Why It's Time To FINALLY Kill The Worst Trope In Wrestling

1. Where Did It Go Wrong For Marty Jannetty?

Toxic Attraction Jacy Jayne Gigi Dolin
WWE

As mentioned, Marty Jannetty was a brilliant worker who legitimately had the in-ring ability to become a major player for the WWF in the 1990s - especially at a time when the company was giving main event opportunities to traditionally 'smaller' guys like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels.

So, why didn't Marty reach the heights of his former partner or at least achieve more singles success than just one sole, brief run with the Intercontinental Title?

The truth of the matter is that Marty Jannetty's talent was never the problem and played zero role in what many perceive as being a fumbled career. Instead, it was Marty's habits away from the ring that caused Jannetty to not fulfil his vast promise.

At the biggest moment in his career, when the Rockers had split and Marty and Shawn were on a collision course at WrestleMania, Jannetty's arrest and subsequent firing put the breaks on that momentum and rivalry. Upon returning to the promotion later in 1992, Marty would again soon be fired to his own personal behaviour. Rehired in mid-1993, the next Jannetty run with the then-WWF lasted less than a year, and a return in late-'95 lasted barely 12 months.

Even a surprise rehire of the veteran Marty in 2005 was cut short due to another arrest, and a further shocking return in 2006 fell flat when Jannetty was once more fired due to a court order that prevented him from travelling outside of the state of Florida.

In reality, referring to a tag team wrestler as the Marty Jannetty of a pairing should mean they are a hugely talented grappler, one of the best in-ring workers of their time, but ultimately a flawed person hindered by their own personal demons. Regardless, throwing that 'Jannetty' name around as an insult is something that WWE needs to never do again.

Never forget, Marty Jannetty was absolutely great. Unfortunately, Marty Jannetty was and is also a tragically flawed individual whose demons have often gotten the better of him.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.