I'm sick of the Michaels/Janetty comparisons

CelticCorey

Getting Noticed By Management
The title says it all. We all know the story: Shawn Michaels superkicked Janetty on the Barbershop, went on to become a great I.C. Champ, WWF Champ and one of the greatest ever. He was so decorated even in his early 30's. Meanwhile Marty Janetty fizzled out. But here are a few things:

#1 Janetty was I.C. champ, more than a lot of wrestlers could ever say.

#2 Janetty himself was responsible for his own demise.

So even though Michaels became a legend and while I'm not sure how big Janetty could've been, he still made it bigger than a lot of other guys when tag teams split. I wouldn't even say that Michaels/Janetty should be the benchmark.

John Morrison can draw me and a lot of other people. I'd pay to see John Morrison in the main event. I would buy a Morrison t-shirt. I'm not sure when; but I think Morrison will get the strap, no matter how much haters want to deny.

Remember when Morrison was a tag team called MNM? John Morrison has gone on to become ECW Champion, IC Champion, wowed crowds with his amazing ability, has been in #1 contender matches for the WWE title and put on a damn good WWE Championship match. Joey Mercury achieved even less than Janetty and is an even bigger afterthought. I'll be damned if the Miz is Shawn Michaels and John Morrison is Marty Janetty- especially since Morrison's resume blows Janetty's out of the water.

The same goes for Edge and Christian- Christian and John Morrison are two of a kind. There's either people screaming World Title reign please or never ever let it happen. But like Morrison, Christian can draw me and would love to see him Main Event. I think it's more likely to happen for Morrison. Yes Edge has become an 11 time World Champ but most of those have been transitional reigns. Christian though, still, has been IC Champ, European Champ, ECW Champ and has held the NWA World Championship- one of the most prestigious titles in all of professional wrestling. And yes, contrary to what Vince thinks, you ARE something if you are big somewhere else even if you aren't big in WWE.

Jeff Hardy became a multi time World Champion; but Matt Hardy was European, ECW, Cruiserweight and U.S. Champion.

Both guys on these teams went on to have at least moderate success.

Bret Hart went on to become IC Champ and a five time WWF Champ and one of the biggest names in the history of the company. Jim Niedhart? Eh, not so much.

You could say the APA to an extent. Yes Ron Simmons was very good and accomplished as a singles competitor in the 90s but after the APA split, what did Farooq become? Bradshaw became JBL and WWE champion.

Scott Steiner went on to become a multi time WCW Champ. He got shots in WWE. He got shots in TNA. He became a colorful wrestling personality and a member of the MAIN EVENT Mafia. Rick Steiner? Sometimes it seems that I forget that Rick Steiner even existed.

Perhaps Team 3D is another one. Could we see a World Title or Main Event push in Bully Ray's future? As far as Devon goes.....

Cody Rhodes has become one of the best midcarders in the company today. He became a character after a silent move to S.D. and then evolved into his current form. I hope he becomes I.C. champ and later World Heavyweight Champ. Think about it. Ted DiBiase brought back the Million Dollar Belt (even though it was NEVER defended) and got a couple U.S. title shots but now is on the undercard.

Neither guys succeeded at all. Caylen Croft got future endeavored, Trent Baretta, talented as he is, is just enhancement talent. While The Brian Kendrick did get a WWE Championship Scramble Match, he didn't achieve too much and Paul London wasn't much afterwards either.

Then there's Hawkins and Ryder- although I think Ryder has talent. Ryder is criminally underrated. Definitely better than enhancement talent. I couldn't take him seriously as WWE Champion but that doesn't mean he couldn't be WWE Champion in another gimmick. If he toned down his obnoxiousness with the Long Island Loud Mouth Guido- maybe a more serious guido, he could be something. Definitely deserves the U.S. title and has the mic skills; but I don't think WWE has the same hopes I do.

So somebody help me out here. Just because Shawn Michaels became the icon, the main event and the showstopper, perhaps the greatest all around performer ever and Janetty fizzled out himself, doesn't mean this comparison should happen. Why should this be the benchmark for when tag teams break up? Janetty got Michaels back and once held the second biggest championship in the company.

There are guys who soared to the main event scene just likes Michaels while their partners flopped even worse than Janetty. Yet for some reason we always see this comparison, even if the other guy is successful too. So I don't get it. I just am sick of talk.
 
I definitely agree with you....just the other day I was thinking about this because HBK was named the number 1 superstar of all time on that little dvd or whatever it was....how can anyone live up to the kind of career Shawn had...thats not fair for Jannetty.....Shawn was destined to be one of the if not the greatest of all time....thats no knock on Jannetty because as you said it he was responsible for what happened to him and then again was IC champion which alot of guys cant claim....not even a guy like Masters whos been around for like 6 years has won that title yet so....
 
So somebody help me out here. Just because Shawn Michaels became the icon, the main event and the showstopper, perhaps the greatest all around performer ever and Janetty fizzled out himself, doesn't mean this comparison should happen. Why should this be the benchmark for when tag teams break up? Janetty got Michaels back and once held the second biggest championship in the company.

You just said you hate comparisons and just did a full run down of EVERY major tag team in Wrestling history that had a comparison to point out lol I'm confused.

