| Marc Mero | |
|---|---|
 Mero in 2013 | |
| Born | (1960-07-09)July 9, 1960 (age 64) Buffalo, New York, U.S.[1] |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 1 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Johnny B. Badd[2] "Wildman" Marc Mero[2] The Wildman[2] "Marvelous" Marc Mero[2] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[3] |
| Billed weight | 235 lb (107 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | Syracuse, New York (as Marc Mero in WCW) Macon, Georgia (as Johnny B. Badd in WCW) Buffalo, New York/Jungles (as "Wildman"/"Marvelous" Marc Mero in WWF) |
| Trained by | Boxing: Ray Rinaldi[2] Wrestling: Boris Malenko[2] Dean Malenko[2] Joe Malenko[2] |
| Debut | 1990[2] |
| Retired | 2006[4] |
YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Genres |
|
| Subscribers | 146 thousand[5] |
| Total views | 45.1 million[5] |
Last updated: May 3, 2023 | |
Marc Mero (born July 9, 1960)[6] is an Americanmotivational speaker and retiredprofessional wrestler andamateur boxer. He is best known for his appearances with theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) under his real name and withWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) andNWA Total Nonstop Action (NWA TNA) under thering nameJohnny B. Badd.
Mero was heavily pushed as a mid-carder as "Johnny B. Badd" in WCW during the early 1990s. He won theWCW World Television Championshipthree times during the course of his career before departing the company due to creative differences in 1996. He would then compete in WWF under his real name, making his debut atWrestleMania XII and going on to win theWWF Intercontinental Championship. He would thenfeud with his wifeSable before departing in 1999. Mero's last mainstream appearance was in NWA TNA, where he wrestled sporadically in the mid-2000s.
Mero was born into aJewish family inBuffalo, New York (his grandfather shortened the family name from "Merowitz").[2][7] His parents divorced when he was eight years old, with his mother supporting him and his two siblings by working two jobs. At the age of 12, Mero began playinghockey, eventually becoming his league'sMost Valuable Player. In 1973, Mero's family relocated toLiverpool, New York, where Mero played for the Mid State Youth Hockey League. At age 15, Mero began playing for the Syracuse Stars Junior Hockey Team.[1][2]
Mero began playingfootball in his senior year atLiverpool High School, with his team winning theNew York State Public High School Athletic Association Title under the tutelage of futureUniversity of Central Florida coachGeorge O'Leary.[8] In the same year, Mero began training as a boxer underGolden Gloves coach Ray Rinaldi. Mero went on to win four New York State titles, including theNew York Golden Gloves tournament. Mero intended to become a professional boxer, but his career was sidelined after his nose was broken in an accident. He briefly pursued abodybuilding career, placing third in the Mr. New York State bodybuilding contest.
In his 20s Mero became aChristian.[7]
In 1990, Mero decided to become a wrestler, traveling toTampa, Florida to train under the Malenkos. He debuted in 1991 in the Floridian Sun CoastProfessional Wrestling promotion.[1]
Several months after his FSCPW debut, Mero attended aWorld Championship Wrestling television taping and was given a tryout, losing toDoom in asquash match. Mero appeared with WCW as anenhancement talent for several months. Mero competed in his first match on the May 1, 1991 episode ofWorldWide, where he was defeated bySid Vicious. He was eventually signed to a contract bybookerDusty Rhodes.[2] Rhodes repackaged Mero with thering nameJohnny B. Badd (as a nod to theChuck Berry song "Johnny B. Goode") and he was given thecharacter of a flamboyantLittle Richardlook-alike.[9][10] He was initially avillain andmanaged byTeddy Long.[11] He debuted at theinaugural SuperBrawlpay-per-view, on May 19, 1991, where he was introduced as Long's newest client. He made his televised in-ring debut on the June 1 episode ofWorld Championship Wrestling against enhancement talent Kip Abee.[12] Badd made his pay-per-view debut atThe Great American Bash, where he lost toThe Yellow Dog bydisqualification after Long tried to remove Yellow Dog's mask.[13]
