Former WWE Tag Team Champion Marty Jannetty has had his foot amputated, as per former wrestler Eddy Mansfield.
Mansfield broke the news during an appearance on the Monte & The Pharaoh YouTube show, where he also criticized WWE for failing to support a performer who helped generate significant revenue for the company.
“One of my dearest friends ever on the face of this earth, and was a great wrestler, had his foot amputated, and his name is the Rocker Marty Jannetty,” Mansfield said.
Mansfield said that the news was devastating but said he had texted with Jannetty the same day
“Me and him always make each other laugh,” he said. “Marty Jannetty is one of the greatest guys you’ll ever have the pleasure to meet, folks.”
Jannetty is best known for his run in WWF as part of The Rockers tag team with Shawn Michaels in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He held the WWF Tag Team Championship once, teaming with the 1-2-3 Kid to defeat The Quebecers on the January 10, 1994 episode of Monday Night Raw.
Mansfield stated that Jannetty had undergone the amputation and called out WWE for not doing more to take care of the veteran performer. Mansfield argued that Jannetty helped make the company millions of dollars and deserved better support.
“His ankles were screwed up in a WWE wrestling ring, and making them a lot of money, him and Shawn Michaels,” Mansfield said. “When I can remember Marty, when he couldn’t hardly walk, his ankles bothered him so bad, he was in so much pain, and the pain pills really didn’t do anything to him or for him.”
Mansfield continued, “Where in the hell was WWE to help Marty Jannetty? Hell, he made them millions of dollars, and you can’t help him when he is in the biggest need of his life, fighting for his life. These guys at WWE can get all these pay raises, but you can’t take care of the guys who make you the money.”
As of this report, WWE has not issued any official statement regarding Jannetty’s medical condition.
WWE legend Marty Jannetty, one half of the Rockers tag team along with Shawn Michaels, is now a happily married man. The service was officiated by Missy Leslie, wife of fellow wrestling great Ed Leslie (Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake).
Missy wrote on social media, “I had the extreme pleasure of uniting these two in Holy Matrimony,” she wrote in the caption. “Congratulations to Marty Jannetty and his MRS. Addie!!!!”
In January, Jannetty had shared a grim update regarding his health. The former Rocker revealed that he was advised by his doctors to amputate his leg, since he has had ankle issues during his wrestling career. At the time, it was the doctor’s recommendation, despite Jannetty getting surgery in 2020 for his ankle.
Recently, The Undertaker recounted stories about pranks that took place backstage in WWE, and he mentioned that Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty were ,“a couple little turds” who would prank others. He specifically recalled that his hat would always be poked in with random things like sugar, flowers put in it.
But Jannetty made headlines last year when he claimed that he made a man “disappear.” He wrote on his Facebook page that when he was 13, a man attempted to molest him, and in his defense, he made the man “disappear.” This statement received negative attention from fans, so Jannetty responded stating that he wasn’t a murderer and he hit the man with a brick who was trying to rape him.
Marty Jannetty is a pro wrestling legend who lived quite a life, one worthy of a Dark Side of the Ring season, let alone one episode. Now, the former Rocker has some bad news to report, and this time he had two really terrible updates.
Marty Jannetty\’s Sad News
Marty Jannetty has faced significant challenges in the past 24 hours, and he took to Facebook to share distressing news. According to him, doctors have advised amputating his leg, adding to the ongoing ankle issues he has dealt with throughout his wrestling career.
Despite undergoing surgery in 2020 and expressing in June 2021 that he was \”all fixed up,\” Jannetty now confronts this new medical setback. This is terrible news, but his issues were not corrected, and amputation is apparently his doctor\’s current recommendation.
Additionally, Marty revealed the passing of his sister, further contributing to the difficult circumstances he currently faces. In a heartfelt message, Jannetty acknowledged his struggle to articulate his thoughts, expressing deep emotional distress and uncertainty about his podcast show on top of everything else.
I can\’t hardly formulate a sentence right now, it\’s a tough time in life, yesterday day they told me they want to cut my leg off.. struggling with that my brother called last night and, my sister died in his arms basically. I don\’t even know what I\’m saying right now. I don\’t think I\’m doing the podcast show tomorrow night, please forgive me, I do loves y\’all..I just can\’t. I\’m so lost right now
PS- Many of y\’all know both my sisters, Diane is still hanging in tough as a mo-fo, Diane STAY STAY STRONG, KEEP BELIEF, YOU TOO GENO!
