Marty Jannetty

At 64 years old, Marty Jannetty has this physical status:

Marty Jannetty (born Fredrick Martin Jannetty; February 3, 1960) is an American professional wrestler.

He has worked with organizations including the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (WWF/E), the American Wrestling Association (AWA), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), among other notable titles, over a career span more than three decades. Jannetty is best known for his time as a member of the tag team The Rockers, in which he collaborated with Shawn Michaels.

The pair met success in the mid-to-late 1980s under the moniker The Midnight Rockers, winning two-time AWA World Tag Team Champions and many regional awards.

They were one of the WWF's top teams in the "Golden Age" by lining multiple functions.

In late 1990, the Rockers hosted the WWF World Tag Team Championship, but their reign was ended due to contested causes. Jannetty became a one-time WWF Intercontinental Champion and a one-time World Tag Team Champion with the 1-2-3 Kid after splitting from Michaels in early 1992.

Jannetty's presence appeared in numerous world championship matches between ECW and the WWF from 1995-1996, but his star faded afterwards, and he was mainly used as a enhancement agent during a late 1990s run in WCW.

During the second half of the 2000s (including a brief 2005 reunion with Michaels), he made occasional appearances for WWE, and has continued to be a threat to independent circuit titles. Although his career was consistently interrupted by personal issues and his achievements were overshadowed by Michael's, Jannetty was dubbed "as smooth and jaw-dropping as his partner," with a drop-kick to rival none."

Early life

Jannetty, an amateur wrestler in the state of Georgia, was competing for the state championship tournament for the third time in high school. He played basketball in high school and has won numerous Golden Gloves competitions. He wrestled at Chattahoe Valley Community College in Alabama, where he was a two-time NJCAA qualifier.

He then returned to Auburn University to wrestle, but the school has since dropped the wrestling program. He wanted to try football but was instead coaxed into professional wrestling by Jerry Oates, who taught him.

Personal life

In July 2016, Jannetty was included in a class action lawsuit brought against the WWE, alleging that wrestlers suffered catastrophic brain injury during their employment and that the organization concealed the dangers of injury. Attorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against the WWE, was able to bring the lawsuit to court. In September 2018, US District Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant dismissed the complaint. Bryant was critical of Kyros for including irrelevant details about Jannetty's fractured ankle, which she said had wasted the judge's time.

In the early morning hours of August 5, 2020, Jannetty wrote a Facebook post in which he said he made a man "disappear" when he was 13. The post was ruled by police in Columbus, Georgia, that they would investigate it. Jannetty later stated that he did not kill the guy, but he struck him in the chest with a brick after an attempted sexual assault and "made [him] disappear." Jannetty said that his remarks were part of a wrestling storyline, which he had to abandon due to the police probe.

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Professional wrestling career

Jannetty started his wrestling career with Mid-South Wrestling teammate Jerry Oates (as "cousin" Marty Oates) in September 1983 and continued his wrestling career until November. Since leaving Mid-South, he will compete under his own name for Southeastern Championship Wrestling, where he will face Super Olympia and Mr. Olympia.

In March 1984, Jannetty resumed wrestling for the National Wrestling Alliance affiliate Central States Wrestling. He competed in singles and tag team competition with numerous people, including Bulldog Bob Brown, Dave Peterson, and Tommy Rogers (as The Uptown Boys), before joining forces with fellow rookie Shawn Michaels in late 1985. The two became mates of The Midnight Rockers and quickly earned the NWA Central States Tag Team Championship from The Batten Twins. During his time in CSW, Jannetty competed Ric Flair for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

Jannetty fought his first Japanese tour for All Japan Pro Wrestling in 1985, where his best match there was a loss to Tiger Mask II on September 5.

In 1986, the pair left CSW for the American Wrestling Association. Jannetty and Michaels quickly established themselves as a top tag team in the AWA, achieving many acrobatic moves in tandem and electrifying audiences with their athleticism. Both the two teams secured the World Tag Team Championship twice, first defeating Buddy Rose and Doug Somers and then The Midnight Express for their second and final reign. They also won the Southern Tag Team Championship twice after defeating the Rock 'n' Roll RPMs on two separate occasions before advancing to the World Wrestling Federation in 1988.

The Rockers, Jannetty, and Michaels' fame swelled after their time in the AWA and the team was often referred to as "tag team specialists" by commentator Gorilla Monsoon. On June 18, 1988, the two made their WWF debut at a television taping, and they met with tag teams including Demolition, The Hart Foundation, and the Brain Busters for the remainder of 1989. During this period of tag team wrestling, Duos, including The Rockers, regularly headlined house show performances.

