Jerry Jarrett, famed wrestling promoter and father of Jeff, passes away at 80

A revered name in Memphis, Jerry Jarrett was known as one of the most creative bookers in pro wrestling history.

Pro wrestling lost one of its most respected creative minds Tuesday as Jerry Jarrett died at age 80.

WWE confirmed Jerry Jarrett’s passing, as did Impact Wrestling, of which he was a co-founder.

The father of current AEW wrestler and Director of Business Development, Jerry Jarrett first got into the wrestling business as a referee in the early 1960s before making the leap to wrestling himself in 1965. His in-ring career was known mostly for his time in NWA Mid-America, where he found some success in the tag team division.

But Jerry Jarrett’s real talent was in promoting, something he first tried his hand at by founding the Continental Wrestling Association in 1977, which became a household name in Memphis. That company later merged with World Class Championship Wrestling to become the United States Wrestling Association, which also found success until he sold his part of the company in 1995.

In 2002, Jerry and Jeff Jarrett attempted to create a promotion to fill the void left in the US scene by the collapse of WCW, starting NWA: Total Nonstop Action — known later simply as TNA, and today as Impact Wrestling. Jerry Jarrett left that company as well in 2005, but his contributions are very much felt to this day.

That could be said of his influence on pro wrestling writ large. Jerry Jarrett will be remembered as one of the sharpest minds in the business over the last 50 years, and it’s no surprise that social media lit up with remembrances to him once word spread of his passing.

Wrestling Junkie joins with the rest of the pro wrestling community to extend its condolences to the family and friends of Jerry Jarrett.