How Marty Jannetty's Rocker Dropper Paralyzed A WWE Jobber
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In 1990, The Rockers (Marty Jannetty and Shawn Michaels) were tearing it up as a tag team in WWE. Their high-flying style and flamboyant attitudes helped them climb to the division's top. So it only made sense that such a high-caliber tag team would occasionally get in the ring with some jobbers to add a little shine. But, of course, this is something most WWE fans are accustomed to. Jobbers are there to take the fall and make their opponents look good, but one of those falls had monstrous repercussions for Marty Jannetty, jobber Chuck Austin, and WWE.
Chuck Austin Only Trained For Six Weeks Before Taking The Rocker Dropper From Marty Jannetty
With only six weeks of training as a wrestler, Charles "Chuck" Austin landed himself the opportunity to be a jobber for the WWE. One night in December 1990, he teamed with wrestling legend Lanny Paffo in a tag match against The Rockers at the University of South Florida Sun Dome. According to Marty Jannetty, Chuck Austin claimed to have known how to take the move when they planned the match, but he believes Austin's inexperience led to the botch. Jannetty seems to think Austin got too excited after receiving such a great crowd reaction for a prior move. This led to Austin taking the Rocker Dropper like a DDT instead of flattening out his body, suggesting that Austin was overselling to keep the crowd going.
RELATED: Why The Rockers Tag Team Were Fired By The WWE, Explained
Chuck Austin Told Marty Jannetty That He Was Injured, But Jannetty Rolled Him Over Anyway![Chuck Austin on the mat after botched Rocker Dropper from Marty Jannetty]()
Whatever the root cause, Austin's head spiked when Janetty hit the move, and he lay lifeless on the mat. Still conscious but knowing something was wrong, he told Jannetty he was hurt. Instead of calling for help, Jannetty rolled Austin over in the middle of the ring and then tagged in Michaels to finish the match by hitting Austin from the top rope and pinning him. Whether it was Austin's fault or not, moving his body after that injury could have worsened the situation.
RELATED: What Happened To Marty Jannetty Is One Of Wrestling's Worst Falls From Grace
Chuck Austin Sued WWE And Marty Jannetty Over The Botched Rocker Dropper
Chuck Austin laid unattended in the ring for twenty minutes before receiving medical attention. No doctor was required to be at ringside since WWE was considered entertainment instead of an actual sport. The accident extensively damaged his fourth, fifth, and sixth vertebra, and he was paralyzed from the shoulders down. In 1991, Austin filed a $38 million lawsuit against The Rockers and WWE for assault and battery, negligence, and misrepresentation in the match. Jannetty testified in court that he thought Austin was "selling the move" when he told him he was hurt. WWE brought a wrestling mat into the courtroom to demonstrate how safe the move is. Ultimately, the jury sympathized with Austin, and his family eventually won the case and be awarded around $26.7 million.
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Chuck Austin's Lawsuit Over The Rocker Dropper Helped Change WWE Policies For The Better
In the decades that have followed, WWE has gone to great lengths to prevent tragedies like this, but sadly, it remains a grim reality of the wrestling business that accidents happen in the ring. According to former WWE medical director and current AEW ringside physician Michael Sampson:
"Gravity is gravity. They’re at the top of the world in what they do, but even if it all goes right, that wear and tear can lead to issues. And sometimes things go wrong just like in every other sport, and you have an injury you have to take care of. I’m seeing the whole spectrum of sports injuries."
It shouldn't have taken this incident or one of the many others to convince WWE that wrestlers might need quick medical attention, but things have changed for the better. WWE now has a dedicated team of physicians and a wellness policy in place.
Marty Jannetty still blames Chuck Austin's inexperience for the failed maneuver, though he does note that Austin just wanted WWE to pay for his medical expenses, and their unwillingness to accept that responsibility is why the entire lawsuit was filed in the first place. In 2015, Austin was featured in a report on NBC in Florida about being refused pain prescriptions from pharmacists. In that broadcast, he was confined to a motorized wheelchair and still in pain from the incident.
