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Jeff Jarrett's 2018 Hall Of Fame Induction Evidence Of A Kinder WWE Under Triple H

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WWE officially announced Jeff Jarret's 2018 Hall of Fame induction Monday as the former six-time Intercontinental champion instantly became the most unlikely inductee in the 2018 class, let alone any.

Jeff Jarrett has been announced as the latest inductee into the 2018 WWE Hall of Fame.

Credit: WWE.com

But mending fences has become a constant theme in WWE since Triple H assumed more control as one of the top officials and the heir apparent to Vince McMahon.

The 2018 WWE Hall of Fame now features Jarrett, Goldberg, The Dudley Boyz and Ivory, which is a strong first four for an event with tickets currently selling at an average price of $136 inside the Smoothie King Center. Hall of Fame tickets are currently going for as high as $337 on the secondary market.

Jarrett has had a tumultuous history with WWE. The former WCW world heavyweight champion infamously demanded an undisclosed sum of money from WWE once his contract quietly expired while he was still Intercontinental champion.

Chyna, who defeated him in what would be his final match with the promotion, stated in her autobiography —If they Only Know—that Jarrett colluded with head writer and fellow WWE-to-WCW defect Vince Russo to extort the promotion for $300,000.  In a 2008 interview with TNA, however, Jarrett insisted the negotiations were cordial and he was paid only what he was owed in addition to stock options from WWE's forthcoming IPO.

Vince McMahon didn't waste anytime publicly firing Jarrett in the cold open of the memorable simulcast of WWE Raw and WCW Monday Nitro, which signaled the death of WCW and the end of the Monday Night Wars. Said McMahon:

"As far as the Jeff Jarrett's of the world are concerned? You know how Jeff spells his name? 'That's J-E-Double-F?' Well, you know what? Hm, I would expect we spell it a different way after tonight. That would be capital G, double-o, double-n, double-e. Goonnee!" 

Jarrett went on to launch Total Nonstop Action (TNA) which at best was a distant competitor to WWE. At one time, TNA attempted to create the Monday Night Wars for a brief period in 2010 before ratings woes quickly sunk its ambitious efforts. Jarrett returned as a minority owner as part of a rebranding effort to establish the struggling promotion as GFW, but was quickly ousted by owner Anthem Entertainment following addiction issues.

Many believed Jarrett's actions shortly before, and long after, leaving WWE had earned him a permanent list on WWE's blacklist. But his surprising return as a WWE Hall of Famer is just another example of WWE's efforts to rebuild bridges under a new era led, in part, by Triple H.

It's worth mentioning Vince McMahon has the final say when it comes to just about everything WWE related. But Triple H has been somewhat of a common denominator when it comes to the promotion welcoming back talents who were previously on the outs with the worldwide leader.

In 2014, the Ultimate Warrior, whose ugly fallout with included a hatchet job of a DVD entitled The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior, was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. The year before, WWE inducted Bruno Sammartino, who has been outspoken about the unsavory culture of sex, violence and drug abuse in WWE. Triple H seemed to forge a very public bond alongside Sammartino throughout the whole process.

Both Warrior and Sammartino have been further immortalized with statues built in their honor by WWE. Even the 2016 return of Goldberg, whose previous stint with WWE ended tumultuously on both ends, can be considered a redemption story.

It's tough to judge what WWE will be like once Triple H and Stephanie McMahon (who WWE's male-dominated fanbase conveniently omits from WWE's future leadership) permanently take over. But one positive is it will likely be a much more forgiving place where pettiness goes to die.

Triple H taking over duties at 205 Live has sparked continued support for the godfather of NXT, as the Internet Wrestling Community has done an about-face for a man who was perennially vilified as a backstage politician who allegedly undermined many underground favorites such as Chris Jericho and Daniel Bryan.

Triple H currently benefits from something of a backup quarterback syndrome over in Stamford, Conn. Many hardcore fans can't wait for Triple H to assume control of WWE, but when he does, he'll be the one taking the heat from a thankless fanbase where satisfaction is few and far between.

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