Grilling JR - Sable in the WWF [Show Notes] (Patreon)

Sable in the WWF

Rena Marlette Greek Mero Lesnar was born August 8th, 1967. Born in Jacksonville, Florida she originally married Wayne Richardson in 1986 and had her first daughter named Mariah. He was killed in a drunk driving accident in 1991 and met Marc Mero in 1993. They were married in 1994.

Rumors of Johnny B. Badd’s breakup with WCW started in late January of 1996 when Mero was reportedly unhappy about doing a 8 second dark match while TV champion against the Giant a month before his contract was set to expire. How did you come to know that Mero was going to be on the market?

Wrestling Observer 3/18/96

Johnny B. Badd (Marc Mero) quit World Championship Wrestling on the morning of 3/11 after an airport discussion with Eric Bischoff prior to his scheduled Monday Nitro appearance and is expected to sign a three-year deal with the World Wrestling Federation imminently.

The situation with Mero and Bischoff turned into the major topic of discussion as he quit the company Monday morning, and was then buried big-time on the air by Bischoff, who made comments about Badd blaming a woman for losing the TV title (in a match on 3/6 in Macon, GA which aired on 3/9 on WCW Saturday Night), saying he didn't feel up to showing up for his rematch with Lex Luger, and finally saying that Badd couldn't hang where the big boys play. Badd's TV title loss was not part of a burial because he was going to leave, as the situation all fell apart largely Monday morning after a few minor problems had developed earlier in the week.

The gist of the situation is that Mero was working without a contract, as his most recent deal, said by WCW sources to be in the $300,000 per year range, had expired on 2/28. He had been offered a two-year deal, rumored to be in the same dollar range, however there were other things in the contract that weren't settled. Among the items were the quarterly windows which allows WCW to fire wrestlers under contract and have no further obligation to them. According to those close to Mero, he went to Winston-Salem and wanted Bischoff to sign a paper which would guarantee him the amount of money he had been making (in the $6,000 per week range) while the two sides were in negotiations. Apparently he had been given a verbal agreement that would be the case, but was under the impression that unless it was signed, he would be making the same $150 per show that the lowest paid wrestlers in the company made. Those in WCW claim that what Mero wanted Bischoff to sign was a paper that would guarantee Mero the amount offered to him for its entirety (the rumored two years at $300,000ish) should Mero suffer a serious injury in the ring while the sides were negotiating the new deal. Mero also told Bischoff in the discussion that he had been negotiating with Titan Sports and said he had an offer on the table from them and apparently said the offer was in some ways a better deal and wanted to know from Bischoff what WCW's future plans were for him. Anyway, Bischoff refused to sign the paper and one thing led to another with Bischoff asking Mero to finish up that night after putting Luger over. Mero refused to work the show unless they had a written deal for the night and reportedly told Bischoff that he hoped he was leaving on good terms after five good years with the organization and Bischoff supposedly told him that he wasn't leaving on good terms at all.

Bischoff apparently said that he didn't want to be in a situation where every time they booked him in an angle he'd not want to do it if Jesus Christ wouldn't approve of it.

During the negotiations with Mero have any hesitation of programs and considering where the content was going for the WWF in the future an issue with that as well?

Was your first knowledge of Sable the original meeting with Marc and Vince back in 1996?

Who made the call to put her on TV immediately and make her a focal point of a storyline?

Was there hesitation on Mero’s part to introduce her wife on TV?

Wrestling Observer 4/8/96

In a segment that didn't air to the live audience, they were doing an interview introducing "Wildman" Marc Mero, who did a heel interview until Helmsley came out and the two started arguing and fighting. Helmsley then blamed the fight on the woman who they called Sable that accompanied him to the ring. People have told me they are 99% sure Sable is Mero's wife and it's obvious she's going to wind up managing him. Based on everything that went down before, I'd have to believe that's the case. Lots of WCW folks found it humorous that WWF knocks WCW for not being original and then they take Johnny B. Badd and put him in a total copy of the angle he was already in.

It wasn’t really the same type of angle he was in with DDP in WCW feuding with Kimberley but was this the best way to introduce Mero and get him started with a big babyface win over HHH in terms of getting Sable on his side and start him hot?

Raw the night after WrestleMania 4/1 - Marc Mero debuted pinning Isaac Yankem. Mero tried all his signature spots but between working with Yankem and being used to a ring with tighter ropes, not all of them looked as good as they usually do. He got a good reaction because everyone knew him as Johnny B. Badd. Helmsley's girl Sable was at ringside cheering for Mero. When Helmsley tried to take her away from ringside, she slapped him in the face and left with Mero.

This was a big Raw for the WWF at the time. Coming off WrestleMania 12 and with Nash & Hall leaving shortly and already giving notice the amount of talent “introduced” or “debuted” was heavy for the future: Mankind, Marc Mero & Sable.

Any immediate heat between Sable & Sunny? How was Sable in the locker room during the beginning?

Mero works with Austin in the first round of the KOTR in 1996 and is part of the Austin folklore where his knee brace cuts Austin deep and has to go get stitches to return and get the rocket started with the Austin 3:16 promo. At the time of each signing who was Vince more high on...Austin or Mero?

