Vince Russo believes Jeff Jarrett destroyed Dixie Carter’s confidence and left the former TNA president afraid to make decisions.
Speaking on The Brand, Russo discussed Carter’s portrayal in the recent Dark Side of the Ring documentary about TNA. Russo questioned Carter’s decision not to participate despite understanding why she may want to distance herself from that period.
“Dixie gets hammered in this thing from beginning to end. It’s an absolute hammering of Dixie.
“Jeff tried to get Dixie to do the show, and Dixie said no. Dixie did not want to be a part of this. Maybe she wants to get away from all of this. I understand all that, but my God, defend yourself.”
Russo then recalled TNA’s early financial problems and the circumstances that led to Panda Energy becoming involved with the promotion.
“After the second show, Jeff’s backer pulled out. Jeff had no money. TNA was dead. Dead.
“I go to Jeff’s house a couple of days later, and he said, ‘Hey, Vince, you know Dixie Carter? You know that woman who does the PR for us?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He says, ‘Her father owns an energy company in Dallas, and maybe I should talk to them about investing. I’m flying down to Dallas.’”
Panda Energy’s investment changed the power structure within TNA, with Carter becoming Jarrett’s boss.
“Jeff did that. The next thing we know, Panda is now involved, and now it’s Panda’s money.
“Panda threw in a shitload of money, and Jeff was no longer an equal partner. He was a minority. Dixie really was his boss.”
Russo said that dynamic created problems when Carter began expressing opinions about wrestling and TNA’s creative direction.
“Dixie is Jeff’s boss, and now Dixie is kind of crossing over the line into the wrestling world.
“Jeff would immediately shut her down and make her feel like, ‘You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. Stay out of my lane. Let me handle the wrestling. Let me handle the creative.’”
According to Russo, Jarrett treated Carter so harshly that she lost confidence in her ability to make decisions.
“He was so freaking harsh that, from that point forward, she was afraid to make any kind of decision because he stripped her of any confidence she ever had.”
Russo said he and Dutch Mantell encouraged Jarrett to compromise with Carter on matters that were not important.
“Me and Dutch used to tell Jeff, ‘Brother, give in to her on the shit that doesn’t matter, Jeff. Give in to her on the little shit. It doesn’t matter.’”
Russo believes Carter’s fear of making the wrong decision ultimately contributed to her downfall in TNA.
“He made Dixie feel like she was a blithering idiot. From that moment on, she could not make a decision. She would not make a decision because she was scared to death of making the wrong decision.
“That eventually was what was her downfall. She could never make a decision.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article, please credit The Brand, with a h/t to Wrestling Headlines for the transcription.