Badd was heavilypushed upon his debut, being placed in the rankings of the top ten contenders for theWorld Heavyweight Championship due to a dominant undefeated streak. He put his lip stickers on the faces of his defeated opponents after matches. On August 25, he participated in a tournament for the vacatedUnited States Heavyweight Championship, where he faced Yellow Dog to a no contest in the quarter-final. As a result, both men were eliminated from the tournament.[14] Badd suffered his firstpinfall loss on television on the September 5Clash of the Champions XVI: Fall Brawl, where he was pinned by the United States Heavyweight ChampionSting.[12][15] Badd continued his dominance with a win overJimmy Garvin atHalloween Havoc and unsuccessfully challengedBrian Pillman for theLight Heavyweight Championship on the November 19Clash of the Champions XVII.[16][17]
On the December 22 episode ofMain Event, Badd teamed withDiamond Studd to take onTom Zenk andP. N. News in a tag team match, which Badd's team lost. After the match, Badd was attacked by Studd andDiamond Dallas Page until Zenk and News came to his rescue. As a result, Baddturned into afan favorite.[12] Badd made his first appearance at the company's flagship eventStarrcade, where he was randomly placed withArachnaman in aLethal Lottery tag team match againstScott Steiner andFirebreaker Chip. Badd's team lost.[18] Shortly after, he began using "Badd Blaster", aconfettigun that he would fire before his matches.[19] Badd continued to rack up wins against the likes ofRichard Morton[20] andTracy Smothers in the first half of 1992.[21] He feuded with Page and his teammateScotty Flamingo and the two competed in a series of televised and non-televised matches throughout 1992, including aboxing match on the November 18Clash of the Champions XXI, which Flamingo won in the third round after Page filled Flamingo's boxing glove with water.[22][23]
Mero got involved in arivalry withCactus Jack after the two were randomly placed as tag team partners via Lethal Lottery forStarrcade but failed to get along. The duo teamed for the first time on the December 26 episode ofSaturday Night, where they defeatedTex Slazenger and Shanghai Pierce. They had a confrontation after the match, during which Jack delivered adouble underhook DDT. At Starrcade, Mero's team lost in their Lethal Lottery match after Mero knocked Jack out with aTutti Frutti.[22][24] Mero faced Jack in a match on the January 13, 1993Clash of the Champions XXII, where he lost.[25] Badd began his next major program withMaxx Payne after Payne injured him with aPayne Killer on February 9. During this rivalry, Payne stole the Badd Blaster and Badd attempted to reclaim his gun. Badd lost a match to Payne by forfeit on the June 16Clash of the Champions XXIII after Payne took him out with the Badd Blaster.[26][27] Badd donned a mask due to the sustained injuries and faced Payne in a series of matches. He defeated Payne at theBeach Blast pay-per-view but lost to him in ano disqualification match on the July 31 episode ofSaturday Night.[28][29] Badd defeated Payne in amask versus guitar match on the August 18Clash of the Champions XXIV, to claim Payne's guitar.[30] The two ended their feud on the October 30 episode ofSaturday Night, where both men shook hands and buried the hatchet after a confrontation withPaul Orndorff.[26]
Badd unsuccessfully challengedLord Steven Regal for theWCW World Television Championship on the November 10Clash of the Champions XXV.[31] He was randomly paired withBrian Knobbs in a Lethal Lottery at theBattlebowl pay-per-view, where Badd's team won to qualify for theBattlebowl battle royal. He eliminatedRip Rogers before being eliminated by Paul Orndorff.[26][32]
Badd received his firstworld championship opportunity on the February 12, 1994, episode ofSaturday Night, where he challengedRick Rude for theInternational World Heavyweight Championship in a losing effort. During this time, Badd formed a tag team withMichael Hayes and began a feud withHarlem Heat. Hayes turned on Badd during a no disqualification match against Harlem Heat on the February 19 episode ofSaturday Night.[33] As a result, Badd would be facing Hayes, the following night atSuperBrawl IV, where Hayes was replaced by Jimmy Garvin, whom Badd defeated.[34] Badd began pursuing theUnited States Heavyweight Championship after he lost atuxedo match against championSteve Austin on the May 7 episode ofWorldWide, afterCol. Robert Parker pulled off Badd's pants.[33] Badd faced Austin for the title in a losing effort atSlamboree[35] Badd received another title shot on the June 23Clash of the Champions XXVII, where Austin initially retained the title by pinning Badd after hitting him with a foreign object, but thereferee reversed the decision, during which Badd pinned Austin. However, due to the controversial finish, Austin retained the title.[33][36]
