Jazz Announces Retirement

Former World Woman’s Champion Jazz announced on the Chris Van Vliet show that she had wrestled her final match. The veteran of 22 years made the decision after her final match on Sunday. Besides being a high caliber wrestler Jazz and husband Rodney Mack also trained a slew of talent in the Southwest Region.

Jazz really came on to the national landscape when she joined the ECW Roster and became a part of the entourage for the Impact Players (Lance Storm and Justin Credible). She ended up feuding with fellow entourage member Jason. Jazz would later go on to have matches with against men on the roster, really becoming a pioneer of inter-gender wrestling.

After her time in ECW she would spend time working in PCW in Texas before landing in WWE developmental in Ohio Valley, only to be called up to the main roster almost immediately. With less than six months on the roster, she would become the WWF Woman’s Champion by defeating Trish Stratus in Las Vegas, Nevada on an episode of RAW. Jazz would successfully defend that championship at Wrestlemania X-8 in Ontario Canada by defeating both Trish Stratus and Lita. Jazz would capture the Women’s Championship once again roughly a year later at WWE’s Backlash 2003.

Jazz’s time with the National Wrestling Alliance had been on-going since getting her start in Professional Wrestling. Under the tutelage of Rod Price and her future husband Rodney Mack she would start wrestling in NWA Southwest. After leaving the WWE she would find standing, yet again with the NWA in the North East with Cyberspace, becoming their champion by defeating April Hunter in 2005. Jazz would continue to wrestle for the NWA in the Southwest with the NWA over the course of the next 8 years.

She would win the NWA World Woman’s Championship by defeating Amber Gallows and Christy Jaynes in a 3 Way Match in Sherman, Texas for NWA Texoma. This victory would help to revitalize the NWA Woman’s Championship. Shortly after winning the title she defended in Japan against Heidi Katrina for REINA Makoto 10th Anniversary. Her highest profile defense came when she defeated now reigning champion Thunder Rosa for NWA Big Apple on January 27th 2017. Around this time the NWA was in a bit of a stalling pattern as Billy Corgan had made a bid to purchase the NWA. Effectively October 2nd, 2017 all titles were sealed with exception of the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship. Only the Woman’s Championship would be reactivated and maintain Jazz as Champion. Jazz would pick up where she left off at the 70th Anniversary Show where she would defeat Penelope Ford. She would go on to defend against top notch challenges like Jordynne Grace, Maria Manic, Heather Monroe, and Allie.

After 948 days as the National Wrestling Alliance’s Woman’s World Champion, Jazz vacated the title. Jazz was the first wrestler since the Fabulous Moolah to have held the WWF Woman’s Championship and the NWA Woman’s Championship.

Jazz paved the way for women’s wrestling and was way ahead of her time. Often not appreciated for bringing work-rate to an era that was littered with eye candy and gimmick matches.