Tony Schiavone Discusses Handling Of Jerry Jarrett's Death On Dynamite, Calls Jeff Jarrett 'A Pro'

Jerry Jarrett, famed wrestling promoter and the father of current AEW star Jeff Jarrett, passed away last week at 80 years old. The very next night on "AEW Dynamite," "Double J" told AEW President Tony Khan that he still wanted to wrestle in his scheduled eight-man tag team match. 

On the latest episode of "What Happened When," Tony Schiavone discussed how they went about handling the show on behalf of both father and son, as well as the admiration he has for the former four-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion.

"Mr. Jarrett was obviously suffering, and that was very, very tough," Schiavone said. "I think you, as a fan, may have been surprised to see Jeff on our show. We discussed as a broadcast team how we were going to handle Jeff Jarrett walking in."

Jerry Jarrett had been dealing with health issues for some time and was undergoing treatment for esophageal cancer as well. AEW wanted to put on the best show they could for one of their own who was grieving. That said, Schiavone was happy to see the WWE Hall of Famer wrestle that night, though he wasn't too surprised about it either.

"I think we did the best we can do, but let's hear it for Jeff. He's a pro," he added. "I think he thought, and I think we all agree, it was best for him to go back in the ring after his father passed away." 

Conrad Thompson then said JJ's stepmother would also agree, noting she "was adamant" that he goes to work despite his father passing, which only drew further praise from the legendary announcer.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "What Happened When with Tony Schiavone" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.