30 Years Ago: The Rockers Breakup

It was 30 years ago this week (Jan. 12, 1992) when the shocking breakup of WWF tag team The Rockers occurred on Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake's televised "Barbershop" segment.

The Rockers (Shawn Michael's and Marty Jannetty) were a very popular tag team in the WWF (now WWE) from 1988-1992. In 1992 the team had a storyline written of a violent breakup that would split two men apart to help propel Shawn Michaels into the singles ranks as "The Heartbreak Kid", a gimmick that he used until retiring in 2010. The shocking "Barbershop" aired on television Dec. 12, 1992. Brutus Beefcake interviews the two men about recent problems they were having, and after seemingly working things out, Michaels suddenly superkicks Jannetty and sends him through the plate glass window of the barbershop set. The WWF let Jannetty "blade" (make himself bleed) which helped in making Shawn Michaels a hated heel. Michaels then proceeds to rip up a full page picture of The Rockers from a WWF magazine, signifying the separation. The commentary by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Gorilla Monsoon during the segment would be memorable as well, particularly for Heenan who said, "Jannetty tried to dive through the window to escape! Did you see that? What an act of cowardice!" which then Gorilla Monsoon replied, "Are you blind!?"

I remember being a 15 year old wrestling fanatic at the time, in my living room in Dover Plains, NY watching the shocking breakup of The Rockers when it aired on tv. Seeing Marty Jannetty thrown through the plate glass window, and emerging, bleeding profusely is an image I'll always remember from childhood. Was just so shocking to me and many other wrestling fans at the time. Do you remember where you were when the infamous "Rockers Barbershop Incident" occurred?