Despite their previous success, the Rockers never really won the Tag Team Championship in the WWF during their three-year tenure together. The Rockers were supposed to win the titles from The Hart Foundation on October 30, 1990, due to Jim Neidhart, one-half of the championship team, who was still in the process of negotiating his release from the organization. The match was taped with The Rockers clearly winning the belts, but Neidhart was recalled shortly after, shortly after, as a result of a stop-gap deal with management was broken and rehired. Michaels, on the other hand, claimed in his book that the Hart Foundation lobbied backstage to hold the title. The belts were returned to the Hart Foundation a week later, and despite The Rockers' title defense against Power and Glory on November 3, no one was told or acknowledged on television.

During a tag team match at the USF Sun Dome in December 1990, Jannetty made his Rocker Dropper finishing move on Chuck Austin, who was collaborating with Lanny Poffo. Rather than rolling flat on the ground, Austin's neck was immediately broken as a result of tucking his head during the walk rather than falling flat on the ground. Austin was paralyzed and sued Jannetty, Michaels, and Titan Sports. Austin was awarded $26.7 million when the lawsuit was finally heard in early 1994.

Michaels was "accidentally" kicked in the face during a Jannetty operation on one of The Nasty Boys, which resulted in his death at Survivor Series. Michaels woke up after being pinched and began screaming at Jannetty, blaming him for being evicted. Brutus Beefcake and his partner were both invited on the WWF Wrestling Challenge's January 12, 1992 episode, attempting to help resolve their differences. Michaels and Jannetty started to reconcile, but Michaels turned heel, striking Jannetty with "Sweet Chin Music." He then picked up Jannetty and smacked him through the big Barber Shop glass window, causing him to bleed profusely. Jannetty was originally supposed to recover from the injury, but he missed out on the chance to dominate the crowded WWF Championship in 1992. Michaels was expected to return shortly after to begin a feud that would have resulted in a one-on-one match between Michaels and Jannetty at WrestleMania VIII.

However, Jannetty was arrested in Tampa, Florida, in the early hours of January 25, 1992, after an altercation with police. Angela Ialacci, a 19-year-old male, was arrested for attempting to use a fake ID. Jannetty assaulted the officer who was doing the detention, resulting in his detention. They were discovered to have less than a gram of cocaine on hand. Jannetty was charged with cocaine, unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia, and refusing to arrest with force. Following the incident, he was officially suspended by the WWF, although his singles matches that were taped in January did not air. He was sentenced to 6 months of house arrest in March 1992 and was released by the WWF shortly after. In the first match of WrestleMania VIII, Michaels faced El Matador with no storyline.

Jannetty joined the USWA and turned heel after leaving the WWF in 1992. Bert Prentice was in charge of his stay during his stay and rivalry with Jerry Lawler.

Jannetty re-signed with the WWF and returned from the crowd on October 12, 1992, just shy of beating Michaels in front of Sensational Sherri, Michaels' then-valet, as Michaels pulled her in front. Michaels was beaten to a match in the 1993 Royal Rumble for the WWF Intercontintental Championship. Sensational Sherri's return from her injury and speculation of whose corner Sherri would be in had a secondary storyline during the match. Sherri slapped Michaels, turning babyface, and aligning with Jannetty during the match. After Sherri backfired interference, Jannetty was deemed out of the game. The two were supposed to continue their feud, but Jannetty was released again after rumors indicated that he had been under the influence of alcohol or other drugs during the game, contributing to its comparably poor quality. Jannetty denies being inebriated at the festival, but explains being very tired as a result of a lack of sleep and that Shawn Michaels had started the rumor.

On May 17, 1993, Jannetty returned to the audience for the Intercontinental Championship after being asked by Vince McMahon that Michaels would defend his name against anyone at any time. Despite Michaels' initial effort to avoid fighting Jannetty (clearly not expecting anyone, especially Jannetty), the pair's title was ultimately upheld against his former spouse. Thanks to Mr. Connor, Jannetty took the title the night. Michaels can't be counted out in the locker room, but he can keep his name. On the 1993 edition of Monday Night RAW, Jannetty had only one title defense on television, defeating Bam Bigelow by a countout. He lost it back to Michaels just three weeks after winning the tournament in Albany, New York, on June 6, 1993, due to a match between Michaels' debuting bodyguard Diesel.