The next night on Raw Goldust and Mero are having a match where it looks like Marlena starts to come on to Sable. Any heat or anything from the Mero family regarding the angle?

Wrestling Observer 7/29/96

WWF has gotten cold feet on the lesbian angle, as it's been changed from Marlena having the hots for Sable to Goldust having the hots for Sable and it's Goldust who is having Marlena give Sable the presents rather than the other way around as the angle was originally going to be. 

Was this an actual change or was this where the storyline was always going to go?

Wrestling Observer 8/14/96

A bikini contest with Sunny, Sable and Marlena will be on the free-for-all before SummerSlam.

Is this sizzle or steak? Was there any push back regarding using Sable for these types of things?

Wrestling Observer 8/26/96

4. Goldust (Dustin Runnels) pinned Marc Mero in 11:01. First major turning point was Goldust backdropping Mero over the top rope. Goldust knocked him off the apron and he crashed into the guard rail, then dropped his throat on the guard rail. Mankind came out and chased Sable around the ring calling her "Mommy" and she acted all freaked out screaming. Mankind then ran away from ringside. Mero did a flip plancha over the top and a legdrop ito the ring. Mero debuted his new finisher, a shooting star press, which they are going to call the "Wild Thing." However, Goldust still won the match with the curtain call. After the match, Goldust acted as if he was going to sexually molest Sable and was scaring her to death when Mero finally got up and made the comeback and basically beat Goldust to the back. For some reason, these two didn't work as well as you'd think. Goldust's knee may have been bothering him as he didn't do all that much. **1/4

The Mankind - Sable angle went nowhere and then Goldust going after Sable. Not something we’d see today but with Sable being the real focus of things was this already the beginning of her usurping Mero in terms of star power?

Wrestling Observer 9/30/96

Raw: The IC title match where Mero pinned Faarooq. Perfect was said to have helped Mero out to start a babyface turn for him. Ref Pat Patterson threw Sunny out, but she came back later with a loaded purse with a brick in it. Sunny and Sable started fighting after Sunny threw the purse in, Faarooq got it but Mero punched him, hit him with the purse and used the shooting star press for the pin in 12:31 (**3/4). Mero did a lot of good stuff in this match but when Faarooq was on top the match slowed. It later came out Sunny had a brick in the purse. Apparently Sable accidentally stiffed Sunny in the eye during their slap fight. Sunny was originally supposed to beat up Sable but Mero wouldn't go for it which caused a lot of backstage heat between Mero and Sunny. Mero is expected to be a transitional champion.

Do you remember the issue between Sable and Sunny and the change in creative here? Do you think this is where the Sable & Sunny heat started?

Wrestling Observer 1/20/97

Shotgun Saturday Night: Diesel beat Marc Mero in a match where Honkytonk Man and Razor both interfered and Mero lost because he was saving Sable from them as he had the bout won. Afterwards Mero yelled at Sable and walked out on her, and she cried. Honky tried to console her but she kept crying. Then Rocky Maivia came out to console her, Mero came out and saw them together and they began brawling.

This is a natural progression to move a storyline romance along but was there any hesitation from either person regarding this change in storyline?

Wrestling Observer 2/24/97

In Your House Final Four: 1. Marc Mero pinned Leif Cassidy (Allan Sarven) in 9:30 with the shooting star press, or Wild thing. Mero and Sable have been given new looks. Sable has added sunglasses, a new hairstyle and an aggressive attitude and new outfit that is basically a total copy of the Pam Anderson look in the flop movie "Barb Wire." Mero has grown a beard and they are pushing his "Wildman" name, which really has never been a good fit on him. Mero didn't seem comfortable working the new persona. The match was missing something in regard to the two working together although both worked solid, and because Cassidy has no credibility with the fans, there wasn't much heat. The big storyline was Sable slapping Cassidy, and then holding him while Mero hit him with a tope, just before they went to the finish. *1/2

Within a year the characters are being freshened up. Were the original characters failures or just as the evolution of the business was moving towards these types of characters it needed a refresh?

Wrestling Observer 3/31/97

Slammys on 3/21 (which did a 1.5 rating and 3.9 share which is healthy for the 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. time slot) on USA network was built around a womens bikini show with Marlena, Sable, Sunny and Traci and Nadine (The Funkettes). Star of the Highest Magnitude was Undertaker, Lifetime Achievement award to Arnold Skaaland and Miss Slammy was Sable, since she wore the most revealing bikini. The show really seemed to leave two messages--making it clear Undertaker was winning the title, and pushing Sable ahead of Sunny as the woman they're giving the big promotional push to.

Sex sells. Was Sunny being depushed part of her issues and Sable having a clearer head and better standing or did you find that Sable was more marketable than Sunny?

Wrestling Observer 5/26/97

Austin at first asked Sable, going into her dressing room while she didn't have a top on and she had to put an Austin shirt to cover her chest…

Mero is hurt here but we’re finding ways to get Sable on TV in very sexual situations. We’re about to jump right into the Attitude Era at this point...any push back at any point in time?

