1. Overview
Karen Jarrett, born on October 12, 1972, and formerly known as Karen Smedley and Karen Angle, is an American professional wrestling valet and personality. She is recognized for her significant roles as a manager and authority figure across various promotions, including Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA), Global Force Wrestling (GFW), and currently All Elite Wrestling (AEW). Initially gaining prominence as the wife of Olympic gold medalist and professional wrestler Kurt Angle, she later married Jeff Jarrett, co-founder of TNA and GFW. Her career saw her involved in numerous high-profile storylines, character transformations, and a key role in the Knockouts Division. She was also instrumental in her husband's success, notably assisting Kurt Angle in a "Winner take all" match in TNA to secure all championships. Beyond wrestling, Jarrett is known for her personal life, including public incidents, and her involvement in social causes such as raising awareness for leukemia and supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
2. Early Life and Background
Karen Jarrett was born on October 12, 1972, in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Standing at 5.8 ft (1.78 m), her early life details are not widely publicized, but her later involvement in professional wrestling began through her marriage to Kurt Angle in 1998. At the time of her initial participation in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 2007, she was approximately 35 years old.
3. Professional Wrestling Career
Karen Jarrett's professional wrestling career spans several major promotions, where she primarily served as a manager, valet, and on-screen authority figure. Her roles often involved significant storylines, influencing the outcomes of matches and the careers of the wrestlers she was associated with.
3.1. World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (2001, 2004)
Karen Jarrett had a limited presence in the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/WWE) despite her then-husband Kurt Angle being under contract. She herself was never contracted by WWE. Her brief appearances include Unforgiven 2001, where she was part of the celebration with the Angle family after Kurt Angle's victory over Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWF Championship. She also appeared in a bonus segment regarding Kurt Angle on the WrestleMania XX DVD set.
3.2. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (2007-2008)
Karen Angle, as she was then known, was introduced to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in mid-2007 amidst a feud between Samoa Joe and Kurt Angle. The storyline revolved around a "Winner take all" match for the Triple Crown Championship, where Kurt Angle held the TNA World Heavyweight Championship and Joe held the TNA X Division Championship and TNA World Tag Team Championship. Karen initially claimed she wanted to divorce Kurt, citing emotional abuse. However, at the Hard Justice pay-per-view, she betrayed Samoa Joe, helping Kurt Angle win the match and the Triple Crown, which turned her into a heel character.
Her character evolved into a manipulative figure. For instance, she falsely accused Sting of slapping her at No Surrender, leading to Kurt and Sting losing the Tag Team titles to Team Pacman after Kurt executed an Olympic slam on Sting. This incident fueled a new feud between Kurt Angle and Sting, resulting in Karen's arrest for violating a restraining order and Kurt stalking Sting's son.
At Genesis, Karen persuaded A.J. Styles and Tomko to assist Kurt in retaining the TNA World Heavyweight Championship during a tag team match. Towards the end of 2007, she began a rivalry with Booker T's wife, Sharmell, implying there was only room for one "queen" in TNA. This led to a catfight at the December 12 TNA Impact! tapings, where Karen suffered a broken foot after jumping from the apron, though it did not cause her to miss tapings due to the company's schedule.
On the February 14, 2008 episode of Impact!, Karen was scheduled to renew her wedding vows with Kurt. However, in a storyline twist, she was accidentally pronounced married to A.J. Styles by a confused priest who had been knocked down by Kevin Nash. Kurt then began emotionally attacking Karen for not ending the "marriage".
Later in the year, she proposed a kayfabe separation from Kurt Angle so he could "concentrate on his upcoming match with Samoa Joe at Lockdown." Hints of a relationship with A.J. Styles emerged as Kurt continued to ignore Karen, even having her ejected from ringside at Lockdown. On the May 22, 2008, Impact! episode, Kurt asked Karen to return home, but she left him begging in the ring. Later, Karen attempted to aid A.J. Styles, who was being attacked by Booker T, Team 3D, and Tomko. She sought Kurt's help, but upon seeing Karen embrace a bloodied A.J., Kurt turned on Styles, hitting him with a chair and yelling at Karen, "This is your fault! You deceived me!"
