Post by Iceman on Jul 28, 2005 19:20:13 GMT -5
Ted DiBiase on Marty Jannetty
July 27, 2005
Former WWE Superstar Ted DiBiase talks about the highs and lows of Marty Jannetty’s life and career. For more on Jannetty, be sure to watch Byte This!
I’ve known Marty for a long, long time, and there’s many people who know that Marty has had his ups and downs — and he’d be the first person to tell you that — but it’s a pretty incredible story: Marty had hit an all-time low, he and Shawn Michaels - who were tag team partners for years - had a very bitter breakup several years ago. And after that breakup, it seems that Shawn’s career went through the roof, and in Marty’s own words, his went into the cellar. Living down in Florida, he got picked up on a DUI, and then got another DUI and was actually facing some jail time. I guess he had pretty much come to the end the rope, in his own words, said, “You know what, I was thinking about ‘checking out.’ My career was over, I don’t have a family, I’m not married.” And he just didn’t seem to have anything to look forward to or live for.
And so he said he was going to take a walk and try to talk to “a God who never seemed to answer him.” And so he took this walk, and he had a cell phone with him, and the cell phone wasn’t even his — it was a friend’s phone — and as he was walking and having this heart-to-heart with, as he described it, “a God who never seemed to answer,” the phone rang. And because he didn’t recognize the number, he didn’t answer the phone. And there was no audible voice from Heaven; again no answer. So, he goes back and he gives the phone to his friend, and basically, what he told me, was he was going to go call his family and tell them … the way he told it to me was, “I was going to say goodbye without letting them know what I was going to do.”
He was ready to check out. And as he was about to leave, his buddy says, “Wait Marty, I don’t recognize this number either, so let me check.” And much to his surprise, the voice on the other end of the phone and the message was from Shawn Michaels. Now, what are the odds? Here’s a guy who was his bosom-buddy all these years, they have this horrible breakup, and all these years later, on the darkest day of his life, when he’s about to ‘check out,’ he gets a phone call from Shawn Michaels.
I’m a very firm believer in God. Many people know that I’m even a minister today. The skeptics will call it coincidence — I don’t believe in coincidences — and I think what Marty needed that day was a miracle and I think he got it. The message from Shawn was basically, “Marty, I’m calling because I want to apologize for whatever part I had in our breakup. I love you like a brother. I want to renew our friendship.” Shawn went on to say that his life had changed dramatically; he had found Christianity, and that he was on his way to a conference, actually a conference that a number of wrestlers had attended with me, a conference out in Phoenix, Arizona. And he said, “Marty, if you’ll come along with me, I’ll pay your way.”
And Marty came to the conference. Marty had a wonderful time, made a decision to give his heart and his life to Geez Christ, and at that time, at least we thought, everything was looking great. Now, I haven’t had a chance to talk to Marty since this last bump in the road happened. But he and I have known each other since the very beginning back in Kansas City when he was a young guy and I was a young guy, and we’ve been down the bad road together many times, and I’m never one to cast any stones.
I wish Marty very well. I hope that everything works out for him. I’m still holding out and hoping that eventually the opportunity will come that he can get back here with us in the company. But that’s just one of those stories that you hear and you just go, “Wow!” To me, it’s like for the skeptic who says that there is no God, well, what are the odds? I mean, what are the odds?
Credit: WWE
July 27, 2005
Former WWE Superstar Ted DiBiase talks about the highs and lows of Marty Jannetty’s life and career. For more on Jannetty, be sure to watch Byte This!
I’ve known Marty for a long, long time, and there’s many people who know that Marty has had his ups and downs — and he’d be the first person to tell you that — but it’s a pretty incredible story: Marty had hit an all-time low, he and Shawn Michaels - who were tag team partners for years - had a very bitter breakup several years ago. And after that breakup, it seems that Shawn’s career went through the roof, and in Marty’s own words, his went into the cellar. Living down in Florida, he got picked up on a DUI, and then got another DUI and was actually facing some jail time. I guess he had pretty much come to the end the rope, in his own words, said, “You know what, I was thinking about ‘checking out.’ My career was over, I don’t have a family, I’m not married.” And he just didn’t seem to have anything to look forward to or live for.
And so he said he was going to take a walk and try to talk to “a God who never seemed to answer him.” And so he took this walk, and he had a cell phone with him, and the cell phone wasn’t even his — it was a friend’s phone — and as he was walking and having this heart-to-heart with, as he described it, “a God who never seemed to answer,” the phone rang. And because he didn’t recognize the number, he didn’t answer the phone. And there was no audible voice from Heaven; again no answer. So, he goes back and he gives the phone to his friend, and basically, what he told me, was he was going to go call his family and tell them … the way he told it to me was, “I was going to say goodbye without letting them know what I was going to do.”
He was ready to check out. And as he was about to leave, his buddy says, “Wait Marty, I don’t recognize this number either, so let me check.” And much to his surprise, the voice on the other end of the phone and the message was from Shawn Michaels. Now, what are the odds? Here’s a guy who was his bosom-buddy all these years, they have this horrible breakup, and all these years later, on the darkest day of his life, when he’s about to ‘check out,’ he gets a phone call from Shawn Michaels.
I’m a very firm believer in God. Many people know that I’m even a minister today. The skeptics will call it coincidence — I don’t believe in coincidences — and I think what Marty needed that day was a miracle and I think he got it. The message from Shawn was basically, “Marty, I’m calling because I want to apologize for whatever part I had in our breakup. I love you like a brother. I want to renew our friendship.” Shawn went on to say that his life had changed dramatically; he had found Christianity, and that he was on his way to a conference, actually a conference that a number of wrestlers had attended with me, a conference out in Phoenix, Arizona. And he said, “Marty, if you’ll come along with me, I’ll pay your way.”
And Marty came to the conference. Marty had a wonderful time, made a decision to give his heart and his life to Geez Christ, and at that time, at least we thought, everything was looking great. Now, I haven’t had a chance to talk to Marty since this last bump in the road happened. But he and I have known each other since the very beginning back in Kansas City when he was a young guy and I was a young guy, and we’ve been down the bad road together many times, and I’m never one to cast any stones.
I wish Marty very well. I hope that everything works out for him. I’m still holding out and hoping that eventually the opportunity will come that he can get back here with us in the company. But that’s just one of those stories that you hear and you just go, “Wow!” To me, it’s like for the skeptic who says that there is no God, well, what are the odds? I mean, what are the odds?
Credit: WWE
