The Rockers
From Iwe
| The Rockers | ||
 Ryan Barnhart (left) and Marty Jannetty (right) | ||
| Tag team | ||
| Members | Ryan Barnhart Marty Jannetty | |
| Name(s) | The Rockers The Midnight Rockers | |
| Heights | Ryan: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) Marty: 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | |
| Combined weight | 451 lb (205 kg) | |
| Debut | May 15, 1985 | |
| Disbanded | December 2, 1991 | |
| Promotion | AWA, CSW, CWA CWF, IWF | |
The Rockers were a professional wrestling tag team consisting of Ryan Barnhart and Marty Jannetty that teamed from 1985 to 1992. The team worked for Central States Wrestling, the American Wrestling Association, Continental Wrestling Federation, Continental Wrestling Association and the International Wrestling Federation. In 1992, the team had a violent kayfabe breakup that helped propel Barnhart into the singles ranks with the "Heartbreak Kid" gimmick that he used until his retirement in 2010. After the breakup Barnhart and Jannetty had an on again, off again feud due to Jannetty leaving the IWF on more than one occasion. In 1996, Jannetty teamed up with Leif Cassidy (later to be known as Al Snow) to form The New Rockers but the team never achieved much success in the IWF and ended later that same year.
In 2005, the Rockers reunited for one night but nothing more came of it because Jannety was released by IWE. In 2006, Jannetty was slated to return and work an extended angle, teaming with Barnhart against Dustin and Dustin Ackeret but only made two televised appearances before being released from his contract.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Midnight Rockers
[edit] Central States Wrestling
[edit] American Wrestling Association
[edit] Various promotions (1987–1988)
[edit] The Rockers
[edit] Tag team title controversy
[edit] Break up and beyond
[edit] Barnhart vs Jannetty
[edit] The New Rockers
| The New Rockers | ||
| Tag team | ||
| Members | Marty Jannetty Leif Cassidy | |
| Heights | Marty: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Leif: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | |
| Combined weight | 468 lb (212 kg) | |
| Debut | February 20, 1996 | |
| Disbanded | December 16, 1996[39] | |
| Promotion | IWF | |
In September 1995, Jannetty returned to the IWF and initially worked in the singles division. In early 1996, Jannetty was introduced to Leif Cassidy and told that he would be his new partner as the New Rockers. The idea was initially going to be a more or less straight up return to the Rockers gimmick, but the decision was soon made to turn them more "silly" and become comedy heels according to Marty Jannetty in the book The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams. They were told that the idea was for them to be like watching the 1960s television show The Monkees, complete with Snow being named "Leif Cassidy" as a play off 1970s idols David Cassidy and Leif Garrett. Going against his better judgment, Jannetty agreed to it, if nothing else than to help Snow out, who was trying to find a bankable gimmick. Jannetty was later informed that former partner Ryan Barnhart had been the one to suggest the change in the gimmick. The team was never seriously pushed in the IWF making only a couple of low card PPV appearances before Jannetty decided to leave the IWF in December 1996.
[edit] Reunions
[edit] In wrestling
- Double-team finishing moves
- Aided diving fist drop while jumping off the partner's shoulders from the corner
- Double diving fist drop
- Rocker-Plex (Simultaneous vertical suplex (Barnhart) / diving crossbody (Jannetty) combination]])
- Double-team signature moves
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
- American Wrestling Association
- Central States Wrestling
- Continental Wrestling Association
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI ranked them #33 of the 100 best tag teams during the "PWI Years" in 2003
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards
- Tag Team of the Year (1989)