On the May 29, 2008, Impact! episode, A.J. Styles was again attacked backstage before his entrance. He ran to the ring to help Karen but was beaten down by Team 3D and Kurt Angle. Christian Cage also attempted to intervene but was assaulted. It was then announced that A.J. Styles would face Kurt Angle at Slammiversary. Karen interfered, helping A.J. Styles win the match, turning her face again. Shortly after, Angle was given her own interview segment, Karen's Angle, on iMPACT!, with her first interview being with Kaz on July 24, 2008. On the October 9, 2008, Impact! episode, it was announced that Karen had to step down from hosting Karen's Angle to focus on her family, and her TNA profile was temporarily removed from the official website.
3.3. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling Return (2011, 2015)
Karen Jarrett returned to TNA on January 13, 2011, appearing alongside her new husband, Jeff Jarrett, who was feuding with Kurt Angle. In her return, she confronted Angle as he was about to attack Jeff, stating she would not let him ruin their personal lives and promising to reveal details about their divorce the following week. The next week, Karen slapped Kurt, distracting him and allowing Jeff to assault him.
At Against All Odds on February 13, Jeff defeated Kurt, forcing Angle to escort Karen down the aisle when she and Jarrett renewed their wedding vows on the March 3 Impact! episode. During the ceremony, Kurt Angle destroyed the wedding set with an axe and forced New York Jet player Bart Scott, who was a wedding guest, to submit to an ankle lock.
On May 15, at Sacrifice, Kurt Angle and Chyna, whom Angle had brought in to counter Karen, defeated the Jarretts in a mixed tag team match, with Karen submitting to Chyna. Due to a storyline injury, Karen missed the conclusion of Jeff's and Angle's feud at Slammiversary IX and the subsequent Impact Wrestling, which led to a defeated Jeff Jarrett leaving the company for a tour of Mexico. On June 18, Karen accompanied Jeff at Lucha Libre AAA World Wide's (AAA) Triplemanía XIX event in Mexico, where her distraction helped Jeff defeat El Zorro for the AAA Mega Championship.
On the September 1 Impact Wrestling! episode, Eric Bischoff appointed Karen as the new Commissioner of the Knockouts Division. On October 20, she aligned herself with Gail Kim and Madison Rayne. However, on December 15, TNA authority figure Sting fired both Jarretts from TNA after Jeff lost to Jeff Hardy at Final Resolution.
Four years later, Karen returned to Impact Wrestling alongside Jeff Jarrett during the June 24, 2015 tapings. Jeff announced he would be the first entrant in the King of the Mountain match at Slammiversary 2015. Karen turned heel on the August 26 Impact Wrestling episode, revealing she had orchestrated attacks on TNA General Manager Bully Ray and Drew Galloway. This led to a Lethal Lockdown match between a team of five from Global Force Wrestling (GFW) and a team of five from TNA for control of TNA. GFW was unsuccessful, as Drew Galloway pinned Brian Myers, leading to GFW's exile from TNA.
3.4. Activities in Other Promotions (2013-2017)
Beyond her significant tenures in TNA, Karen Jarrett also held prominent roles and made notable appearances in other professional wrestling organizations.
3.4.1. Family Wrestling Entertainment (2013)
On October 12, 2013, Karen Jarrett appeared at Family Wrestling Entertainment's Grand Prix event, where she was appointed as the promotion's Commissioner. In this role, she was responsible for overseeing operations and storylines within the company.
3.4.2. Global Force Wrestling (2015-2017)
Karen Jarrett played a pivotal role in the founding of Global Force Wrestling (GFW), serving as a co-founder of the promotion. Her involvement extended to on-screen activities and storylines within the company, often appearing alongside her husband, Jeff Jarrett, who was also a key figure in GFW.
3.4.3. Impact Wrestling / Global Force Wrestling Return (2017)
On January 5, 2017, it was announced that Karen Jarrett had rejoined Impact Wrestling, which was now under the ownership of Anthem Sports & Entertainment. She took on an executive consultant role, contributing to the management of Impact Wrestling. Jarrett returned as a face on the March 23 Impact Wrestling episode, being welcomed back by Jeremy Borash. She was soon interrupted by Ethan Carter III and Josh Mathews. When Mathews suggested the Jarretts would be gone forever, Karen slapped him, concluding the show.