Wrestling Observer 6/16/97

Raw 6/9/97 - They did two short segments to show tension between Sable and Mero with Mero upset at the way Sable has been strutting around. 

Mero has returned and it’s now time to get the program started. Was the end game always Sable the babyface and Mero the heel and who did the office think would’ve benefited more...Sable and Mero or just Sable?

Wrestling Observer 8/4/97

Mero is back on the shelf. Marc Mero isn't expected back until late September now. He met with Dr. James Andrews, the leading knee specialist in the country who told him that he'd been training so hard to rehab the knee that he'd actually damaged it worse through overtraining. He was told that when he returns he's going to have to wear a heavy brace, which will necessitate him wrestling in long tights. I'm not sure exactly what the situation is, but apparently Sable isn't going to be used temporarily and they aren't going to be selling her merchandise until she returns.

Was there an issue between the WWF and the Meros regarding all of this? Was there fear Sable wasn’t as in as she might’ve been as recently?

Wrestling Observer 9/15/97

Expect the Pillman-Marlena angle to go similar to the old Dusty Rhodes-Baby Doll deal. Marlena will act as if she hates it, but after the 30 days, it's planned she'll turn on Goldust again and it'll come out that the acceptance of the challenge and brick in the purse ending up costing Goldust the match were all part of her plan. Marc Mero had been talked with and it's been teased on TV of a split with he and Sable, but I think that one should be cooled down because it would be too similar and also because Mero seems to legitimately have more of a problem doing the split with his wife on television than the Runnels family since Dustin grew up around the wrestling industry.

Was the sentiment from the talent the same as Meltzer is assuming here?

Wrestling Observer 11/10/97

Raw 11/3 - In the latest in tackiness, they showed a mad Mero going into Sable's dressing room when she didn't have her top on yet and dragging her out, with her hands basically covering up her boobs. Mero beat Savio Vega with a low blow and the diamond cutter, called TKO, at 2:32. Michael Cole tried to interview Sable, but Mero drug her away mad while she was trying to wave to the fans.

Attitude Era!

Wrestling Observer 11/24/97

Lawler beat Mero via DQ in 4:44 when Sable interfered.  Sable, who had a legit black eye from being kicked by her horse (they are selling both horses) had her glasses come off on purpose in the angle to give the illusion Mero had punched her, but due to second thoughts, in the commentary they changed the angle to just saying the truth about the horse and no insinuation Mero did it. 

The better thought prevailed here.

Wrestling Observer 12/8/97

Cornette interviewed Mero & Sable. Actually the heat was great here also. Mero ended up yelling at Sable and she tried unsuccessfully to cry before Mero told her to leave. At this point they ended the Raw taping and started taping Shotgun, with an LOD win (they couldn't tape that earlier because LOD was doing the first run-in wearing street clothes). They had Dude Love vs. Mero with Mero DQ'd for the low blow, and when it was over, Sable left with Dude Love to start a program between the two. Christopher & Aguila beat Michinoku & Flanagan when Christopher pinned Taka, which makes Taka the favorite in the Springfield match. Dude did an interview and asked Sable to give him a big wet one. Mero came out to attack Dude, but Dude gave him the double arm DDT and he and Sable left arm-in-arm.

Foley & Sable? Lord Have Mercy!

Sable will be a ring-card girl on the 12/6 Oscar de la Hoya boxing PPV. Butterbean has a match on the undercard and they may shoot an angle with Mero to build up for the next night. Butterbean may not be a one-time only deal on WWF PPV.

How was this deal put together to the best of your knowledge?

Wrestling Observer 12/15/97

Raw 12-8 - Mero did his interview on Sal Sincere and had Sable come out wearing a potato sack. She took it off and was in a tiny swimsuit and Mero freaked out and dragged her to the back and was also counted out in a match that never got started.

This is the infamous angle and the crowd reaction is INSANE. Was this the exact moment you knew you had something with her to a level that wasn’t expected at any point?

This angle is done the next couple of weeks with her and Marc Mero feuding with Tom Brandi (Salvatore Sincere). Why Brandi here?

Wrestling Observer 1/5/98

Raw 12/29 - Sable came out pushing the swimsuit issue of the Raw magazine and Marc Mero came out and did his promo on her. Mero then gave announcer Kevin Kelly a low blow until Tom Brandi made the save. Mero laid him out with a TKO on a chair and stuffed photos of Sable from the magazine into his mouth and trunks. Mero really pushed hard to the fans the idea of bringing the magazine photos and posters to arenas as he told everyone specifically not to do it. Considering just how flat Mero was when he returned, it's a real credit to the booking coming up with this idea that's getting him over.

Yes it’s getting Mero over but it’s so red hot for Sable that Mero is an after thought here.

Wrestling Observer 1/19/98

Raw 1-12 - Marc Mero came out with Goldust dressed as Sable for a match with Vader. Sable eventually came out yelling at Goldust for stealing her gimmick and kicked Goldust. It wound up with Goldust hitting Vader with a coconut that he stuffed his bra with for the DQ in 2:56.

