Wednesday 21 February 2018 09:12, UK
Jeff Jarrett says he is humbled to be entering the WWE Hall of Fame but admits he "never dreamed" it would happen.
Jarrett was confirmed earlier this week as the fourth entrant in the 2018 class, following Goldberg, the Dudley Boyz and Ivory in the annual pre-WrestleMania ceremony.
It means he will return to the company 17 years after he was fired - as part of an on-screen storyline and in real life - following WWE's acquisition of the World Championship Wrestling roster after the 2001 buy-out.
Jarrett went on to launch his own company to rival WWE, a factor which has led to widespread surprise within the industry when his Hall of Fame induction was confirmed.
"I would have never dreamed that in 2018 I'd be going into the Hall of Fame," Jarrett told NBC Sports. "But as I've sat back and looked I said, 'Welp, I guess there are some things that are just meant to be.
"I've never been a guy to look in the rearview mirror and talk about what ifs, I've always been a guy who looks forward.
"I think from an in-ring perspective, I was just hitting my prime years in the early 2000s. I would have loved to work with the guys in WWE during that time period, but it wasn't meant to be. I took my career in another direction and I'm glad I did so, but the Hall of Fame is another opportunity for things to come full circle."
Jarrett's first taste of the wrestling business came working on a concession stand for his grandmother's promotion as a child, and his father - Jerry Jarrett - was a well-known promoter in the Memphis region in the 1970s and 1980s.
Jarrett says he will accept the Hall of Fame nomination on behalf of his entire family.
"It's a humbling honour and I will be accepting it on behalf of just not myself, but my wife Karen, who has had to go through ups and downs, my dad, my stepmom, my uncle, who just passed away. My grandfather, my grandmother on the other side of my family," Jarrett told NBC Sports.
"It's a three-generation business, so I'm accepting it for everyone in my family because it is a family business. That is something that is so humbling to me. I'm the one who got picked, but it's really an award for the entire Jarrett family.
"When I first heard about it I looked at my calendar and saw that the date of the ceremony is April 6, 2018 and April 6 of 1986 was the day that I had my very first match. So 32 years to the day is sort of surreal."