On the March 30 Impact Wrestling episode, Jarrett confronted Sienna, who was presented as the leader of the Knockouts, and gave her ten seconds to apologize for her treatment of Allie. However, she was interrupted by KM, Sienna's cousin, who publicly berated Jarrett. Braxton Sutter came to Jarrett's rescue, knocking KM out of the ring. Jarrett then arranged a match between KM and Sutter for later that night. On the same night, Jarrett handed Borash a piece of paper to announce a Knockouts battle royal to determine the new number one contender for Rosemary's Knockouts Championship. On the April 20 Impact Wrestling episode, Karen Jarrett officially announced that Impact Wrestling and Global Force Wrestling had merged.
3.5. All Elite Wrestling (2023-present)
Karen Jarrett made her debut in All Elite Wrestling (AEW) on May 17, 2023. During an episode of Dynamite, she assisted her husband Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal, and Satnam Singh in an attack on FTR (Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood). Following this, she officially joined Jeff Jarrett's stable, marking her continued presence in a prominent wrestling promotion.
4. Personal Life
Karen Jarrett's personal life has been closely intertwined with her professional wrestling career, particularly through her high-profile marriages and subsequent public attention.
4.1. Marriages and Family
Karen Jarrett married professional wrestler Kurt Angle in 1998, and they have two children together. In 2008, Karen filed for divorce, which was finalized on October 26, 2008.
In 2009, Karen became romantically linked to TNA co-founder Jeff Jarrett. This relationship reportedly began while Karen and Kurt Angle were separated. The situation became public in July 2009 when a caller, claiming to be a former TNA employee, discussed the matter on the Bubba the Love Sponge Show. The revelation led to TNA president Dixie Carter placing Jeff Jarrett on a leave of absence from the company. On April 6, 2010, Karen announced her engagement to Jeff Jarrett. They were married on August 21, 2010.
4.2. Public Controversies and Incidents
Karen Jarrett has been involved in several publicly reported conflicts and incidents. In April 2016, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter reported an argument between Karen and Lucha Underground announcer Melissa Santos during a WrestleCon event in Dallas over WrestleMania 32 weekend. The incident reportedly escalated after Santos complained about not having a chair, with Karen allegedly spitting on her, leading to a near physical altercation.
Another notable incident occurred around July 27, 2017, involving WWE superstar Braun Strowman at a bar in Nashville. Reports described Karen approaching Strowman to request an autograph for her son. Strowman allegedly refused and responded with unspecified derogatory remarks. Karen then reportedly identified her child as the son of then-WWE superstar Kurt Angle, which prompted Strowman to apologize. Following media coverage of the story, Karen later stated that the incident was "blown way out of proportion."
4.3. Social Activism
Beyond her wrestling career, Karen Jarrett has actively engaged in social causes. She uses her social media platforms to spread awareness about leukemia. Additionally, she has publicly expressed her support for the Black Lives Matter movement, aligning herself with its goals of promoting racial justice and equality.
5. Awards and Achievements
Karen Jarrett's contributions to professional wrestling, primarily as a manager and personality, have been acknowledged within the industry. She was recognized by Pro Wrestling Illustrated, a prominent professional wrestling magazine, as the 3rd Runner Up for their PWI Woman of the Year award in 2007.
6. Assessment and Legacy
Karen Jarrett's impact on professional wrestling is primarily defined by her dynamic on-screen presence as a valet and authority figure, as well as her involvement in high-profile storylines that often blurred the lines between kayfabe and reality. Her significant tenures in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) saw her play crucial roles in feuds involving Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett, contributing to some of the company's most talked-about narratives during her time there. She effectively utilized her character, whether as a manipulative heel or a supportive face, to enhance the drama and intensity of matches and storylines.
Her roles as Commissioner in Family Wrestling Entertainment and Knockouts Division Commissioner in TNA, along with her co-founding of Global Force Wrestling and later an executive consultant role in Impact Wrestling, demonstrate her influence beyond just a ringside manager. These positions allowed her to directly shape the direction of divisions and promotions, showcasing her leadership capabilities. While her career was marked by personal controversies that occasionally spilled into the public eye, her ability to integrate these real-life elements into compelling storylines highlights her unique contribution to the entertainment aspect of professional wrestling. Her recent activity in All Elite Wrestling signifies her continued relevance and adaptability within the evolving landscape of the professional wrestling industry. Beyond the ring, her advocacy for leukemia awareness and support for the Black Lives Matter movement reflect a commitment to social issues, adding another dimension to her public persona and legacy.