Why The Rockers Tag Team Were Fired By The WWE, Explained
Quick Links
Shawn Michaels is a two-time WWE Hall of Fame wrestler, both on his own and with Degeneration X. However, his start in WWE was not as the legendary icon he eventually turned into. Instead, he arrived in WWE with his tag team partner Marty Jannetty. Known as The Rockers, the two had success outside WWE and expected big things in WWE. The problem is that it took them a little longer than expected to see any success. That is because a short time after WWE hired them, the company fired the tag team, and it looked like their WWE careers died before they could ever get going.
Luckily, WWE gave them a second chance, and they became one of the most popular tag teams in the company. This also, though, only lasted a short time. After almost winning the WWE tag team titles on a reversed decision, Shawn Michaels eventually superkicked Marty Jannetty through the barbershop window and struck off on his own. Four world titles and a career of five-star matches later and Shawn was a legend. However, it almost didn't happen thanks to partying and a bad attitude.
RELATED: Brian Pillman & Stone Cold's Friendship In Wrestling, Explained
The Rockers Came Into WWE Already As Superstars
Shawn Michaels got his start working the NWA territories after training with Jose Lothario. He worked in Mid-South Wrestling and World Class Championships Wrestling. However, when he moved on to Central States Wrestling in Kansas City and met Marty Jannetty, his career got a boost. The two formed a tag team there and won the tag titles before moving on to the AWA in 1986. At that time, there were three major wrestling promotions in the United States. The NWA was the biggest, with territories all over the country and its main base in Crockett Promotions in the Carolinas. The WWE was bigger than ever thanks to Hulk Hogan. The AWA was number three, although it was more prestigious before Vince McMahon took over WWE from his dad. Moving to the AWA was a big move for the Midnight Rockers, as they were known at the time.
The team was a quick success. In an era where the high-flying pretty boy tag teams were the biggest babyfaces in wrestling, they filled that niche nicely for the AWA. They beat Doug Somers and Buddy Rose for the AWA Tag Team Championship and The Midnight Rockers sat on top as the most popular team in the promotion. However, this also put them in a spot where others noticed their skills, and this included WWE. While still holding the AWA Tag Team Championship, Michaels and Jannetty signed with WWE. They dropped their titles in a quick title change and moved on to their new home. It only lasted for a few short weeks.
RELATED: Why The New Age Outlaws Broke Up In WWE, Explained
Vince McMahon Fired The Rockers Not Too Long After Their WWE Debut
The Midnight Rockers had developed their new brand as a rock and roll-loving party-boy tag team. However, they also partied on the side and that didn't work out well when they signed with WWE, which at that time was a much more prestigious and organized company than the AWA. Five days after losing their AWA Tag Team Championships, they debuted with WWE at a house show in the AWA's backyard in Minnesota and actually got a WWE tag team title match against the Hart Foundation. It was a huge moment since Minnesota fans associated the Rockers with the AWA and this was almost a dream match there. The two worked a TV taping for WWF Wrestling Challenge and beat Jimmy Jack Funk and Jose Estrada, Sr., but it was their only TV appearance before WWE fired them.
In the DVD documentary Heartbreak and Triumph, Shawn Michaels said that Jimmy Jack Funk (Jesse Barr) provoked the Rockers at a bar after a WWE show. Michaels said that Funk was pushing them around thanks to their reputation as big party guys coming into WWE. Both Michaels and Jannetty said they were on their best behavior, but Funk claimed they didn't belong in WWE and was trying to push them out. When Funk said they weren't tough enough, Michaels said he smashed a bottle over his own head to prove his toughness. Someone told Vince McMahon, and he fired the tag team for being immature and sent them on their way.
The good news is that the Rockers never gave up. They hit the road again and ended up at Continental Wrestling in Memphis, becoming champions once more. They also got another stint in the AWA where they won the tag team titles there once again. However, this ended the same as the last one. They wanted more money, Verne Gagne said no, so they again signed with WWE for a second chance. They dropped the titles quickly again, moved back to WWE, and made a lot better showing this time around. From there, the barbershop window finally broke up the tag team, and, for Shawn Michaels, the rest is history.