This is Vince Russo at his finest yes?

Wrestling Observer 2/23/98

No Way Out 1998 1. The Headbangers (Glen Ruth & Charles Warrington) beat AFKA Goldust (Dustin Runnels) & Marc Mero in 13:54. When the match started, Sable and Luna were about to go at it when Mero ordered Sable to the back. As Trasher was on the top rope to set up his finisher, Luna swept his leg and he crotched himself. At this point Mero gave Mosh the TKO while Sable came storming down the aisle. Instead of going for the win, Mero jumped out of the ring to keep Sable from going after Luna and we had a pull-apart. While this was going on, Thrasher pinned Mero with an inside cradle. They continued working a pull-apart with the two women after the match until Goldust and Luna left. Mero and Sable argued in the ring until Sable shoved Mero down. Match itself was okay. *½

Was Sable programmed with Goldust & Luna to help teach her because obviously she’s working to a match and she’s never wrestled before. Was there any hesitation in putting her in the ring? Did she voice any concerns? Did Marc?

It’s announced that Sable & Marc Mero will face Goldust & Luna at WrestleMania 14 which is headlined by Austin vs. Michaels with Tyson as enforcer. This was the last match announced to the card so it’s not done to really sell tickets but what was your expectation of this match and did you think it was a recipe for disaster?

Raw 3/2: Marc Mero pinned Tom Brandi with help from Luna giving Brandi a low blow in 2:40. As Luna kissed Mero, Goldust jumped him until Sable made the save. After Sable cleaned house with Takada kicks, Mero yelled at her and she shoved him down and walked out again.

What a bizarre angle all the way around.

Wrestling Observer 3/30/98

Raw 3/17 - Vince Russo, using that name and not Vic Venom playing a character, gave Sable a plaque for supposedly selling the most magazines of any issue in history. Luna came out and clocked her with the plaque, which broke in several pieces, and then ripped up Sable's dress. Luckily Russo gallantly sloppily tried to cover up Sable's underwear and did such a good job of it that we kept getting shots of it.

Vince Russo on TV trying to cover up Sable in an angle with Luna. So much to say.

Wrestling Observer 4/6/98

WrestleMania 14: The silicon-laden pin-up wife of Marc Mero, Sable, put in the ring as a participant for the first time, was the true show stealer, doing a wide variety of karate kicks that looked better than several WCW wrestlers whose gimmicks were originally supposed to be as martial artists. She wasn't in much. Thanks to some great work by her opposite number, Luna, she did what she could do, avoided what she couldn't, and in a match designed to allure fans by the promise of clothes ripping and nothing else and delivered none of that.

4. Marc Mero & Sable (Rena Mero) beat Goldust (Dustin Runnels) & Luna (Gertrude Vachon) in 9:11. Mero and Goldust were mainly there to kill time between spots with the women and they were fine in their secondary roles. The first time Sable tagged in, Luna ran away and they never touched. The second time they got in, Sable took Luna down and began pulling on her extensions. Sable threw some nice looking kicks and clotheslined Luna over the top to a big pop. The guys were back in, and Mero did his low blow spot and went for the TKO, but Goldust turned it into a DDT for a near fall. Goldust went for the curtain call but Mero got out of it. Mero did his Mero-sault for a near fall and a Frankensteiner off the top for another near fall. Mero hit a sloppy TKO, as Goldust because of his added weight is a real load to spin around, but Luna saved the near fall. Sable went to cover Goldust, but Luna went for a splash off the top and hit Goldust. Sable then power bombed Luna (we were waiting for the armed guards to cuff her and take her to the women's prison for the next chapter in the soap opera, whoops, that was using WCW rules) and hit a TKO on her for the pin. ***

Is this just a perfect example of highlighting strengths of a talent and hiding weaknesses? *** for a Sable match!

Wrestling Observer 4/20/98

Raw 4/13 - Luna came out and challenged Sable. Goldust then came out dressed as Sable and Luna ripped Goldust's dress off leaving him in womens underwear. Then Sable came out and they began ripping at each other.

Goldust in women’s underwear. Pushing that envelope!

Wrestling Observer 4/27/98

Sable - On 4/16 at a house show in Hershey, PA when doing the cat fight spot with Luna, Sable's foot was accidentally stepped on by ref Tim White and her toe was broken in three places and missed the rest of the weekend shows. WWF was saying that they were expecting her in some form to work the PPV show although obviously she wasn't going to be close to 100% by then. She was scheduled to see a doctor early this week as there were preliminary reports the breaks could necessitate immediate surgery which would at least put a monkey wrench in the PPV match or else she'd risk battling life-long arthritis in the toe

These are things that happen to wrestlers let alone people that aren’t full-time wrestlers. Was there an issue with her getting hurt considering she wasn’t really trained? What was her level of training at this point?

Raw 4/20 - Luna, who is really cracking me up, pointed out to the crowd she was going to not only strip Sable down, but remove her bra and panties on PPV, which of course was emphasized in the commentary the rest of the show.

