You Can Be Too Good Of A Worker

Jeff Jarrett believes Danhausen is absolutely right about one of the most important aspects of professional wrestling. While discussing recent comments from Danhausen about character development and marketing, Jarrett argued that athletic ability alone has never been enough to become a major star in the industry.

Danhausen recently spoke to aspiring wrestlers about the importance of developing a character and standing out from the crowd. His comments caught Jarrett’s attention, particularly his belief that wrestling success involves much more than what happens inside the ring.

“It’s never been strictly about the athletic ability.”

Jarrett pointed to numerous examples throughout wrestling history where character work ultimately proved more valuable than pure in-ring talent.

“For whatever reason, I was sitting there thinking about Kamala.”

Jarrett recalled how Kamala’s character transformed Sugar Bear Harris from another wrestler on the roster into a memorable attraction that connected with audiences.

“They made a character.”

According to Jarrett, the same principle has applied throughout multiple generations of wrestling. He reflected on his own career and explained how Vince McMahon changed his presentation when he arrived in WWE.

“My mouth became much more important than whether I could work or headlock or any of that kind of stuff in developing that character.”

Jarrett noted that WWE spent weeks introducing his character through vignettes before fans ever saw him wrestle a match.

“When I walked out the first night, they booed the hell out of me.”

“They had never seen me even walk to the ring, let alone lock up, punch, any of that kind of stuff.”

The former TNA founder also pointed to Stone Cold Steve Austin as another example. While Austin had already established himself as a talented performer, Jarrett believes it was his character and promos that elevated him into a megastar.

“He said that King of the Ring promo and whoa, he’s the rebel and things took off.”

Jarrett then connected the discussion to more recent examples, including Chad Gable and Ludwig Kaiser, whose highly praised WWE AAA match generated significant buzz despite both wrestlers having been established performers for years.

“Did it really have to do with their athletic ability or with their storytelling and presentation?”

“Both guys have been around and they’ve never received, to my knowledge, this much praise.”

Ultimately, Jarrett agreed with Danhausen’s central point. While athletic ability remains important, he believes character, storytelling, and presentation are what truly separate successful wrestlers from the rest of the pack.

“As Danhausen said, it isn’t—it’s never been strictly about the athletic ability.”

Jarrett even shared advice he learned early in his career from his father.

“You can be too good of a worker and it hurts your career.”

For Jarrett, Danhausen’s success serves as another reminder that connecting with fans often matters more than executing the perfect move inside the ring.