The Rockers

The Rockers are seen by many as the greatest tag team never to win titles in WWE. While this is an astounding fact, it’s even harder to grasp the idea that Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty almost never had an opportunity to prove themselves in WWE.

After opening eyes while competing as The Midnight Rockers in the AWA, Michaels and Jannetty made the move to WWE in 1987. The good-looking tandem had dreams of dominating the stacked tag division. WWE, however, didn’t share the same dream and fired the youngsters after only two weeks.

With their tails between their legs, Michaels and Jannetty left, never knowing if they would get another opportunity at greatness. The high-flying duo continued to work on their game for the better part of a year before WWE officials agreed to give them another look. By the summer of 1988, Michaels and Jannetty re-debuted as the Rockers, and the rest is professional wrestling history.

The Rockers achieved early success, turning back such highly celebrated duos as The Brain Busters and The Fabulous Rougeaus. By 1990, their incredible teamwork earned them the reputation of tag team specialists. However, despite all the wins, they were never given a serious opportunity to claim the World Tag Team Championship.

In October 1990, The Rockers, were finally granted a high-profile title shot against The Hart Foundation on Saturday Night’s Main Event. The match proved to be one of the most controversial tag team encounters of all-time, as The Rockers actually left the arena that night with the titles. The championship switch, however, was later stricken from the record after the match was ruled unsafe, due to a ring rope breaking during the bout.

That was the closest The Rockers ever came to claiming the World Tag Team Championship. By 1992, Michaels believed he had outgrown his role in The Rockers. To prove his point, he kicked his longtime partner through the window of The Barber Shop, thus signifying the end of the popular tag team. But in 2005 and 2006, the duo has reunited on occasion, giving fans a glimpse at what made The Rockers such a groundbreaking and memorable tandem.