Did you feel uncomfortable at any point in time in promoting things like this?

Wrestling Observer 5/4/98

Unforgiven 1998: 4. Luna (Gertrude Vachon) beat Sable (Rena Mero) in 2:35 of the stripper match. Sable got a huge pop coming out causing Ross to say "You'd think Ric Flair walked out." With Sable injured and not wanting to expose that her Wrestlemania stuff was a series of carefully designed spots and it was the men who carried the match, it was kept short. They did some ripping at clothes until Luna scored the first major blow ripping the bottom of Sable's dress off, so we got to see her panties. Marc Mero showed up and began arguing with Sable, allowing Luna to come from behind and rip the rest of her dress off, leaving her in her bra and ending the match. Without the ridiculous boob job, Sable has a phenomenal body for her age, but with it, she looks like just another aging low-rent stripper, but through the magic of being on a high profile television show, she is a star. Sable ended up power bombing Luna again and ripping her dress off and the two wound up under the ring. Sable then came out holding Luna's bra and panties, giving the illusion she was naked under the ring. Goldust gave her his robe and she left in that, which is the old Southern wrestling trick and how to get out of stripper matches. Obviously this wasn't a wrestling match, but it did deliver what it advertised. 1/2*

What did you think of this? Not bowling shoe ugly right? Did you get any heat about the Ric Flair comment since the situation with him and WCW was going on and there were all types of rumors that he was going to show up in the crowd or was that when you were ready to bring him up?

Sable challenged Marc Mero to a match on the 5/11 Raw show.

Any fear from USA regarding these types of matches being on there? Still the question continues to get asked...at any point in time did either one of the Meros state they were uncomfortable?

Wrestling Observer 5/11/98

They showed Sable training for the Mero match on 5/11. There is talk of Mero introducing a new valet to feud with Sable on that show

This is going to be Jacqueline...was the point of this program to refocus a women’s wrestling division with how hot Sable has been at the arenas or did that just kind of fall into place later on?

Wrestling Observer 5/18/98

Sable and Marc Mero did their angle. Mero picked her up and could have given her the TKO but put her down and told her to apologize for ruining his career. She kicked him low and gave him a power bomb and left him laying.

This takes a lot of gumption by a husband to do this doesn’t it? Was Marc supportive of this angle? Was this always going to be the payoff or did plans change?

Wrestling Observer 5/25/98

Sable came out and called for Mero to come out. Mero revealed Sable has a contract with her and he wouldn't let her go and she has to stay with him and do whatever he said. The line was used that Sable was being held hostage. Terry Funk pinned Mero in 4:02. Mero used the low blow and TKO, but Sable told the ref about it. As Mero argued with Sable, Funk hit a DDT for the pin. No heat for the match.

This is a great wrinkle to keep the storyline going.

Faarooq beat Mero due to help from Sable. After the match Mero told Sable she could pick any wrestler in the WWF, and if Sable's wrestler can beat him without Sable helping him, then she can be out of her contract, but if Sable's wrestler loses, Sable has to leave the WWF.

Was it always going to be Sable or did plans fall through for someone else to be her hero here? There was always the rumor that it was to be Austin but that at this point the Austin character didn’t need Sable and also that he balked at working a program with Mero when he was just hitting his stride. Did Austin balk at a program or was it just a shift in creative?

Has there been any indication of the ego with Sable you were going to deal with later on coming out yet?

Wrestling Observer 6/8/98

Over the Edge 1998 - 3. Marc Mero pinned Sable (Rena Mero) in 21 seconds. This was billed as Sable having a mystery wrestler to face Mero and if Sable's wrestler won, she'd get her freedom. If Mero won, Sable would have to leave the WWF forever. Sable said she wanted to take the match herself. Mero then got all apologetic to Sable about their past relationship and blamed the wrestling business for ruining their relationship (now that wouldn't exactly be a first). Mero said he was sorry and laid down to let Sable pin him to get her freedom, but when she covered him, he reversed her and held her down for the three count. The crowd didn't react at all to this. Sable tried to cry doing an interview but she just isn't very good as an actress, and they tried to make a big deal of her having to leave and showing her taking her bags and leaving the building "for the last time." A blind man could see where this angle is going.

This is such great heel heat that it’s a shame it was wasted on Mero at this point. He was such a dead character and Sable was so hot it almost should’ve been reversed. And Meltzer’s assessment of her acting skills at this point isn’t wrong.

Wrestling Observer 6/22/98

Raw on 6/15 in San Antonio drew a sellout 7,504 paying $153,830. The show opened with Sable coming out with no explanation as to why she was back after losing the loser leaves stipulation other than simply Vince McMahon let her back and he can do whatever he wants. It appears they are going to go something in the direction of alleging she slept with him to get her job back but at some point it'll probably come out that she didn't. After McMahon kissed Sable on the cheek, Steve Austin came out, helped Sable out of the ring, called McMahon a chickenshit, using those words, on TV.

This is just an excuse to get Sable on TV right? Because the no explanation thing was common from creative then.