We\’re sending our best to Marty Jannetty, and hope that he can avoid amputation. We are also sending out our best to his entire family after learning of the sad loss of his sister.
The Undertaker is a WWE Hall of Famer who led the locker room for decades. While he led the troops for Vince McMahon backstage, he also saw many instances of tomfoolery along the way.
The Undertaker Speaks on Backstage Pranks in WWE
WWE Superstars spend their lives on the road, and sometimes they get bored. This was especially true during The Undertaker\’s heyday, because WWE\’s schedule was far more grueling. To pass the time, Superstars would often prank each other backstage.
The Undertaker is famously afraid of cucumbers. Owen Hart took advantage of this fact on several occasions, as he pranked the Deadman with the common vegetable. Through it all, things never got too intense as Taker remembers it. He did remember how The Rockers would tamper with other wrestlers\’ belongings while they were busy in the ring.
During his Six Feet Under podcast, The Undertaker was asked what was the most juvenile prank he ever saw backstage in WWE.
\”When I first started with WWE, Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty. They were a couple little turds. That\’s what they were. They were just bad. I would go out and have a match. Back then, we\’d have somebody there that would bring our ring gear back. Every time I\’d come back from a match, there would be my hat sitting on a case somewhere, and it would be poked. The top of it would be poked in. It\’d be like sugar poured all over the top of it, flowers put in it. Just silly things that they would do to my hat. I didn\’t know who was doing it. One thing with a rib when you\’re in the wrestling business is, you don\’t sell it. You don\’t sell the rib. You don\’t let anybody know that the rib\’s getting to you. Because if it\’s bothering you, it\’s only gonna get worse. So I\’m just playing it cool and I kind of set it up like a trap one day. I had my hat sitting out on the case. My coat was lying next to it and I\’m kind of hiding.\”
\”This is kinda juvenile in its own right. I\’m kind of hiding behind the curtain backstage, watching. I set a trap [and] here comes Shawn Michaels, just be-bopping down the hallway, and he stops. He walked in, he sees my hat and he stops. I remember him looking both ways like \’Is there anybody around?\’ I remember him pushing my hat, the top of my hat, caving my hat in, and I caught him right away. I was like, \’You son of a bitch.\’ And he about pissed himself like, \’Oh, I\’m sorry. I\’m sorry. I\’m sorry.\’ That was some of the more juvenile. I\’ve been fairly lucky.\”
\”There\’s only been a few guys that would rib me. Paul Bearer would rib me and Brian Adams would rib me. Those are the only two. Yeah, those are the only two guys or whatever. I mean Vince. Yeah, he went out of his way to rib me. He would spend thousands and thousands of dollars just to rib me and get a kick out of it. But as far as the talent, though, the only two guys that would rib me were Paul Bearer and Bryan Adams.\”
The Deadman was also asked if he ever saw a prank go too far. That is when the former judge of Wrestlers Court was candid in his response. There were what he called \”close calls,\” and cucumbers were involved. In the end, those ribs were relatively harmless.
\”There were a couple of close calls with cucumbers, that got a little bit too close to consumption, which would have been really bad. But most of them were pretty harmless.\”
History of Practical Jokes in Pro Wrestling
Another notable instance of a famous backstage rib went down during a European tour in 1993 when Owen Hart switched his brother Bret Hart\’s wrestling gear with a smaller-sized version, so the Hitman had to go out alone. Owen Hart also put sliced cucumbers in The Undertaker\’s boots, which caused quite a reaction from the Deadman.
Mr. Fuji, who was a legendary prankster backstage, was known for mischievous ribs. He did things like filling babyface wrestlers\’ water bottles with salt. Bobby Heenan was also legendary for his outlandish ribs, one that would entertain Superstars for hours on the road.
The infamous \”Plane Ride from Hell\” in 2002 saw various disruptive ribs, including Ric Flair\’s naked antics, which did not age well at all. A wrestling match also broke out between Brock Lesnar and Mr. Perfect, who also allegedly dosed wrestlers with halcion tablets for giggles at times as well.
