Marc Mero was a showman of a wrestler with a wild personality. Holding unique skills, with a background in amateur boxing and bodybuilding, he decided to enter the squared circle. He was a part of WCW from 1991 to 1996, and in WWE from 1996 to1999, wrestling in both major promotions. He jumped to the WWE with the first-ever guaranteed contract offered by Vince McMahon.
He went through three major character phases in his career: "Johnny B Badd", "The Wildman" and "Marvelous Marc Mero". Mero considered returning to WCW and had little known runs in both the XWF and TNA. He is a three-time TV Champion and Intercontinental Title holder, and will definitely be remembered by all fans from the 1990s wrestling scene in any of his incarnations.
10 Golden Gloves Champion & Beginnings
Mero began boxing in his last year of high school in New York. The Golden Gloves are the major national amateur boxing championship in the United States, as well as holding regional championships. Mero went on to win four "New York State Titles" with hopes of turning professional and making a career of his talent.
Due to an incident with his nose being broken, his hopes took a left turn into bodybuilding before shifting to wrestling and training down in Tampa Florida (an area that has become popular with wrestlers through the decades). He trained under the legendary Malenkos. His first-ever promotion was in that area as well, debuting in 1991 at Florida Sun Coast Professional Wrestling.
9 Arrival In WCW
Mero debuted in May 1991 and was beaten by the monster Sid Vicious and was then given the gimmick of a Little Richard-style character. The Johnny B Badd name is a twist on the Chuck Berry song Johnny B. Goode.
Mero was initially managed by the “Purveyor of Great Talent” Theodore Long. He made his first PPV appearance at the inaugural Superbrawl, in an interview segment with Tony Schiavone as a heel. Introduced as "the fastest hands in WCW", Tony seemed unimpressed by the antics of Badd, and the marketing mouth of Teddy Long.
8 Johnny Flamingo Boxing Feud
Mero was positioned strongly in WCW. From June to September, he went without a loss until facing Sting, the US champion at Clash of the Champions XVI: Fall Brawl, but failed to win the title. This helped solidify his place in the promotion.
After a feud over the WCW Light Heavyweight Championship held by Brian Pillman, he transitioned into a storyline with The Diamond Studd (Scott Hall) and DDP. This turned Mero face, lasting all the way into the middle of the next year. It resulted in a boxing match between Mero and Scotty Flamingo (Raven) who was incorporated into the narrative.
7 Rivalry With Steve Austin & TV Title Reigns
Mero and Austin had a great feud in WCW over the US Championship in different matches, including the deadly "Tuxedo match" stipulation. This rivalry continued into WWE with their famous KOTR semi-final, where Austin memorably got his lip busted open and required stitches. Then a less well known IYH International Incident contest the next month, playing off this unplanned event.
Back in WCW, Mero won the TV Title three times in total, and was a talented and dependable technical wrestler, with a touch of flamboyance. Putting on good matches, and having personality, he could be relied upon to entertain the crowd.
6 The Real Reason He Left WCW For WWE
Mero cleared up rumours in a March 2021 interview, saying he was making really good money for the time at WCW with a guaranteed contract. He was working with Kimberly Page (DDP’s wife) and his daughter was emotionally upset when she watched her father on TV in this storyline. Being involved with another man's wife on-screen also didn't sit well with Mero's own religious beliefs.
He wanted to experience the WWE. Mero got a guaranteed contract in WWE and a signing bonus, plus asked for his wife to fly everywhere with him. After Vince saw Sable for the first time, he knew he had to put her on TV.
5 WrestleMania 12 Debut
Mero debuted at WrestleMania 12, with his wife Sable escorting HHH to ringside and being blamed for his loss to the Ultimate Warrior. Mero rescued her as their introduction into the world of "The New Generation". His initial feud with HHH began at the In Your House 8 Beware of Dog.
HHH was escorted by another lady to replace Sable to ringside. Wildman and Sable became an instant fan favourite during these early weeks. Mero reversed the Pedigree with a flip into the ring post to steal the win, in a long 15-minute contest that showcased both young wrestlers' skills.
4 Betrayed By Mr. Perfect
Mero had won the Intercontinental title defeating a great set of opponents in Steve Austin, Owen Hart and Farooq with the help and advice from Mr Perfect in a tournament in the autumn of 1996. However, it was only a month-long reign due to his old foe Triple H, as this rivalry was far from over.
Mr Perfect was set to face HHH in his return to the squared circle after being away for years because of injury. After being attacked backstage by HHH, Mr Perfect was not allowed to wrestle by Gorilla Monsoon. Mero stepped up and was convinced to put the title on the line. It was all a swerve as the "Perfect Plan" went down with the chair shot from his mentor, costing Mero the match. Unfortunately Perfect soon left for WCW and we never got the real payoff.
3 Tore ACL And Reinvented Himself
After tearing his ACL and being out for six months, Mero returned with a new look inspired more by his boxing background as the "Marvelous One", with a new arsenal and finisher in the TKO.
This is where he developed his heel persona. Sable had grown in popularity and Mero became jealous. After pinning Sable to send her out of the company, he got a new manager in Jacqueline. This angle culminated at SummerSlam 1998 when Sable returned with a young Edge who defeated the duo. Rumours persist that he was meant to feud with Austin while he was WWE Champion, but it was vetoed due to Mero losing credibility by taking the Sable Bomb.
2 Quit WWE With Sable To Pursue Hollywood
Mero and Sable dramatically quit the WWE in 1999 with three years left on his contract while he was making $350,000 guaranteed, due to being tired of the industry and backstage problems. They also wished to pursue other ventures in Hollywood (specifically for his wife).
Sable suddenly turned up in the audience in June 1999 on WCW Nitro to tease a return to the industry during the Monday Night Wars. Mero also appeared in April 2000 on an episode of Thunder as a member of the audience, confronting Tank Abbot. That was as far as his involvement went with the end of the Monday Night Wars as Mero was still healing from long-standing injuries.
1 The Final Years
XWF was looking to replace WCW in the early 2000s, operating out of Florida at the old WCW Universal Studios site that later became the TNA Impact location, with many major names including Bagwell, Hogan, Perfect, Piper, Vampiro and even AJ Styles participating. Mero appeared as Johnny B Badd again and his wife Sable appeared as the CEO from 2001-2002.
From 2004-2005 Mero had a short run in TNA as Johnny B Badd, early in the company's history that fans may have missed. He competed in their first-ever monthly PPV Victory Road but his major highlight was defeating Raven with the help of his old boxing match foe from WCW, DDP, in a twist of this earlier WCW storyline. In 2006 he officially retired from wrestling.