Curt Hennig was the one who applied to bring him back to the WWF, according to Jannetty. Vince was convinced that Shawn Michaels' bad show at the Royal Rumble was indeed Shawn Michaels' fault, because he was on good terms with Vince McMahon. Jannetty believes that his title was intended as retribution for Shawn Michaels' lying.

Jannetty, who lost the championship back to Michaels, became bitter rivals with Doink the Clown, eventually winning the competition in a best of three falls match on June 21, 1993, where Doink II nearly won the match after Doink II intervened in the game. Randy Savage (who was narrating the match) attacked the first Doink and revealed the second to the referee, resulting in a reversal that has won the match.

With the 1-2-3 Kid being the champions and survivors of their match at Survivor Series, Jannetty formed a tag team.

On the January 10 episode of Monday Night Raw, Jannetty defeated the Tag Team Championship with the 1-2-3 Kid from The Quebecers (Jacques and Pierre). They lost the title to the Quebecers seven days later at Madison Square Garden in a non-televised display as a result of an assisted senton. On the 1994 Royal Rumble video, a clip of the match's conclusion appeared.

The court case brought forward by Charles Austin in the lead up to WrestleMania X was heard. Although neither the WWF or Jannetty confirmed that it was the result of this lawsuit that resulted in Jannetty's unexpected dismissal from the promotion, it has never been denied. Jannetty deviated from the mainstream wrestling scene until early 1995, when he made several appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling.

On February 25, Jannetty made his ECW debut at Return of the Funker, where he defeated ECW World Heavyweight Champion Shane Douglas in a losing effort. A few months later, Jannetty defeated Jim Neidhart and Shane Douglas defeated Shane Douglas the next night. Eddie Guerrero was beaten by Enter the Sandman Jannetty for the ECW World Television Championship on May 13, but he failed to win the competition. On July 20th, Jannetty defeated Bull Pain, and the next night, Jannetty defeated The Terrorist. Jannetty unsuccessfully challenged The Sandman for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship on June 9 and July 22, respectively. Jannetty met Jim Neidhart on July 28 in a match that resulted in a double disqualification. This was Jannetty's last match in ECW before he left for the WWF.

Jannetty returned to the WWF in September 1995, just months after Michaels made a shocking face turn that claimed his innocence. Despite the poor blood between him and Michaels that had lingers in the storylines, he kept wrestling as a face. During November and December, Jannetty was teamed with Razor Ramon in a feud with Sycho Sid and the now heel 1-2-3 Kid.

Jannetty turned heel in February 1996 when joining Leif Cassidy to form "The New Rockers," who were unsuccessful in their attempts to win the Tag Team Championship. Jannetty played unsuccessfully in a singles match between Michaels and Cassidy in March, before losing to Michaels in a WWF Championship match in May and another in a non-title match in July. Following Survivor Series as a result of the team's inability and leadership's refusal to break them up, Jannetty left the WWF. In a match that aired on Raw's December 23rd episode, his last match came on December 16, when the New Rockers were defeated by Pierroth and Cibernetico.

Jannetty and other WWF veterans joined Ultimate Championship Wrestling in 1997 after his time with the World Wrestling Federation. He appeared in ECW as he appeared with Vampire Warrior in a losing match against Roadkill and former partner Al Snow at a house show in Orlando, Florida, on September 27, 1997.

On May 8, 1999, Jannetty made his first appearance after suffering this injury, the Cuban Assassin. He began touring Australia in 1999 as part of the Australasian Wrestling Federation (AWF), including Sabu, Chris Candido, and TNT. On October 10, 1999, he joined Tommy Rogers against The Samoan Swat Team on the Heroes of Wrestling PPV. Jannetty, who appeared in ECW for one match in 2000, has returned to independent circuits, including a stint in Jimmy Hart's XWF promotion.

In 2012, he was his most active on the independent, where he played in over a dozen games. In May 2018, Jannetty fought in his first singles match for AIW, losing to Joey Janela.

World Championship Wrestling signed several veteran WWF wrestlers, including Jannetty, as part of an attempt to broaden WCW's roster as Thunder were introduced to the weekly lineup. He made his WCW Monday Nitro debut on January 12, 1998, defeating Black Cat. Chris Benoit defeated him on Nitro a week later. Jannetty first appeared in the WWF in 1997, losing to wrestlers like Raven, Dean Malenko, and Chris Jericho. He had a fruitful lower-level competition, defeating Lenny Lane, Frankie Lancaster, and Horshu.