Everybody loves a title change, right? The joy of seeing history being made, and another name being added to a litany of champions.
For wrestlers, title victories mean that long after their careers are over, long after their lives are over, what they achieved will live on in the annals of history.
But for some wrestlers, their title changes were not meant to be, and while they had the joy of winning, they also felt the pain of having that win taken away.
With Jeff Jarrett and Jay Lethal almost becoming AEW World Tag Team Champions this week, we\’re looking back at six times titles changed hands, but then didn\’t.
The Rocket\’s Reign Fizzles Out
Owen Hart held plenty of gold in the WWE, but never held the World Championship, despite what this image may suggest.
Bret Hart is considered one of the greatest WWF Champions of all time, but despite an impressive career of his own, his younger brother Owen would never win the gold.
Well, not officially at least, as during the August 17, 1994 taping of WWF Superstars, Owen defeated his big brother to capture the gold.
The problem for the Rocket though, is that Jim Neidhart had been caught interfering on his behalf, and the match was restarted.
In another excellent collision between the two, Bret would defeat Owen to retain his title, but the image of the Rocket with the title remains an epic sight.
Y2J Plays the Game
Chris Jericho\’s arrival in the WWF in 1999 was a huge deal, and it wasn\’t long before one of WCW\’s most popular stars was hanging with the top guys.
On the April 17, 2000 episode of Raw is War, Jericho\’s insulted Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, and was able to goad Triple H into putting his WWF title on the line.
With the hired APA holding DX at bay, Jericho was able to get the win over the Game, thanks to a fast count from Earl Hebner.
Hebner had been bullied by DX for weeks, but even he knew the decision couldn\’t stand, and Jericho would have to hand back the title.
With this stricken from the record, Jericho would have to wait until late 2001 until he became the WWF Undisputed title, a title he\’d ironically lose to Triple H.
The Miz Goes Over the Limit
The Miz held nothing back in his efforts to make John Cena quit, even using a recording of the future Hollywood star.
Last year saw The Miz become a two-time WWE Champion, and while his reign was short, it was a long-time coming for fans of the A-Lister.
After losing the WWE title in 2011 to John Cena, Miz tried to win it back, and in a shocking turn of events, his I-Quit match with Cena saw Big Match John utter those two words.
As Miz celebrated, his NXT protege Alex Riley dropped an item, revealed to be a recording of Cena saying those words, and the jig was up.
With the match restarted, Cena made Miz quit for real, and the Marine star would wait a long time before he earned his real second WWE Championship.
The Wrong Rope Break
The Rockers held the WWF Tag Team titles for a brief moment, but a ring rope breaking snapped their run.
When you think of tag teams who never held gold in the WWF, few teams are more celebrated than The Rockers.
The pairing of Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty would wow fans with their high-flying skills, and on one fateful night, would even win the WWF World Tag Team Titles.
During an October 1990 taping for Saturday Night\’s Main Event, the Rockers dethroned the Hart Foundation in a 2-out-of-3 Falls Match.
The ring-rope breaking mid-match did not stop the action, but it was this rope break that would cost them dearly.
Unsatisfied with the match because of the rope, WWF higher-ups planned for it to be re-taped, but that never happened.
Explaining rumors of a phantom title change, WWF President Jack Tunney reversed the decision because the broken ring rope meant the bout was partially contested in an unfair environment, and on this occasion, it was Shawn getting screwed out of a title that was back in the hands of Bret Hart.
Inoki Makes History
Inoki\’s career would include an unofficial run as WWWF World Champion, making him the first Asian WWE Champion.
When Antonio Inoki died last October, fans reflected on his incredible career, which included a reign as WWWF Champion.
Unlike others on this list though, Inoki\’s title win was not immediately reversed and would come in November 1979, with a win over Bob Backlund.
A title rematch between the two went to a no-content, and the decision was made to strip Inoki of the title.
Backlund would defeat Bobby Duncum in a Texas Death Match to fill the vacancy, but the title controversy was never acknowledged, and fans at the time wouldn\’t learn about Inoki\’s win until years later.
Dusty\’s Dream is Shattered
The American Dream celebrated his NWA World title win, before learning his win was being reversed and the reign nullified.
We couldn\’t have an article like this without the namesake of the \’Dusty Finish:\’ The American Dream Dusty Rhodes.
