10 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: Marty Jannetty
VICE's fourth season ends with WWE delusion, drugs and heat on Shawn Michaels.
Listening to Marty Jannetty reminisce about his life and career is equal parts sad and infuriating. It's clear the man enjoys exaggerating stories for maximum impact, but it's also obvious he really loved being a pro wrestler (and the perks that came with it). Throughout VICE's 'Dark Side' doc, he also explores a love/hate relationship with old pal Shawn Michaels.
Some of the other talking head comments about HBK are wild.
There's a reason why Michaels is featured in the image along with Marty here - you can't tell Jannetty's story without Shawn. Both men used to be inseparable, but it does seem like there was always this undercurrent of animosity just bubbling beneath the surface. That'd lead to backstage fights on the road more than once.
Last week's deep dive on WCW Bash At The Beach 2000 was a fairly tame episode by VICE's standards. It was good, but didn't focus on grittier topics like drug use, murder etc. Marty's documentary very much does, although there are still huge question marks over the latter.
Here's everything learned from the mouth of someone who calls himself "God's Amusement Toy".
10. His Daily Pain “Is A 12”
Daily life isn't easy for Marty Jannetty in 2023.
A surgeon called George McCluskey told VICE's cameras that Jannetty's current pain level is "a 12 on a good day". That's based on the old 1-10 scale, which is downright frightening. 'Dark Side' opened with Marty showing off the severe swelling on his right leg and foot. It looks...really sore.
Marty rolled his ankle during a routine match at the 1996 Survivor Series, and his foot hasn't been the same since. He somehow smiled through the pain to tell producers that his morning had been difficult, then struggled to touch certain parts of his foot whilst explaining the pain.
It's genuinely sad to see someone in this state. Something as innocuous as a rolled ankle (an injury most fans probably didn't even spot at the time) has caused Jannetty decades of untold agony, and just getting by day to day isn't easy for the man at all.