Badd substituted for the injuredSting asLord Steven Regal's challenger for theWorld Television Championship atBash at the Beach, where he failed to win the title.[37] However, Badd remained in the title contention. Mero beat Regal for the title atFall Brawl to gain his first singles championship in WCW.[38] Badd made his first successful title defense againstBobby Eaton on the October 1 episode ofWorldWide.[33] He retained the title in major title defenses againstThe Honky Tonk Man atHalloween Havoc[39] and the November 16Clash of the Champions XXIX.[40] Badd was scheduled to defend the title against Honky for a third time atStarrcade but Honky left the company before the event and was replaced byArn Anderson, whom Badd defeated to retain the title.[33][41] Badddropped the title to Anderson on the January 8, 1995, episode ofMain Event.[42] Badd failed to win the title in subsequent rematches on the January 25Clash of the Champions XXX,[43] February 18 episode ofSaturday Night and February 19 episode ofMain Event.[42][44] Badd defeated Anderson in a boxer-versus-wrestler match atUncensored to end the rivalry.[45]
Badd competed in the mid-card throughout 1995, until he defeated Brian Pillman to become the #1 contender for the United States Heavyweight Championship atFall Brawl.[46] Badd received his title shot on the September 30 episode ofSaturday Night against Sting, but failed to appear as he had been attacked by the Television ChampionDiamond Dallas Page.[42] Badd faced and defeated Page to win his second World Television Championship atHalloween Havoc.[47] Badd defended the title against Page at the inauguralWorld War 3 pay-per-view, with the stipulation that if Badd won, he would gain Page'sDiamond Doll as hisvalet. Badd defeated Page to retain the title and won the services of Kimberly, but he freed her.[42][48] She continued to be in Badd's corner and the rivalry with Page continued. Badd defeated Page to retain the title atSuperBrawl VI in 1996.[49] Badd lost the World Television Championship toLex Luger during a house show on February 17, but defeated Luger to regain the title on February 18. He lost the title to Luger again on the March 9 episode ofSaturday Night, after Page delivered aDiamond Cutter to Badd on the floor.[50] This was Badd's final appearance in WCW. He left the company because he strongly objected to the ongoingangle with Kimberly Page.[51]
After leaving WCW, he immediately signed a contract with theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF), where he began competing under his real name because WCW acquired the rights to the Johnny B. Badd name. He debuted in WWF as afan favorite atWrestleMania XII, on March 31, 1996, where he rescued his wife,Rena "Sable" Mero fromHunter Hearst Helmsley.[52] Mero made his in-ring debut, the following night onMonday Night Raw, where he defeatedIsaac Yankem DDS. The following night after his in-ring debut on Action Zone, he partnered withAhmed Johnson to take onCamp Cornette at theSan Diego Sports Arena. Beginning with the April 15 episode ofRaw, Sable began accompanying Mero to the ring during his matches with various outfits and whips and he adopted thenickname and a Jungle Gimmick called "Wildman", Both Mero and Sable adopted thenickname World Wrestling Federation's 1 2 Punch .[53] Mero defeated Helmsley in his pay-per-view debut atIn Your House 8.[54] Mero qualified for theKing of the Ring tournament by defeatingSkip on the June 10 episode ofRaw. He defeatedOwen Hart in the quarter-final, the following week onRaw,[53] but lost to eventual winnerStone Cold Steve Austin in the semi-final atKing of the Ring.[55] Mero began arivalry withGoldust after Goldust won a match between the pair on the July 1 episode ofRaw.[53] Mero faced Goldust in a losing effort at theSummerSlam pay-per-view.[56]