He had his first good win streak in WCW in April 1998, defeating Barry Horowitz and Vincent. He began a house show series with Konnan in May. He defeated Konnan in a second round of house show matches in July, and his last match came on August 31 when he defeated Konnan on Nitro. Before recovering from a shoulder injury sustained during this match, Jannetty was suspended from his work.

Jannetty's on-time only reunion with former tag team partner Shawn Michaels on March 14, 2005 against La Résistance (Sylvain Grenier and Rob Conway). After using his signature Rocker Dropper, Jannetty won for his team.

This was preparation for Jannetty's match against Kurt Angle on SmackDown this week, as Angle had fought Jannetty prior to his WrestleMania 21 match with Shawn Michaels. Since Jannetty had taught Michaels "everything he knows" while on The Rockers, the actor said he could show Michaels "how to tap out" by coercing Jannetty to surrender on SmackDown. Angle kept his word and compelled Jannetty to sign his ankle lock, but only after a thrilling match and an impressive showing for Jannetty, which saw him almost pin the Olympic champion. He quickly committed him to a new deal, but he was arrested and unable to fulfill his WWE obligations, resulting in his release on July 6.

Shawn Michaels was pitted against four of the Spirit Squad's five members in a new in-ring debut on February 20, 2006. Michaels was assaulted by all five members until an unknown man stormed in to defend Michaels. It was revealed that it was Marty Jannetty, who was returning to protect his former tag team mate during the melee. Vince McMahon came out later on Raw to announce that he would give Jannetty a full-time deal. On Raw, McMahon added a condition that Jannetty had to enroll "Kiss My Ass Club" by Mr. McMahon the following week.

Jannetty declined, but McMahon instead gave Jannetty the possibility of breaking Chris Masters' signature submission hold, the Master Lock. Jannetty was trying to break the tie, but Mr. McMahon (who was officiating) struck Jannetty with a weak blow. Since Michaels was unable to crack it, he was only released from the hold when Michaels came to rescue him. Shane McMahon, a steel chair in the ring, knocked out Michaels shortly after Michaels saved Jannetty. The former Rockers were supposed to continue their McMahons' program, but Jannetty was ruled out of Raw's next episode, and instead Triple H and Shawn Michaels reunited as D-Generation X. WWE reported on March 3 that it had ended all career ties with Jannetty, with no further explanation.

Jannetty had signed a new deal and would be returning as a veteran to work with younger people on September 15, according to WWE.com. According to WWE.com, Jannetty, Brad Armstrong and Rodney Mack, could also be granted a full-time deal pending the company's success.

According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Jannetty was expected to have been released on September 29. On his Myspace page, Jannetty denied this rumors, claiming that it was untrue. Jim Ross said Jannetty was no longer with WWE due to a court order in Florida prohibiting him from driving on the road.

Mr. Kennedy, who was feuding with Shawn Michaels at the time, said he'd meet with three people who understood Michaels very well as part of a feud between him and Michaels on December 3, 2007. The three were disguised as Razor Ramon, Diesel, and Jannetty. They were all attacked by the authentic Michaels, along with a fake Michaels. In an interview with Michaels next week, Jannetty accompanied him on the 15th anniversary of Raw Raw. Michaels wanted to see what would happen if Kennedy fought the real Jannetty. By the time, Kennedy had defeated him.

Jannetty appeared on Raw on October 19, 2009, losing in a match against The Miz.

On October 22, 2011, it was revealed that Jannetty had signed Chikara as a coach and as a wrestler. His first match for the promotion had been scheduled against Tursas on October 29, but it was eventually cancelled. He made his official debut at High Noon, Chikara's first internet pay-per-view event, on November 13 by accompanying The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) to the ring. On August 12, 2012, Jannetty made his Chikara debut when he teamed with Green Ant in a tag team match in which Los Ice Cream defeated them (El Hijo del Ice Cream and Ice Cream, Jr.). When Jannetty and the 1-2-3 Kid won the annual tag team gauntlet match at the 2012 King of Trios on September 16, 2012, he and the 1-2-3 Kid won the annual tag team gauntlet match. When Jannetty and the 1-2-3 Kids beat Heart Throbs (Antonio Thomas and Romeo Roselli) on November 18, they gained their third point, or third back-to-back victory, as well as a future shot at the Chikara Campeonatos de Parejas. On December 2, Jannetty and the 1-2-3 Kid were seated at the Under the Hood internet pay-per-view, where they were defeated by the defending champions, The Young Bucks.

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