WWE Hall Of Famer Jeff Jarrett On Why ‘Tweener’ Characters Don’t Work “99.9 Percent Of The Time”
WWE Hall of Famer and current AEW star Jeff Jarrett has criticised the use of ‘tweener’ characters in professional wrestling, arguing that the approach is unmarketable and detrimental to storytelling in the industry.
The term ‘tweener’ describes a wrestling character that exists in a grey area between babyface and heel, often exhibiting traits of both. While legendary wrestlers like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Eddie Guerrero, and The Rock have achieved tremendous success with this persona, Jeff Jarrett remains sceptical about its place in modern wrestling. Discussing the topic on an episode of his podcast, My World, Jarrett made his stance clear.
“The tweener stuff is not marketable at all, and the end result of that is a disaster.”
He said, expressing his belief that such characters fail to connect with audiences on an emotional level. Jarrett further explained that the issue doesn’t just affect the tweener character but also weakens their opponents, particularly babyfaces.
“Not only do you not get over as a talent, your segment doesn’t get over. You neuter the babyface, making it almost impossible for them to get that emotional connection where the viewer wants to get behind that protagonist.”
The veteran wrestler was blunt in his overall assessment of the archetype, stating:
“99.9 percent of the time tweeners suck, it is a death nail.”
Why Wasn’t Jeff Jarrett Surprised That The 1999 WWE Over The Edge PPV Continued After The Tragic Death Of Owen Hart?
Jeff Jarrett spoke about the aftermath of Owen Hart’s tragic passing at the 1999 Over the Edge pay-per-view and said that he was not surprised at the time that the show continued. Jarrett said he didn’t have time to process the severity of the situation at the time and he went out to the ring for his match as Owen’s body was wheeled past him on a stretcher. Despite the harrowing scene, Jarrett continued with his planned promo and match.
H/t to ITRWrestling.com