Sable was one of WWE’s most popular stars during the height of the Attitude Era. Sable regularly got top billing among the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, something unheard of for women stars at the time. In spite of this, however, at the height of her popularity, Sable dramatically walked out on WWE and sued WWE in a $110 million lawsuit.
Sable Filed A Lawsuit Against WWE In 1999
In June 1999, Sable quit WWF and filed a $110 million lawsuit against the company. Sable cited allegations of sexual harassment and unsafe working conditions. In documents that were unearthed around the time Donald Trump hired Linda McMahon to be a part of his administration, this charge, as well as a number of other charges, were filed under “McMahon’s WWE Has Faced Numerous Complaints Of Sexual Abuse.”
“World Wrestling Federation female wrestling star Sable filed a $110 million lawsuit in a Connecticut federal court last Thursday, alleging sexual harassment, unsafe work conditions, and steroid abuse in the WWF. Sable, whose real name is Rena Mero, alleges that WWF instructed her to expose her breasts and someone smeared feces on her personal belongings, according to a TV Guide interview. She also says male wrestlers punched holes into the walls between the men’s and women’s dressing rooms to view female wrestlers. Ms. Mero said she didn’t see WWF wrestlers using steroids, but she speculates that “a lot of the tempers that rage during the matches can be attributed to ‘roid rage,’ “ according to TV Guide. She’s asked to be released from her contract and be able to retain the rights and profits from future merchandising of the name Sable.”
The suit was controversial to say the least, and few of the larger details ever made it public. This passage however did come out and it is interesting reading to say the least. "...Mrs. Mero bitterly complained about her concerns and the humiliation that she was constantly facing, which was not only interfering with her well-being, but with her safety and state of mind. For example, men would routinely walk into the women's dressing room as if by accident; men would cut holes in the walls to watch the women dressing; extras were hired as WWF regulars to expose their breasts; big nipple contests were engaged in; men regularly bragged about their sexual encounters without regard to the women present; WWF produced catalogs and tee-shirts depicting Mrs. Mero In a degrading fashion offering sexual favors; Mrs. Mero was requested to display affection to women to promote a "lesbian angle"; Mrs. Mero was asked to have her gown ripped off repeatedly (notwithstanding promises to the contrary), and Plaintiff was asked to expose her breasts by 'mistake' on national television during a wrestling contest."
Many in WWE didn’t believe the suit was real, on his Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross openly dismissed the case, saying Sable was just using it as an excuse to leave WWE and enter Hollywood. JR said, “WWE would not release Sable, because she was a huge name for the federation. She really carried a lot of tickets, even just when she went down to the ring to greet the crowd. On the other hand, she wanted to distance herself from the company to devote herself to another of her great passions, acting. The reality is that she listened to the wrong people, you can see her in a thousand ways, but that's the truth.
Paradoxically, in Sable's case, it has become too big a situation for her. She just wanted to get out of the wrestling world and enter Hollywood, her biggest shock. I believe the $110 million lawsuit she filed with WWE was decided by her to create a pretext to leave this world. In fact, I have never seen the papers of this lawsuit, I just think it was an excuse.”
The lawsuit definitely was real, however, and in the middle of all this Vince McMahon counter-sued Sable over the control of her stage name “Sable.” Later, Sable reduced the $110 million amount she was seeking in damages, and it all ended when Sable and WWE settled out of court for an unknown amount, though presumably, it was much, much smaller than $110 million.
Were Sable’s Accusations True?
Over 20 years later, many stars of the time have basically admitted that Sable was telling the truth. X-Pac in particular admitted that, on Sable’s last day in WWE, not long before filing the lawsuit, he defecated in Sable’s bag while doing an interview for Kayfabe Commentaries. Behavior like that definitely sounds like the kind of harassment Sable was talking about. If she was telling the truth about that, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that a lot of the other accusations she was talking about are true as well.