Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Mark Jannetty baptised, saved from suicide by Shawn Micheals

From Impact Fan John:

Source: Chris Chisum and Brandon Clark
CREDIT:voiceofwrestling.com

Marty Jannetty, former WWE wrestler, was baptized and saved last night at the Athletes International Mintistries convention at The Raddison resort in Phoenix, Arizona.

Shawn Michaels, Jannetty’s former tag-team partner in The Rockers, was in the water and assisted with the baptism. The Voice of Wrestling’s own Chris Chisum was at the event and spoke with both men afterwards.

According to Jannetty, he had been struggling with personal demons for many years, and was considering ending his own life. Marty borrowed a friends cell phone and began calling family members, including his brother and his girlfriend, to say goodbye. “I wasn’t telling them it was goodbye, but that’s what it was for me.” After making his calls, Marty decided to pray one last time, although it hadn’t seemed to work for him in the past. During his two minute prayer, the cell phone rang. He checked the number on the phone, but didn’t recognize it, so he didn’t answer.

When he got back to his friends home, he handed him the phone and told him there was a call. His friend checked the voice mail and then handed the phone back to Marty. “He handed me the phone back and told me the message was for me.” In an amazing turn of events, the person calling was Shawn Michaels himself, trying to contact Jannetty.

“I had been trying to get ahold of Marty for awhile, but he is hard to find. Recently at a show a guy in the dressing room said he had seen him, I told the guy to get me the number and put it in my bag. I told him to not leave that arena without getting me the number.”

Michaels then called Jannetty from the Bad Blood PPV last weekend to see if he would join him at the conference in Phoenix. That was the call Marty received while he was praying. Marty returned the call and agreed to join Shawn.

“I wanted him to come and asked him just to come and talk. Marty said ‘I will go with you Shawn"

Michaels went on to say that “ A lot of guys will want to talk about is it real or is it not. It’s as real for Marty as it is for me and all of us. Marty's done it now and its time for the next step, I'm gonna be here for him to help him.” According to HBK, the lord save Marty’s life. He is thankful that the lord used him and he was smart enough to obey the Lord and make the call. Marty is very important to him. He taught him alot about being a man and a wrestler. They went their separate ways, Shawn gave his life to the lord, he thought of Marty. He has been trying to get a hold of Marty for two years and finally got a hold of him two weeks ago.

Michaels also commented on the conference saying, "We are all a bunch of big jocks praising the lord. There is something very liberating about that." He talked about how wrestling has changed and Christianity is now accepted in the business. "When I went to Curt (Hennings’) funeral, I wondered where Curt was gonna spend eternity. You know, and that’s the thing you think about now. When I think about guys in the business passing away, am I gonna get to see them again." Michaels also talked about how he now lives his life in the spotlight. “I try to live as an example. The business is full of guys that talk. IN this business I’ve seen and heard about everything, I don’t beat anybody over the head with a bible, I just try to walk the walk.”

Sting was also on hand and witnessed the life-changing event for Marty. Chris asked him what AIM means to him. Sting replied, “AIM means a breath of fresh air, life and life more abundant. Athletes turning their lives around. Marriages being fixed, people being delivered off of drugs and ography, things that are just not good. The only thing I can do is be an example, not cram anything down anyone’s throat. But I won’t compromise. What I want to do is gain momentum, and other wrestlers might here about this conference and persecute the whole thing. But that’s all just a lie. The biggest men that I know are ones that love the lord, their wives, their families.”

Sting also said that he has discussed a return the WWE with Vince, but right now things are on hold.

One thing is certain, Marty Jannetty has made a decision to change his lifestyle and has a new outlook on life in general today. His final comment to Chris Chisum sums it up well.

"I'm a wrestler, and I don’t know how to do anything else. I made a bad decision and realized that if the rest of my life was gonna be like the last four years I didn’t want to live it anymore" I was looking for the cheap way out, the permanent solution to a temporary problem. Life wasn't going to be the way I want it, but I think it will be now."