Marty Jannetty- Missed Opportunity

[dxbang]

I know Marty is back in the news for his most likely drunken response to his name being mentioned by Stephanie on Raw, but i'm talking about the opportunity the WWE missed with him in the early 90's. Sure he was getting himself into trouble, but when he returned prior to the '93 Rumble, he looked pretty cool in that Guns N Roses shirt (I'm being dead serious).

Marty was a good worker that had a pretty cool look at the time (unfortunately he was never able to get with the times), but they could have definitely done a lot more with him if he was able to keep his head on straight during his runs. Upper mid-card Marty would've been fine in the mid 90's.

[thegatewaydrug]

I'm convinced Afroman's "Because I Got High" was written about Marty.

He was more unreliable than Shawn, and that's saying A LOT.

[Milkman Norm]

Like when his dealer didn't show?

[Kevin Hamilton]

Marty really only has himself to blame though. One can argue that Shawn Michaels was kept on a far longer leash, but he was also more talented.

Marty was a talented guy, no question, but his talent didn't override his demons.

[SmashTV]

Imagine you go to work for a company that's fired you. They say that you can get a promotion almost immediately, just as long as you behave yourself. So what do you do? Show up drunk, squander the promotion and any real chance of long-term future employment.

I'm amazed that Marty got invited back as many times as he did. Only in wrestling do you get to blow chance after chance...

[JTG Fan]

He didn't really have much charisma, he topped out as a guy who could credibly challenge for the IC Title. He could have had a longer run though, had he kept on the straight and narrow.

[Gravedigger's Biscuits]

Marty could have had a spot for years as a midcard babyface but he was such a screw up he couldn't even keep that together, never mind any push higher than that.

[EvenBaldobombHasAJob]

there's missing an opportunity and then there's deliberately wiping your ass with it and handing it back to the guy who gave it to you.

[HMARK Center]

Yeah, there's just story after story of how unreliable Marty was. Shawn was a train wreck after awhile, but he at least made sure he mostly had his head on straight when his chance for a mega push began. There are even stories, I believe, of older guys in the WWF telling Shawn "Marty's BS is holding you back, man" just prior to his heel turn.

It's definitely sad, though, since Marty always had huge potential, and would've been a very good long term addition to the suddenly steroid-less WWF of '93 if he hadn't kept getting himself messed up. They also should've done more to help the guy out in terms of his image, and not made him look like "the guy who can't let go of The Rockers" while Shawn got his own unique look and theme song. Like, Marty could've kept the old theme, but maybe update his look or something?

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

The saddest Marty story in my opinion was in 2005 when it appeared that he was making a comeback, he buried the hatchet with Shawn and he even got him an agent job...then at an indy tour he saw the Honky Tonk Man drinking vodka, Marty asked him for a sip, then a second sip and codeine pills. HTM tells the story in his rf shoot with Raven, after that relapse the wwe fired him a short time after.

[Mighty Attack Tribble]

Feb 2, 2016 13:32:36 GMT -5 dxbang said:

but they could have definitely done a lot more with him if he was able to keep his head on straight during his runs.

That's where it all fell down though. Marty had the talent to have a job for life, but he's seemingly always valued the party lifestyle above everything else.

[Hit Girl]

I'll never understand this kind of thinking

"Yeah, I work for one of the biggest wrestling companies in the world, I'm a talented performer who was part of one of the best tag teams ever seen, and was involved in the most memorable break up in wrestling history, could very well be a solid part of the roster here and earn good money until I'm rich enough to retire comfortably for the rest of my life......but screw it, I've heard there's a party tonight and I gotta check it out"


What an idiot.

[celtics543]

A huge waste of talent. Not only did he have the personal demons that hurt him every step of the way but he also couldn't figure out how to change with the times. It was like 1996 and he was still dressing like he was in the Rockers, a team that was topical and dressed cool in the 80's. At some point he HAD to change his look to something else, he couldn't just cling to the Rocker gimmick forever. And even if he did want to stay as a Rocker, he at least had to change up what he was wearing. It would've been pretty cool actually if he had started dressing in that grunge look during the early 90's and done a character based around that, in the Kurt Cobain mold.

[auph10imitated]

Keeping Sherri with him in 1993 could have done him wonders, they never suited like Shawn and Sherri but she always made it work with whomever she was with. Him and 123 Kid could have gone longer as a tag team as well. Other than that, yeah he needed to evolve his character.

[Milkman Norm]

Feb 3, 2016 4:54:51 GMT -5 Hit Girl said:

I'll never understand this kind of thinking

"Yeah, I work for one of the biggest wrestling companies in the world, I'm a talented performer who was part of one of the best tag teams ever seen, and was involved in the most memorable break up in wrestling history, could very well be a solid part of the roster here and earn good money until I'm rich enough to retire comfortably for the rest of my life......but screw it, I've heard there's a party tonight and I gotta check it out"


What an idiot.

It's called addiction. It's a mental illness.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Feb 3, 2016 11:56:04 GMT -5 Milkman Norm said:

Feb 3, 2016 4:54:51 GMT -5 Hit Girl said:

I'll never understand this kind of thinking

"Yeah, I work for one of the biggest wrestling companies in the world, I'm a talented performer who was part of one of the best tag teams ever seen, and was involved in the most memorable break up in wrestling history, could very well be a solid part of the roster here and earn good money until I'm rich enough to retire comfortably for the rest of my life......but screw it, I've heard there's a party tonight and I gotta check it out"


What an idiot.

It's called addiction. It's a mental illness.

And this was also well before WWE offered help for this sort of thing.

[Blindkarevik]

Back in the AWA, it was always assumed Marty Jannetty was the star and Shawn Michaels was getting the rub for teaming with him. Jannetty had measurable charisma and was the star of the team whereas Shawn was just, kinda... there. Granted, you look back and you see the flashes of brilliance Shawn had over Marty, but at the time... he was just the other Midnight Rocker. Then in WWF, Shawn started showing he was the one who was actually taking everything seriously and wanted to lean, grow and take more risks to get as far as he could.

I honestly think Jannetty never got over that role reversal, which is why he fell as far as he did.

[Squirrel Master]

I partied with Marty. Back in the day we burned one outside the Press Box Cafe. Scott Steiner and Owen Hart were inside.

[Hit Girl]

Feb 3, 2016 11:56:04 GMT -5 Milkman Norm said:

Feb 3, 2016 4:54:51 GMT -5 Hit Girl said:

I'll never understand this kind of thinking

"Yeah, I work for one of the biggest wrestling companies in the world, I'm a talented performer who was part of one of the best tag teams ever seen, and was involved in the most memorable break up in wrestling history, could very well be a solid part of the roster here and earn good money until I'm rich enough to retire comfortably for the rest of my life......but screw it, I've heard there's a party tonight and I gotta check it out"


What an idiot.

It's called addiction. It's a mental illness.

Meh, I'm not convinced. He strikes me more of a douche who just refused to mature. He's still a dick as his recent tweet showed.

[Milkman Norm]

Feb 3, 2016 20:24:48 GMT -5 Hit Girl said:

Feb 3, 2016 11:56:04 GMT -5 Milkman Norm said:

It's called addiction. It's a mental illness.

Meh, I'm not convinced. He strikes me more of a douche who just refused to mature. He's still a dick as his recent tweet showed.

Explanation is not excuse. It's both. What you said in the post I respond to, that mindset, that's the disease. Knowing something is wrong and doing nothing about it? That's Marty.