We’re building here with the debut of Jacqueline to second Mero to a mixed tag team match. The rumor of Butterbean being her tag team partner is floated. Any truth to it?

Edge saves Sable during an angle with Mero & Jackie. Was this to give Edge a bit of a rub from Sable and his eventual teaming with her at SummerSlam but were there any thoughts on putting these two together full-time?

Wrestling Observer 8/3/98

Jackie came out wearing a strippers' g-string. Both women deserve credit as they had obviously trained very hard and dieted very hard for this. Both women's implants looked even more fake than usual on a dieted down frames. We could to see the dreaded nipple shot from Jackie, which, of course, was played up as not supposed to happen but clearly the camera was right there for it and it was a planned high spot. Sable came out wearing a halter top, claiming her boss, the evil Mr. McMahon, said to dress conservatively. But claiming her freedom of expression and standing up to her boss (hey, whatever happened to that storyline explanation on why she never left after losing the loser leave town match? Is this WCW or what?) she removed her top and had nothing on but body paint shaped like hands to cover her nipples. Mero acted furious and took a bump from a really weak looking slap. McMahon ran out furious and put his sports coat over Sable and dragged her to the back playing the old party pooper role. Sable got more cheers and was awarded the win even though Jacquelyn probably had the better body of the two but they both were in shape and that's all a matter of taste. And if you thought it was tasteless, it was, but you haven't learned.

The nip slip of Jackie...shoot or work? What were your feelings watching this? Obviously...roll tide...but Vince coming out here...doesn’t go anywhere...and Meltzer calling it tasteless...is it?

Mero, Sable and Jackie came out with Lawler for the presentation of the winner of the bikini contest. McMahon sent a note stating that since Sable didn't wear a bikini, she was DQ'd and Jackie won. Sable then said how McMahon wasn't even man enough to say it to her face, which brought McMahon out. McMahon was hit with a few flying objects and reacted to them. McMahon said people like Sable, particularly in L.A. were a dime a dozen and she could be replaced by any bimbo or airhead. He then stroked her hair trying to tease the sexual harassment deal, teased firing her if she doesn't go along with what he said, and when he turned around, she flipped him off and took off her clothes and walked around in a very revealing bikini and high heels. I want to work in a company where every time one of the female employees gets mad at the boss she responds by taking off her clothes.

The reaction from what Meltzer says at the end is real funny but this angle legit goes nowhere. Is this Vince just enjoying himself being on TV with Sable?

What’s Sable’s merchandise sales looking like at this point?

Wrestling Observer 8/10/98

Golga (John Tenta) with the oddities, now managed by Sable, came out and beat Mero with the old Earthquake splash after "The Giant Silva" gave Mero a choke slam. Silva & Kurrgan came out in tuxedos singing "There she is, Miss America" as Luna came prancing down the aisle. They seemed to be setting up a future Luna vs. Jackie program. Sable seemed really uncomfortable trying to sell her new role. The idea behind it is twofold. Apparently they do feel Jackyl has big-time potential as a manager, but feel this isn't the group to put him with. And the new deal for Sable is to be like a high school movie character (and everyone can probably relate to this in real life as well) where there are pretty girls who are bitches and there are pretty girls who are nice even to the unpopular guys. Anyway, I get the impression someone who scripts this stuff saw "There's Something About Mary" last week and this was the result. It didn't seem to be a good fit.

Agreed. Not a good fit. Sable with the Oddities is forgotten about not much longer but who books this shit?

Wrestling Observer 9/7/98

Summerslam 1998

4. Sable (Rena Mero) & Edge (Adam Copeland) beat Marc Mero & Jacqueline (Jacqueline Moore) in 8:26. This match was fine, although the reactions to Sable wrestling paled in comparison to when she was first put in the ring a few months back at Wrestlemania. No pop for Edge as the mystery partner. Most of the match where spots where Mero and Jacqueline would run into each other. Sable was acceptable and even did a Frankensteiner off the top rope for a big pop, but she was in enough at times to start to expose her including doing a Jay Leno calibre clothesline. Sable teased doing another power bomb on Mero, as if his career needs any more damage. She did the TKO on Jacqueline but Mero saved her. Edge did a high tope over the top onto Mero on the floor which got a big pop. He then spanked Jacqueline. Edge used a crossbody off the top for a near fall and a neckbreaker off the ropes for another. Mero went to the top but Edge shook the ropes and he got crotched, setting up Sable doing the Frankensteiner spot on her husband. Jacqueline ran into the turnbuckles missing Sable in a Three Stooges timed spot and head-butted Mero in the groin falling down. Edge then used his Downward Spiral, which is the Kanyon reverse Russian leg sweep, onto Mero and then threw Sable on him for the pin. *1/2

The Mero - Sable feud has officially run its course. It was evident at this point that she needed to be a manager of someone to go against Mero not be in the ring. Is this why the transition to the singles run that’s about to happen?

Sable gets her first acting role in Pacific Blue.

