Marty Jannetty Thinks WWE Needs To Assist Former Wrestlers With Degenerative Injuries
Speaking to Not In Hall of Fame, Marty Jannetty addresses WWE's decision to only offer rehabilitation assistance to former contracted talent who partook in recreational drug use and not those with degenerative injuries caused by their time wrestling for the organization.
"I think so," he says in response to whether WWE should offer rehabilitation assistance to wrestlers suffering physical pain. "It is really hard for me to say, because I am not the person in charge of something like that. But I think that if someone is working for a company full time, especially with the money that is involved if we are talking straight WWE...I may be getting myself in trouble saying this, but in my opinion; and it is just that one goofy Rock and Rollers opinion; if you pretty much committed your life to working for that company for a period of time than the answer is yes. You are going to get hurt wrestling. Every match is at least a bruise. There are fractures and breaks, and often you work through it."
He continues, "Why does the WWE spend money on those who did stuff recreationally. I'll use Scott Hall as an example. He is a friend, but it is out there, it was on ESPN, so it is no secret. From what I understand, he has been in and out of rehab ten times. That was from the partying and choices made that had nothing to do with what was work related.
"Using myself as an example, I have asked them (WWE) if there is anything that can be done about my ankles. I have to take a lot of pain medication for it; way more than what is an average dose. Really, no more than anyone else who is in full contact sports. We all (wrestlers) have a very high threshold of pain to begin with and we are in good condition. We can handle more than most. Where one person can take a Vicodin and have the pain go away, a highly trained professional athlete has to take four or five times that dosage, and that is where you are getting into a danger zone. If I'm trying to take care of everybody pain, and walking is something we take for granted and I need pain medication just for that and it is work related than the answer should be yes."
Jannetty also discusses his time in the AWA, wrestling for WWE in the late 80s and early 90s, resurfacing in the mid-90s with Leif Cassidy as The New Rockers, future plans and more. The full interview is available here.