The real story of the Rockers begins long before Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty made their first appearance in a World Wrestling Federation ring. In fact, it begins far from any arena, in a hot, stuffy gym, where Michaels and Jannetty ran into each other by accident.
"Both of us were working out, and I guess we hit it off with each other because of the long hair and rock 'n' roll attitude," Jannetty says. "I think, at first, each of us wanted to be individual stars, but after playing around in the ring for a few minutes, we saw the enormous potential in tag teaming."
What caused the change of heart? As both Rockers tell it, the realization that they shared an uncanny sense of timing that-combined with their natural talents-would allow the Rockers to perform the one-of-a-kind team maneuvers responsible for their title, "the tag team specialists."
"If I didn't know better, I'd think that some scientist had created the Rockers in a laboratory somewhere and pro-grammed them like a computer," says WWF Wrestling Challenge commentator Gorilla Monsoon. "They work together like no tag team I've ever seen-and I've been in the WWF, as a wrestler and announcer, since the 1960s. The way they cover that ring, moving at high speeds to execute brilliant team moves, amazes me. They don't even have to talk to each other before they bewilder their opponents- Michaels and Jannetty seem to communicate by instinct. The reason the Rockers are so successful is that, by just being themselves, they're sensational."
But the Rocker repertoire was not created out of thin air. "We spent months preparing for the WWF," Michaels says. "We must have tried a million moves and then boiled it down to the best 100 or so. Even now, with our traveling schedule as hectic as it is, we try to get to the gym for a couple of hours every day. We want to learn from and improve on our mistakes, create new maneuvers and just stay fresh. Because, in the WWF, if you allow yourself to get stale, no one remembers how good you were two months ago."
Perhaps the reason the Rockers function so well as a duo is the fact that each is a diversified individual wrestler-quick, aerial and cagey-not unlike Macho King Randy Savage, Tito Santana and Bret "Hit Man" Hart. "If they weren't teaming together, both Michaels and Jannetty would be burning up the WWF individually," Monsoon says, "maybe going after Texas Tornado's Intercontinental Belt or giving a headliner like Ravishing Rick Rude a run for his money. That in itself is the stuff of a great tag team-a combination of wrestlers, each capable of challenging for a championship."
After suffering injuries at the hands of the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers and the Powers of Pain, Shawn Michaels has grown into the consummate defensive wrestler, skilled at turning adversity to his advantage. On more than one occasion, he has been whipped into the ring corner and managed to grip onto the top rope as his opponent charged him. Vaulting over his foe to avoid being squashed, Michaels has then executed any number of moves, most notably the high hip toss.
Jannetty has conjured up images of Jake "The Snake" Roberts with his ability to improvise new maneuvers in the midst of battle. He can turn a simple wristlock into a complicated pun-isher by wringing his adversary's arm, hooking a leg over the back of the man's head and-still gripping the wrist while rolling onto the mat-delivering a racking head scissors variation.
"I've seen guys in this sport who let their headlines stunt their wrestling growth," reflects Jannetty. "If you believe all the praise and never try to go one step farther, people will figure out your strategies pretty fast. And all the hours in the gym are useless if you can't think on your toes. When the battle's raging and you can stun your opponent with something no one's ever seen before, you're on your way as a gladiator"
Another essential element for a squad like the Rockers is taking advantage of the time both partners are in the ring. "It means that you tag out anticipating what your teammate's going to do when he tags in," Michaels explains. An example would be Michaels' tagging Jannetty before placing a foe in an armlock. Jannetty enters the ring via the turnbuckles, coming down hard on the limb held in place by Michaels.
Then there are awe-inspiring sequence maneuvers-one move after another executed by both partners in unison. For instance, Michaels and Jannetty might each take an opponent's arm and wring itforward, then backward. As the wrestler is agonizing, the Rockers will next execute a double thrustkick into the man's ribs-followed by a double whip, backdrop and double clothesline onto the arena floor.
There are also defensive team moves, dependent upon both partners' being able to think on the exact same wavelength. "If your minds aren't working in sync, you can get yourself in a lot of danger," Jannetty states. "But if the two of you can think as one, it is next to impossible for another team to defeat you."
A short time back, a squad facing the Rockers tried to deliver a few team moves of their own, only to be outclassed by the "Masters of Motion." Michaels and Jannetty were whipped into the ropes, and their opponents were preparing to level them with simultaneous clotheslines. Instead, the Rockers hit the deck, slid under their adversaries' feet and fired off dual dropkicks before the rivals could even turn around.
What puts the Rockers in a category all their own is the team's knack of surprising their opponents with well-conceived maneuvers combining offense and defense. "These types of moves developed as we developed as a team," Michaels explains. "From the start, Marty and I both had foundations as good defensive athletes. And I think both of us could astonish a foe with a move or a series of moves the media would call 'dynamic.' But it was combining everything -putting it all together in one package-that took a good deal of work until these moves, like all the others, just came naturally."
In one bout, Michaels was whipped into the ropes and rebounded back toward his foe, who bent to deliver a high back-bodydrop. Thinking several paces ahead of his opponent, Michaels managed to leapfrog over the wrestler's back and tag Jannetty. By the time the Rockers' rival realized what had transpired, it was too late for him. Michaels was back in his team's corner, while Jannetty in the center of the ring, dropkicked his adversary. "That's turning a minus into a plus," Jannetty was heard to declare as his foe hit the mat.
Even moves considered mainstays in the world of wrestling have taken on special significance, thanks to the Rockers. One that comes to mind is the fist-drop, used by many wrestlers to soften up an opponent for the finish of a match. However, in the possession of the Rockers, the fist drop has become the finisher. Michaels might propel himself off Jannetty's shoulders, fistdropping a fallen foe before hooking his leg for the pin. Other times, the Rockers go to opposite ends of the ring, mounting the turnbuckles and simultaneously fistdropping a victim already sprawled out in the center of the canvas. Either way, with the Rockers calling the plays, the maneuver is more pulverizing than ever before.
Just like a heavy metal band that has shaken the music world, the Rockers have forged a hard-driving edge into professional wrestling. By revising traditional maneuvers and composing original moves, they long ago proved that they're not one-tune wonders, but thundering survivors, with albums full of devastating hits yet to be released.