On the September 6 episode ofRaw, Mero participated in atournament for theIntercontinental Championship, which was vacated byAhmed Johnson due to injury. Mero defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin, Owen Hart andFaarooq to win the title on September 23 episode ofRaw.[53] Mero successfully defended the title against Goldust, with the assistance ofMr. Perfect atIn Your House 10.[53][57] Hedropped the title to rival Hunter Hearst Helmsley, the following night onRaw after Perfect goaded Mero into defending the title against Helmsley and hit him with asteel chair.[53][58] Mero led a team ofJake Roberts,The Stalker and newcomerRocky Maivia against Helmsley,Crush, Goldust andJerry Lawler in afour-on-four elimination tag team match atSurvivor Series. Mero was eliminated by Crush but his team won the match.[59] Mero faced Helmsley for the Intercontinental Championship atIn Your House 12, where Mero won bycount-out.[60]
Mero participated in the1997 Royal Rumble match as the #16 entrant. He was eliminated by the eventual winnerStone Cold Steve Austin.[61] On the February 3 episode ofRaw, Mero received hislast opportunity for theIntercontinental Championship againstHunter Hearst Helmsley, where he failed to win the title.[62] Later that month, he tore hisanterior cruciate ligament, and spent six months rehabilitating.[63]
Mero returned to WWF television on the October 6 episode ofRaw is War, where he was repackaged as aboxer-turned-wrestler and got a new nickname "Marvelous". He debuted a new finishing move,TKO to win his match againstMiguel Pérez, Jr.[64] Mero began a slowturn as avillain after becoming jealous of the fan followingSable had acquired in his absence and wanting her out of the WWF.[62] During this time, he faced boxerButterbean in a toughman contest atD-Generation X: In Your House, which he lost by disqualification.[65]
As 1998 began, Mero's obsession with Sable continued, which led to a temporary alliance withGoldust and his valet,Luna Vachon, in which the three humiliated Sable during matches, but it turned into a short feud when Goldust became physical with Sable. AtWrestleMania XIV, Mero and Sable defeated Goldust and Luna in amixed tag team match.[66] The storyline was resolved in a match between Mero and Sable atOver the Edge, in which Mero feigned remorse, offering to lie down and allow her to pin him, before defeating Sable with aninside cradle, which resulted in her leaving the WWF for a short time and Mero completed his villainous turn.[67] After he dropped Sable as his valet,Jacqueline became his manager.[68] However, his association with Jacqueline did not prove to be successful as he failed to qualify for theKing of the Ring tournament againstJeff Jarrett on the June 22 episode ofRaw is War and competed in theBrawl for All on the following week's episode ofRaw is War, where he was defeated bySteve Blackman in the first round.[69] Mero and Jacqueline faced Sable and newcomerEdge in a mixed tag team match atSummerSlam, which Mero lost after Edge dropped Sable on him to pin him for the victory.[70] Mero's misfortunes continued when he failed to regain the Intercontinental Championship after losing toVal Venis in atournament in October.[69] Jacqueline's interventions in matches soon ended up costing Mero several victories and he ultimately fired her after losing toBig Boss Man on the November 22 episode ofSunday Night Heat.[69][71]
Mero's last appearance on WWF television in the United States was on the November 30 episode ofRaw is War, where he facedLight Heavyweight ChampionDuane Gill. He promised toretire if he did not win the match. Gill won the match with the help ofThe J.O.B. Squad.[69][72] He wrestled one final time at the United Kingdom-exclusive pay-per-viewCapital Carnage, where he teamed with Jacqueline as a reluctant partner against Sable andChristian in a losing effort.[73] In 1999, both Mero and Sable left the WWF. At the time, Mero had three years remaining on his contract, with a guaranteed salary of $350,000.[8] Mero subsequently did not wrestle for 18 months due to various nagging injuries and a shoulder surgery.[19][74]
On April 26, 2000, Mero returned to World Championship Wrestling, appearing with his trainer, Ray Rinaldi, in the audience on an episode ofWCW Thunder and confrontingTank Abbott. Mero opted not to return to WCW on a full-time basis due to his physical condition at the time.[74]
In 2001, Mero returned to wrestling in the short-livedX Wrestling Federation (XWF) along with Rena Mero.[75] They remained with the company until its closure in 2002.
