10 Most Shocking Wrestling Betrayals

1. The Rockers Stop Rocking

kevin owens chris jericho
WWE.com

"I tell you what I'm gonna do," said Marty Jannetty, as Shawn Michaels rolled his eyes in an early 1992 edition of Brutus Beefcake's Barbershop segment. "I'm gonna turn my back to you right now. And if you wanna go on your own, then walk off and leave."

"They need each other," opined Bobby Heenan on commentary, with uncharacteristic earnestness. He was right. At least, it felt like that at the time. As talented and popular as he was, the prospect of the slight Michaels making headway in the land of giants was as unthinkable as what he did next. He hugged it out with his partner of several years - before delivering a swift superkick to his face.

Heenan mimicked the ruse - "I knew he was gonna do that! He don't need Jannetty!" - before delivering what might be the finest line of his career, nanoseconds after Michaels smashed Jannetty's head through the glass window which formed part of the set. "Jannetty tried to dive through the window to escape!"

It was the shattered glass, and the image of Jannetty bleeding like a stuck pig, which made the turn. Such an act of ultra-violence was unprecedented for the WWF - so much so that its young audience was as scarred as Michaels' former tag team partner.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!