As a booker, Rhodes often used the trope of the face seemingly winning only to heel come out on top, but at Starrcade 1985, Rhodes got a taste of his own medicine.
The show\’s main event, which pitted Rhodes against NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair was a match for the ages, and one that saw Rhodes win the gold.
It wasn\’t until the next WCW show that the elated fans learned the truth that Flair was still champion, as referee Tommy Young had been knocked out during the title match, and that since the first ref was down, the pinfall wasn\’t official.
Flair regained the gold in a crushing moment for the American Dream, as the master of the Dusty finish got a taste of his own medicine.
Former WWE star Marty Jannetty is back in the hospital.
Jannetty, a former WWE Intercontinental and Tag Team Champion, was initially hospitalized back in 2020 for ankle surgery. He had been dealing with related issues throughout his career, and claimed in 2021 those ankle issues had been fixed.
However, on September 12, Jannetty took to Facebook and revealed that he\’s back in the hospital after his ankle became \”slightly damaged.\” The post includes a picture of his foot, which as a pretty bad scar on it.
Here\’s what he had to say:
“I’m very proud to say that ankle right there it’s just slightly damaged from all them years of putting my foot in people’s rear end otherwise called ass and jumping off top ropes to the floor not just into the ring but to the floor and I’m very proud to say I’ll do it again right now I ain’t scared well wait a minute swaggy just looked at me and extended is claws which means don’t you even try oh well it was a fun thought,” Jannetty said.
Jannetty has been competing in professional wrestling since 1983, signing with WWE in 1988. His run in WWE is better known for his tag team with WWE Hall Of Famer Shawn Michaels as The Rockers.
He left WWE in 1992, but re-signed with the company later that year before ultimately leaving the company again in 1994. Since, Jannetty has had several more runs with WWE, working for various other promotions in between.
The 62-year-old hasn\’t competed in a singles match inside the ring since 2018 when he wrestled a match against Joey Janela.
Marty Jannetty made headlines recently when a Facebook post seemed to imply he had killed someone decades ago. He claimed that a person he bought cannabis from at a Bowling Alley had attempted to molest him when he was 13 and the person subsequently \”disappeared.\”
“That was the very first time I made a man disappear. They never found him. They shoulda looked in the Chattahoochie River,” Jannetty says in the post.
“I can’t say he deserved to die, but he deserved to get his ass beat,” Jannetty later said to Boston Wrestling MWF. “And, when I was beating him in the head with a brick, I was only trying to beat his ass, I wasn’t trying to kill him.”
Now Jannetty is saying he made the whole thing up as part of a wrestling angle. He spoke to TMZ about it.
\”It was just the beginning of a damn wrestling storyline … but OH MY GOD, OMG. Didn\’t the WORLD buy it??!!\” Janetty said to TMZ.
\”It got so hot I had to drop it … when my Columbus, Ga. Police Department got involved, I knew I had to drop it.\”
The police opened a probe into the case after Jannetty\’s Facebook post.
Jannetty is now claiming the angle was supposed to result in a feud with a corrections officer, perhaps similar to the old Nailz vs Big Bossman feud from way back.
\”If he wins, he takes me in, in peace. If I win, he leave me alone, in peace … but sadly now, we\’ll not get to do that storyline.\”
Marty Jannetty Claims Murder Confession Was Fake, Part of 'Wrestling Storyline'https://t.co/YsD5kaKq3Y
A Facebook post by Marty Jannetty yesterday made the claim that he made someone disappear in 1973 when he was 13. TMZ reached out to the local police department in Georgia who said they would be looking into the claim.
Jannetty has since appeared on Boston Wrestling MWF and provided further details on the claim he made in the post.
Marty claims the man tried to molest him so he beat him with a brick.
\”I can\’t say he deserved to die, but he deserved to get his ass beat,\” Jannetty said. \”And, when I was beating him in the head with a brick, I was only trying to beat his ass, I wasn\’t trying to kill him.\”
\”Can you imagine dragging a guy — he\’s just tried to f*** you in the ass — can you imagine dragging him to the river and throwing him in? And, then finding out on the news the dude\’s missing. You know the dude. And, you know more than that. That affected me bad, bro.\” Transcriptions via TMZ.
Jannetty\’s comments can be heard in the player below:
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