Erm... Right, where to begin... so... HeenanGorrilla think back to the mid 80's (if you were around as your name surely implies...) A young kid called Shawn Michaels gets put with a guy a year or two further into his career in a tag team... they road together, gel and quickly rise up the rankings... become the Midnight Rockers and win the AWA belts... then they come to WWF.
IF you were around then you will not be able to argue with the notion that Jannetty and Shawn were equal in those days in terms of ability, if not with Janetty being slightly more the "captain" of the team. To think had that chemistry and pairing not taken place that Shawn would still be where he is, well it's just lunacy
I was with you until you hit lunacy. I get what you're trying to say about Michaels early experiences playing a part in who he turned into, but to think that a guy who was obviously as talented and driven as Shawn Michaels only became who he became because of his experience working in a specific tag team early in his career is the real lunacy. Sure, the chain of events for Michaels life would have unfolded differently, but he still would have found a way regardless. Bottom line, you can't keep down talent, and Michaels had the complete package.
Janetty was the guy who brought Shawn along in the early days, taught him the tricks, had a bit more experience and ultimately set him on the path to greatness by selling their break up so well. The Barber's Shop is, other than Hogan, the most remembered heel turn ever... People talk about being the "Jannetty" of the team as being a negative... If you mean because it's a guy who should have controlled his demons better then sure, I take that... but the same accusation can be levelled at Shawn.
Ironically, when they were the Rockers, I too felt that Jannetty was the better talent. The thing is though, Michaels had a far better head for the game than Jannetty ever did, and history has proven that. Also think about this. Who holds the record for the most times being fired by Vince? Marty Jannetty (I think it's a ridiculous 13 or so times he's been fired). When was the last time Shawn Michaels was fired by Vince? Back when he was tagging with Jannetty. That right there should tell you that for all his demons (and Michaels had a ton), he was nothing compared to the human train wreck that is Marty Jannetty. Think about when they broke up. Michaels was the one who got the push, and was repackaged. Jannetty did the obligatory initial feud, and never changed out of his Rockers gear. Shortly after, he began his string of firings. Great talent. Innovative as hell in the ring (top rope powerbomb for the win). Didn't seem to understand a thing about the business except for from bell to bell. The one that the company could never get behind as a result.
If you mean it as a complete failure then wrong, he was an IC champion in the days when it meant something... he again put Shawn (and Nash) over when he lost it and still got another, albeit brief tag run...
Yeah look at where the guy is at in life today. He obviously wasn't a complete failure... and lets forget about championships in a worked sport. Jannetty had the type of talent where even if he couldn't have gotten out of Shawn's shadow in the WWF, he could have been big anywhere else in the world. He didn't because literally everything else he did in the business after the Rockers broke up was done in a way that reminded people he used to be Shawn Michaels tag team partner (ring gear, New Rockers, angles always surrounded Shawn in some fashion). The guy is a punchline in wrestling these days (being the Jannetty). That, my friend, is failure.
So to recap, he helped blood Shawn Michaels into the business, was half of his early success, put both him and Kevin Nash on the road to stardom and won more titles than than Jim Duggan, Koko B. Ware, Junkyard Dog, Abdullah The Butcher and Jesse Ventura achieved...
I'm assuming your talking about titles in the WWF, and are under the impression that titles in a worked sport are the be all and end all of everything. Otherwise the only person on your list that I would put below Jannetty in terms of career accomplishments is Koko.
Will The Rockers ever go into the HOF, I think so, if Flair can be a double inductee then yeah, Janetty can be in the hall of fame... HeenanGorilla, please do feel free to tune out of my posts... I will miss you... honest...
If the Rockers ever do go into the HOF, it'll be because Vince wants to honour Michaels like he's honouring Flair this year, and Jannetty will be going along for the ride. As an individual, not a chance. If he was in Shawn's good books maybe, but with some of the things Marty's been saying about Shawn recently, that's not likely to happen.
As for Nick Bockwinkel, yes I did see a lot of his work back then and I also do remember that he was one of the worst guys for holding back talent in the AWA. Excellent worker without question, but had he played ball with a few other guys, the landscape could have been much different for the AWA.
Not sure if serious.
Bockwinkel was not a guy to 'hold back talent'. VERNE GAGNE, on the other hand, had a very specific ideology when it came to his booking, and was such a fan of the challenger coming close, but never quite getting over the champion style of booking, that he never seemed to understand that eventually there needed to be a payoff. He did this with Hogan/Bockwinkel too long, and lost the biggest draw of the 80's as a result. He even did this too long with the Midnight Rockers and a far past his prime Buddy Rose and a never over Doug Somers, when his territory could have been popped by a young, fresh tag team champion.
Bockwinkel was loyal to Verne because Gagne treated him very well, and he was able to lead a better quality of life working in the AWA than he would have in the NWA (where he would have been champion, but never been home due to the travel schedule the NWA champions of the day had). Today Nick Bockwinkel is looked at fondly as the consumate professional by his peers, which would not be the case if he was the type of guy to hold anyone back.
Vince may want to see this as a Wrestling Hall Of Fame, but it won't be until he opens it up to fan votes... as long as he controls it, it's only ever going to reflect his choices.
Like the MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL Halls of Fame that are subject to fan votes???
Of course the WWE HOF reflects Vince's choices. IT'S HIS HALL! So if he wants to see it as a Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, then guess what? It is, whether you think so or not.
