WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett recently announced that he is joining the board of the rebooted video game manufacturer Acclaim. Speaking on the latest episode of My World, Jarrett expressed his excitement about the opportunity, calling it a perfect blend of his passions.
“I am so damn excited about this opportunity. I guess you could say I’m marrying two of my worlds. I’ve never been the biggest gamer, but the business of gaming, I have been fascinated with way, way back. I was attached to a WWF Acclaim game, and then obviously the TNA Midway game, and then my work with WrestleQuest and Mega Cat. Acclaim, the pieces of the puzzle kind of came together. They reached out and I jumped at it man. I could not be more thrilled to see where this opportunity takes me.”
While Jarrett has never been a hardcore gamer, his extensive history with wrestling-related video games made this a natural fit. With Acclaim’s return, fans will be eager to see what role wrestling plays in the company’s future projects.
Jarrett also shared his thoughts on John Cena’s shocking heel turn at Elimination Chamber, emphasizing how it could benefit WWE as a whole.
“From the creative perspective, the one thing I was taught is that when you pull that trigger on said heel or babyface and he jumps the fence, it has the ability to freshen up the entire roster in almost a magical way. His interactions with Gunther are going to be different. You just have all kind of segments throughout the entire roster, so you have to kind of think through all that. Are there any matchups that we’ve missed that we should go capitalize on, should go monetize on? You could just kind of see quite a few of those pieces of puzzle already falling into place.”
Cena’s villainous transformation has already led to major shifts in WWE storylines, and Jarrett believes it could lead to some unexpected rivalries.
While discussing the broader impact of Cena’s turn, Jarrett pointed out that Cody Rhodes stands to gain the most from the feud heading into WrestleMania 41.
“They’re banking on a massive WrestleMania. I think what Rock is sprinkled in there is that this is ultimately business wise, yes, it’s best for the brand and lifts everything, but man, oh man. You talk about taking Cody to another level. You can see him getting a lead in a Hollywood film, like he’s getting up into that stratosphere, not just the top baby face. I couldn’t be happier for the guy, but man, I just think the depth of the roster and the way they’re navigating things, Cody as the brand is going to benefit the most.”
Jarrett also speculated that Cena’s heel run might not be a long-term change.
“Cena, unless he calls off his retirement tour, which he could, he’s exiting. So I don’t see this as a long term heel run. I don’t think he’s going to break away too much from what brought him to the dance. I think it’s short term, but they’re hammered down to Vegas.”
With WrestleMania 41 fast approaching, Cena’s heel persona is already shaking up WWE’s landscape. If Jarrett’s predictions hold true, this shift could be the catalyst that cements Cody Rhodes as WWE’s next global superstar.