Great analogy tho, deserves some rep points
 
No no no- I hate THIS comparison. I am sick of the Michaels/Janetty comparison. What I am stating is why does there have to be one guy who becomes a star and another who fizzles out when in the case of some, both held their own very well? Why is it that some became big stars like Michaels and others failed harder than Janetty? I just don't understand why THIS is the benchmark for tag teams as solo competitors.
 
I am glad that you brought this up because Janetty wasnt as big of a piece of crap as people make him out to be. He didnt have a legendary career but he certainly wasnt garbage. There were tons of other tag teams that have broken up that people could compare success/failure to on an individual basis. I just think that people tend to forget other tag teams that have broken up that you have mentioned because most of them have been forgettable.
 
Not every tag team has to break up and go down this path. Most teams don't. The comparison is made for storyline purposes. Janetty was IC champ, but he only was IC champ because he beat HBK. This was a logical match people wanted to see and it helped Shawn to move on to the WWF title. So don't put too much stock in that IC title reign. It is definitely not a fair comparison to make, but they aren't going to stop using it because when teams do split most people have hope that 1 of the 2 will go on to superstardom.

Most of the teams you mentioned are either irrelevant or not in WWE anymore. WWE isn't going to mention the Steiners even if it is a good example. And up until last year Vince and Bret weren't really on speaking terms. Another tag team that wouldn't be mentioned. Vince also does not like to acknowledge the Edge and Christian tag team days. He tends to keep those 2 apart because of his dislike for Christian. Michaels and Janetty is the best example to use when they want 2 guys from a team to split and feud. If you recall they didn't use this example when Cryme Tyme split. They use it for teams they know have potential to be good singles competitors.
 
I think it's the perfect comparison. Michaels went on to become a legend while Janetty fizzled out. Yes, he held the IC title. But he didn't go on to achieve what HBK did.

The comparison is to symbolize one person in the team will ALWAYS be better than the other. Edge did better than Christian. Nitro did better than Mercury. This was back when tag teamers were basically for life. So for Shawn to turn on Janetty, then ascend to greatness whereas Janetty had a mediocre career, that speaks for itself.
 
How exactly, if I may ask, did it help propel Shawn to move on to the WWF title?

-Shawn was I.C. champ and challenged Bret for the WWF title at Survivor Series 1992, didn't win.

-Shawn later regained the title and held it for 113 days. Razor would then get the belt and then the two put on a classic at Mania X.


Did they give Shawn the strap in 1993? Nope. Back to the IC title. Did they give it to him in 1994? No they didn't.

-Shawn then won the 1995 Royal Rumble. Did he win the title at Mania 11? Nope. Diesel had a year long reign. What did Shawn do? He recaptured the IC title in 1995 and put on a rematch ladder match with Razor that some think was BETTER than Mania 10.

Shawn did not get the WWF championship until Wrestlemania 12 in 1996. Jannetty won the IC belt in May of 1993. I would not say that Jannetty's win helped propel Shawn into the main event.

What were some propellers? Bulldog taking the I.C. belt off Bret. Austin handing the belt to Rocky. Orton losing the I.C. belt just prior to becoming WHC. Say whatever you want abotu Ziggler's title reign; but dropping the I.C. title to Kofi, IMO, propelled him to his B.S. reign and all the exposure he got more than Jannetty's title win with Michaels IMO.
 
I think it's the perfect comparison. Michaels went on to become a legend while Janetty fizzled out. Yes, he held the IC title. But he didn't go on to achieve what HBK did.

The comparison is to symbolize one person in the team will ALWAYS be better than the other. Edge did better than Christian. Nitro did better than Mercury. This was back when tag teamers were basically for life. So for Shawn to turn on Janetty, then ascend to greatness whereas Janetty had a mediocre career, that speaks for itself.

Very, very, very VEEEERRRRY few, if any, achieved what HBK did. Yes someone will be more successful than the other but I think another tag team could be the benchmark instead. That's all I'm saying. Edge may have done better than Christian but Christian wasn't too bad himself. And Jannetty has only Jannetty to blame with his drug problems for becoming obscure; but even then- did Joey Mercury capture the I.C. title?
 
I've thought this for a long time. The proper comparison is Jim Neidhart/Bret Hart. Bret is in the Hall of Fame and Neidhart is the guy that was Bret's partner. Neidhart has done nothing but for the most part he's pretty fondly remembered despite being a bare bones power guy that did a total of nothing on his own. Tell me: can you remember more than 5 Anvil matches? Not Hart Foundation matches, but Jim the Anvil Neidhart matches. Jannetty had success outside of Shawn. Neidhart has nothing for the most part apart from Bret. That's your real comparison.
 
A good topic.

In terms of character, Marty Janetty stands tall over Shawn Michaels, who has proven himself to be nothing other than an egotistical, back-stabbing, selfish and self-centered man. Janetty is well liked by fans and peers alike and, unlike many other stars, blames no-one for his problems apart from himself.

For in-ring ability and athleticism, Shawn Michaels has the edge but if you saw the Kurt Angle/Janetty five years ago, you could see how much Janetty had and has to offer. Also, where Michaels is very poor on the mic and extremely poor in acting out segments, Janetty is much more believable.

Michaels is a very lucky man - he was pushed when the WWF were desperate, incredibly desperate. Janetty should have jumped to the NWA but didn't it - great shame because in 1991, they were also desperate for stars of his calibre. Couple this with his personal problems and this is why they went in opposite directions.
 

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