Wrestling Observer 9/21/98

Sable beat Jacqueline in an evening gown ripping contest in 1:45. Jacqueline's boobs came out of her underwear after a power bomb. It was only momentarily, but luckily they aired it again on replay. It turned into something of an issue the next day to the point that in the middle of a TV day, Vince McMahon was talking to Alex Marvez trying to explain that it was all an accident, that Sable was supposed to make sure both were wearing underwear that wouldn't have their boobs fall out of on impact, and that the replay guy kept the replay going too long. David Schwarz of USA Network said it was no different than what's on broadcast TV in that time slot. Yeah, every weeknight in prime time I watch network TV and see women's boobs fall out. If you're going to do it for ratings and people watch, well, the game is shock value ratings, but I just hate when everyone is so weasely about it after the fact.

Do you disagree with this? The amount of times Jackie has come out of her top at this point has to be a record.

Jackie defeats Sable to win the newly reinstated WWF Women’s Title. It makes sense for Jackie to go over for the chase of Sable. Why no build up? It was just a cold announcement.

Wrestling Observer 9/28/98

The woman they've been flashing to during the Sable matches is Terri Power (real name Terri Poch) after mucho cosmetic facial surgery to look like Sable. It's amazing. She was always a fairly pretty woman, but they've changed her looks to the point that she doesn't even look like the same person. She's apparently going to play the role of Sable's sister who will eventually become jealous and turn on her. She now looks almost like a dead ringer for Geena Davis. Poch, 34, is a former high level competitive bodybuilder from Oregon who got into pro wrestling in 1989 as a valet. She trained to be a worker, even working full-time in the early 90s for All Japan women before a combination of her suffering a serious shoulder injury and the promotion's economic problems led to her vanishing from pro wrestling. In recent years, she changed her body from a bodybuilder look to a softer actress look for some movie roles, and has done a few straight-to-video movies as an action heroine

Tori coming in to be a stalker of Sable’s was to continue to help her ring work as she was a wrestler for years. How was she found and was she seeked out for this role or was she always talked about coming in and it just made sense?

Sable’s edition of Pacific Blue draws a 3.6 rating compared to the show average of a 1.7. Did that come as a surprise? Is this around the time the ego started to balloon?

Wrestling Observer 11/23/98

Survivor Series 1998

10. Sable (Rena Mero) pinned Jacqueline (Jacqueline Moore) to win the WWF womens title in 3:14. Shane McMahon was ref. Sable did the TKO early, but Marc Mero, at ringside, saved Jacqueline by pulling Sable off her. Sable hit a low blow on Mero and power bombed him on the floor. A lot of men at home fantasize about being married to a wrestling babe. But it sucks. If it doesn't suck at home, it does suck in your storyline role. Jacqueline was choking Sable on the ropes and her neck came nowhere near the ropes. Jacqueline went for a power bomb but Sable powered out and hit her own Sable bomb for the pin. This was better than most of the matches on the card up to this point. *

Lots of notable things here. Shane as the referee. Sable winning her first singles title. Mero being treated like a complete jobber.

It’s announced that Sable will be doing a Playboy shoot. How hard or easy was this to put together? How much did the company tend to make off a deal like this? How much for Sable? It was reported at the time it wasn’t a lock for her to get the cover. Do you know what type of negotiation went into that?

We enter 1999 with Sable just recently signing a 3-year contract renewal. What were things like with her at this point?

Wrestling Observer 1/25/99

The Sable-Luna match actually fell apart. Marc Mero and Sable were wanting to change their image from being a T&A deal to a more respectable image (which probably explains that strange interview on Heat where she was talking about anorexia and bulimia) and they also didn't want her doing as much wrestling since she's not a trained wrestler. Mero complained to Jim Ross about the strap match because he felt it was too dangerous since Sable had never had training for it and there were no plans to do practice sessions since Sable was being so heavily booked for public appearances and the match was pulled from the show. Just before doing voice-overs for TV, Mero agreed to let Sable do the match when WWF agreed to allow a walk-through of the match the morning of the PPV show. Judging from the TV, the focus is clearly on Debra McMichael as the main female character they tease as getting naked

Was it a fear of Luna that pushed Sable into this? What was your conversation with Mero and how it regards to how Meltzer reports it here?

Wrestling Observer 2/1/99

Royal Rumble 1999

4. Sable (Rena Mero) beat Luna (Gertrude Vachon Heath) in 4:43 of a strap match. Again no heat even with the pre-show angle. They teased Sable wouldn't be there and would have to vacate the title, but Sable showed up, and at least she was selling her back. They whipped each other hard with the straps and kicked each other stiff, but in this new environment of doing a strap match it was clear Sable's lack of experience. They did the same finish of 90% of the strap matches in history, where the heel is dragging the face around the ring and touching three turnbuckles, and the face, unbeknownst to the heel, is also touching them (and logically that finish never made sense anyway since the only way to win was to drag your opponent around the ring and touch all four buckles and in the usual finish, the face isn't dragging anyone around). Shane McMahon got on the apron for some reason. Terri Poch (called "The Stalker from the crowd," which I guess makes her Barry Windham's sister) came out of the crowd and punched Luna, and Sable hit the fourth turnbuckle to win. Bad stuff. DUD

I thought Meltzer was very kind here with his DUD rating.

