While Shawn Michaels has become one of the most important figures in the history of wrestling, his former tag team partner, Marty Jannetty, hasn't had nearly the success that Shawn has had. This 2-disc story answers the question of what happened to the other Rocker while also giving you an insight into the type of person Shawn Michaels was before and after his spiritual rebirth.
Before getting to my review, I would like to clear up some confusion about this DVD. Some websites are reporting that Marty self-released this DVD set and that isn't true. This film is by Howard Feintuch, the person that brought you the Shawn Stasiak DVD I reviewed in 2007. At the start of the DVD, there is a disclaimer that Marty Jannetty doesn't approve of this DVD. I asked Howard about this and he told me that there were disagreements in the editing process. However, Marty was paid for his time while filming this DVD.
Just like the Shawn Stasiak DVD, this isn't a pure shoot interview. There are several location shots in the movie. You can see where Marty originally trained to become a wrestler and where he went to high school. The footage of Marty talking about his life is interwoven with footage of him in the current day. As a viewer of the DVD and a fan of Marty's, I was saddened by some of this footage. There was one scene of the movie that reminded me of The Wrestler. Marty fought in a bloody and violent match in front of a very small crowd. The following day, the footage of Marty talking was very sad as the fatigue from that match made Marty appear to be behaving strangely as he couldn't stay up-right on his chair and his speech seemed off when compared to other parts of the DVD.
Disc one of this DVD features Marty talk about his time in the Rockers while disc two features him discuss the many problems he has been dealing with since Shawn kicked him through the glass window of The Barber Shop. There is a strange irony to this film as we find out how Shawn tried to screw him on disc one and then disc two features Shawn literally save Marty's life. The film ends with Marty sharing his experience with youngsters trying to break into the business.
Overall Recommendation
Since this is an independent release there are a few things you need to know. You can only order the DVD at www.themartyjannettystory.com. In addition, since it is an independent release, the current packaging consists of two clear jewel cases and there are some issues of background noise (wind and use of a wrestling ring) in two parts of the DVD.
While not as polished as a WWE DVD release, I don't think you would get this level of detail in a WWE DVD either. Fans of Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels will love to hear the stories in this DVD. In addition, when you order this DVD, you get a free copy of the previously mentioned Shawn Stasiak DVD.
