Jeff Jarrett’s First Love: A Surprising Revelation
Jeff Jarrett, a renowned figure in the professional wrestling world, has recently shared a fascinating aspect of his life that may come as a surprise to many. With a career spanning nearly 40 years, Jarrett has donned multiple hats, including promoter, WWE Senior Vice President of Live Events, AEW Director of Business Development, and in-ring competitor. However, his first love was not professional wrestling, but rather an entirely different sports industry – basketball.
In a recent interview with WrestleZone’s Ella Jay, Jarrett revealed that his earliest athletic interest lay in basketball, a passion that has been rekindled with his involvement in Acclaim Entertainment’s relaunch. “I wish I would have had a camera on me when I got the roll out, the basketball [game],” Jarrett said. “I like to say this. My first love is actually not professional wrestling; my first love is basketball. My daughter plays college ball. I played college ball. I’m a basketball guy, but when the basketball game was a part of the release, I jumped at it. So I gotta say, that’s near and dear to my heart, no doubt.”
Acclaim Entertainment’s Revival and Jarrett’s Role
As part of its revival, Acclaim presented a showcase of new video games, including Basketball Classics, a retro arcade game set on a basketball court. Jarrett, a member of the Acclaim advisory board, is excited about the game, which aligns with his love for basketball. He also mentioned that he is a big fan of NBA Jam, an iconic gaming series, and has invested a significant amount of time in Mario Kart, a game he enjoys playing with his family.
As an advisor, Jarrett focuses on the marketing aspects of Acclaim and its video games, helping to turn good ideas into great ones behind the scenes. He was honored to be approached for this opportunity, which allows him to blend his experience in business and gaming. “As you’re well aware that I’m [part of] three generations of professional wrestling, but going back a long time ago, many, many moons ago, I was a gamer that was more of a fan from a business perspective with my business cap on,” Jarrett said.
Jarrett’s Reaction to the Acclaim Opportunity
Jarrett expressed his excitement about the opportunity, stating that it’s an honor to be part of Acclaim’s rebirth. “So all these years later, I call it my two worlds colliding. In a lot of ways, it’s an honor to be a part of it because all the pieces of the puzzle that have kind of been layered in here, if you will, it’s just super exciting. So when they approach me, I just kind of sat back and had to pinch myself because, again, I’ve been in video games, obviously in the wrestling space for years, years and years, and way back in the day, the Acclaim game. But as we move forward and just the rebirth, if you will, it’s super exciting.”
Watch the full interview with Jeff Jarrett:
Read more about Jeff Jarrett’s first love and his involvement with Acclaim Entertainment Here
