the Director of Authority, you can kind of look at his role and the promos he delivered. He was a part of, like many others that from Saturday night late night TV to Thursday night late night TV, to one-hour primetime to two-hour primetime. Cornette was a part of that, and that was in front of and behind the camera.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Wrestling Classic with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.