In 2004, Mero began wrestling forNWA Total Nonstop Action (NWA TNA) reprising hisJohnny B. Baddcharacter. He debuted in TNA on the October 2, 2004 episode ofXplosion, where he participated as afan favorite in atag team match with Russ Rollins against Rod Steele and Bruce Steele, which Badd's team won. After the match, Badd smashedJeff Jarrett's guitar on Rollins' head, thusturning into avillain.[76] However, his villainous turn was short-lived as he turned back into a fan favorite during hisImpact! debut on November 5, where he defeatedVito Thomaselli.[77] He appeared with the company sporadically throughout late 2004 and early 2005.[19] He competed at the company's first monthlypay-per-viewVictory Road, where he participated in aneight-man tag team match, which his team won.[78] Badd's most notable moment during his TNA career took place on the November 19 episode ofImpact!, when he defeatedRaven, with the help ofDiamond Dallas Page.[79] Badd then appeared at theTurning Point pay-per-view in December, where he teamed withPat Kenney againstGlen Gilberti andJohnny Swinger in a tag team match, which Mero's team won.[80] His last televised match in TNA was a six-man tag team match on the December 31 episode ofImpact!, where his team was victorious.[81] He made his last appearance in TNA at thepre-show of theFinal Resolution pay-per-view on January 16, 2005, where he was paired withSonny Siaki in a tag team match againstThe Naturals, which Naturals won.[82]
Mero retired from in-ring competition in 2006, opening and operating theMarc Mero Body Slam Training Institute inAltamonte Springs, Florida.[83][84] Today, Marc Mero contributes much of his time to the nonprofit organization he founded in 2007, Champion of Choices.[85]
In 1994, Mero marriedRena "Sable" Greek, adopting her daughter from a previous marriage.[2][64] The couple separated in mid-2003 and divorced amicably in 2004.[2][86] Marc married for the second time in 2009, to Darlene Spezzi; the couple divorced in 2019.[citation needed] Mero is a Christian.[87]
In July 2007, Mero stated that he required aheart valvetransplant.[88] Mero had announced that he was prepared to undergo heart surgery in November 2014,[87] however tests revealed that hisenlarged heart had shrunk. Mero claims that doctors believe he will still need surgery someday.[89]
During a Mother's Day Presentation, Mero states that he has overdosed three times and nearly died.[90]
Marc Mero's book,How To Be the Happiest Person on the Planet, was released on December 6, 2010.
In June and July 2007, Mero commented on theChris Benoit murder-suicide, appearing on numerouscable newsprograms and criticizing both the wrestling industry andWorld Wrestling Entertainment.[91] In an interview withWFTV, Mero admitted to using bothanabolic steroids andrecreational drugs over a period of seven years and claimed that steroids had contributed to the early deaths of many wrestlers.[8][92] In interviews, Mero produced a list of 25 (later expanded to 31) wrestlers with whom he had wrestled and who had since died, calling for greater regulation of the wrestling industry.[8][93]
Mero's comments attracted criticism from WWE employees such asMr. Kennedy, who labelled him a "goof" and a "silly bastard", andFit Finlay, who claimed Mero had "nothing to do with this business".[94][95] On July 15, 2007, Mero attended the memorials ofNancy and Daniel Benoit inDaytona Beach, Florida.[96] Following his comments, Mero began making appearances at schools inCentral Florida and lecturing on the dangers ofdrug abuse andbullying; he also promotes a similar-interests website with which he is affiliated.[97] As of April 2, 2009, he has had many appearances in schools and community colleges across The United States.[98]
| 2 matches | 0 wins | 2 losses |
| By knockout | 0 | 0 |
| By submission | 0 | 0 |
| By decision | 0 | 2 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–2 | Bradshaw | Decision | WWF Raw is War #272 | August 10, 1998 | 3 | 1:00 | Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | WWF Brawl for All second round. |
| Loss | 0–1 | Steve Blackman | Decision | WWF Raw is War #266 | June 28, 1998 | 3 | 1:00 | Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | WWF Brawl for All first round. Blackman withdrew after the first round due to injuries, and Mero advanced as his replacement. |
Born: July 9, 1960
Marc Mero is facing a heart valve replacement.
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