WWE Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett discussed Don West turning heel as an announcer in 2009 while working for TNA Wrestling, during this week’s “My World with Jeff Jarrett”. Dixie Carter thought they needed a heel commentator, and Jarrett despised the idea.
“I hated it. I despised it. It made me furious,” Jeff revealed. “A lot of things were going right, the ratings were good, and Dixie (Carter) wants to say, ‘But Don West doesn’t make sense. We need a heel color commentator.’ No, we don’t. Don West in a lot of ways was the fan’s man because that’s what he was when he first started. He still is to this day. He’s an infectious voice that can show great energy and enthusiasm. That’s what it brought to the table.”
“For whatever reason, whether Russo pitched it to Dixie or Dixie pitched it to Russo, to this day, I don’t really know, but they got on this kick. Dutch (Mantell) pulled me aside and he said, ‘I really want to know what you think.’ I said, ‘I think it’s insanity. I hate every bit of it. I think it’s wrong on every level and they are completely missing the point that yes, the TV product is the most important deal, but all of a sudden, Don is gonna be going to these live events, he’s a heel on TV, and he’s trying to sell merch?’”
“He was the rock star of the merchandise and the online sales department. Why fix something that wasn’t broken.”
You can listen to the complete podcast below:
(H/T to WrestlingNews.co)
