When the names of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express, Junkyard Dog, the Fabulous Freebirds, the Von Erich dynasty, and Jerry “The King” Lawler are mentioned, some might instantly label them as fan favorite “rasslers” from the South, who once worked for the former Chairman and CEO of WWE, Vince McMahon. And while some believe that southern born or popularized wrestlers in that region weren’t treated as equally as their counterparts from the North by McMahon, “Double J” Jeff Jarrett disagrees entirely.

“I don’t personally believe Vince, like, gave two strikes against you if you were southern,” the former six-time WWE Intercontinental Champion said on his “My World” podcast. “I just don’t…And when you look at everything to go with it, I mean, you can’t say Hulk [Hogan], the biggest box office attraction he ever had, he’s certainly not a New York City slicker. I’m not going to say he’s a southern guy, but he’s Tampa…I just don’t ever look at Vince as having that crazy kind of bias. I never did.”

Several of the names listed above went on to become focal icons for the company, even winning the grandest championships imaginable. Despite the turbulent flaws McMahon had that eventually cost him his career, no matter where a wrestler came from, if they had the “It” factor, McMahon was the first to jump in head first to capture and hone their talent into unbeatable heights.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “My World with Jeff Jarrett” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.