No punches will be pulled in pro wrestling star Jeff Jarrett's spoken word tour

The UK is set to welcome one of the most controversial figures in professional wrestling history this summer when former WWE, WCW and TNA star Jeff Jarrett begins a no-holds-barred Q&A tour.

Jarrett was one of the few wrestlers to sit on both sides of the infamous Monday Night Wars, switching employment between Raw and Nitro multiple times during the industry’s hottest ever period.

His reality-laced words on national television caused a stir in both global promotions, before his final move from WWE to WCW featured the rare sight of a performer standing up to legendary promoter Vince McMahon when Jarrett ensured he received money owed to him following a contract oversight.

His world championship showdown with all-time great Hulk Hogan shocked the world when Jarrett voluntarily laid down for the Hulkster in a double-cross that ended Hogan’s time in WCW and led to one of the most debated nights in wrestling.

Jarrett then responded to WCW’s demise by starting up his own competitor to McMahon’s empire, Impact Wrestling. Despite the predictions of most experts, Impact continues to operate to this day.

After overcoming personal problems, Jarrett’s contributions to the industry were recognised in a surprise induction to WWE’s Hall of Fame at this year’s Wrestlemania.

And Jarrett told Yahoo Sport UK that heading back over to this side of the Atlantic to answer anything and everything from wrestling fans about his very newsworthy three decades plus in the industry feels like the icing on a delicious cake of redemption.

“Things have fallen into place since I was inducted into the Hall of Fame,” ‘Double J’ explained.

“To be inducted in April, 32 years to the day I made my debut, and then a few months later I’m about to embark on my first ever spoken word tour. A boy from Tennessee coming to London, Edinburgh, Sheffield and Cardiff with the Sheffield leg even being shown live on Fite TV.

“It’s fitting because I’ve been a huge fan of the UK wrestling scene for so long. I did my first UK tour in 1993 and I’ve wrestled at venues such as the Royal Albert Hall and Wembley.

“To do my first spoken word tour somewhere that has always been so valuable and prestigious in the wrestling world, it has really shaped up to be such a humbling but exciting experience.

“I’m a little nervous about it, I won’t lie. I’ll be up there on stage and the questions are gonna fly, nothing is off-limits. But I’m excited about it. I really am excited.”

The tour has been put together by Hooked On Wrestling, a company that has helped contribute to wrestling’s biggest peak in popularity on these shores since the early 1990s heyday of the British Bulldog headlining Summerslam at Wembley Stadium.

Headed up by Paul Benson, HOW have staged live screenings of wrestling pay-per-view events at bars across the UK to create an electric atmosphere for like-minded fans. They have also flown several other huge names in pro wrestling over for similar spoken word tours.

“With Hooked On Events, we are trying to bring together all the growing pockets of wrestling fans round the country to make these WWE PPVs true social events,” Benson told us.

“Wrestling is always more fun watching with friends so we figure you might as well watch with dozens or even hundreds of them!”

Jeff Jarrett’s ‘Ain’t I Great’ tour will visit the following venues…

23rd July – London (Sports Bar & Grill, Canary Wharf)
24th July – Edinburgh (Hilton Carlton Hotel)
25th July – Sheffield (Public Library Theatre)
26th July – Cardiff (Bierkeller)

Prices start from £27.50 for general admission. VIP, Platinum and even ‘Chosen One’ dinner with Double J tickets are also available in select venues.

Tickets are on sale now from www.hookedonevents.co.uk/store.