Wrestling Observer 2/15/99

There is a lot of internal heat regarding Sable these days. Both Sable & Marc Mero asked for their release from their newly-signed contracts but were turned down, as WWF feels it's going to gain a ton of exposure from Sable's Playboy cover which comes out in early March. Sable, Debra and Chyna were on a TSN show this past week and somewhere in the debate the working turned into a shoot and feelings on both sides were ruffled. I didn't see the show so this is second hand, but it went something like the host asking Chyna why she wasn't WWF women's champion. Chyna said she wasn't interested in the title and had never challenged for it, but that if she did, she could beat Sable in two seconds. Sable said since the two had never wrestled, how could she say that. Chyna said because she was twice as big and twice as strong. Somewhere in Sable's comeback she asked exactly what Chyna puts into her body to make her twice as big and twice as strong and somehow plastic surgery came up. Sable came back saying that Chyna had more plastic surgery than anyone in the company. A lot of the wrestlers sided with Chyna and were negative toward Sable thinking she went over the line insinuating the drug issue. Sable and Mero have also made it clear that Sable didn't come to the WWF to be a wrestler and has never been trained to be a wrestler. Apparently she received a ton of money from Playboy which gives her some independence she didn't have before. I'd say it's a very good bet that Luna will be winning the title from Sable, although if it happens before Playboy has its run, you should come to the conclusion things are in an even worse state

How did this conversation go down about the release? Was it just a matter of time or did the Playboy payday really push it over the edge? How pissed was the office at this interview?

Wrestling Observer 2/22/99

Sable turned heel, coming out and acting like it's all gone to her head. Terri Poch the stalker lady ran out, and Sable ripped her a new one. 

How much was this real and how much was fiction?

Wrestling Observer 3/15/99

The WWF set record ratings with a 5.09 for Sunday Night Heat on 3/7 followed by a 6.46 for Raw the next night, selling out both house shows over the weekend, and getting more and more merchandising and publicity appearance from its wrestlers starting with the Sable cover of Playboy, a second set of TV Guide covers with Rock, Mankind, Steve Austin and Sable, all leading into a Wrestlemania show that will surely be the biggest money event in company history and the biggest non-boxing event in the history of PPV.

How hot is business and how much do you think can be attributed to Sable at this point in her career? Between Playboy, TV Guide, etc she seems to be at the peak while also being turned heel.

Wrestling Observer 3/15/99

Luna was let go this past week because of four separate incidents where there were problems with other talent and things said that made the front office decide it was impossible to keep her. Apparently the things she said a few weeks ago on Raw about not getting a shot because she's not as pretty as Sable had been bothering her. She had problems in recent weeks backstage with Sable, Marc Mero, Jack Lanza and Jacqueline. She complained about the angle where Gangrel was hung by the Ministry as a prelude to them joining. She basically challenged Marc Mero to a fight backstage before the Memphis PPV. She blew up at Jacqueline, who she had been friends with, in Dayton claiming that the Jacqueline vs. Ivory match on Heat (that didn't air) was them stealing her style of match, whatever that means and got mad at Lanza that night as well. This led to several of the women being uncomfortable working with her. The plan at one point was for her to win the title from Sable at Mania, although with Sable getting over so huge due to Playboy and the turn, that may have been changed.

How much of a mess was Luna at this point?

Bob Raissman in the New York Daily News did a column on Sable on 3/5. Sable when it comes to the WWF's direction said "As a responsible parent, I choose not to let my child watch it (Raw). My child is very young. She has a bad time and she's in bed when our show comes on. To me, that's being a responsible parent. Ultimately, it's the parents decision. If you do not wish your child to watch the WWF, change the channel. It's not our place to put on a show that's supposedly for your children. It's your place as a parent to monitor what your children watch." She said the criticism of the product is hypocritical because the lack of parental responsibility is ignored in the criticism of the product and that other forms of kids entertainment aren't scrutinized as closely (actually that's not true). "Are they saying it's not okay to see the characters we play beat up each other but it's okay to have your child watch a movie where a famous actor blows away 100 people with an M-16." She claimed that the character she plays is not degrading to women saying "I feel I'm being a strong, standup woman

People don't have to like what I do or agree with what I do because they don't have to live my life. I would much rather my daughter when she grows up, do what she wants to do because she wants to do it, not because of what someone else thinks." When Raissman brought up that Sable is playing a heel but that nobody is booing her, she pointed to her chest and said, "Why would they boo this?"

Any heat on Sable for saying she’s not letting her child watch the product?

Wrestling Observer 3/22/99

Raw's biggest edge of the show was a 6.3 to 3.4 when, what else but Sable doing her angle where Tori stripped to her bra and panties, and with Tori saying immediately she would do it and spending several minutes of talking before doing it (after Sable first teasing showing the Playboy photos to get the segment going and showing them censored before saying "no more" without paying) destroyed Konnan vs. Disco Inferno.

Sable is super red hot (not that destroying Konnan vs Disco Inferno is THAT big a deal) but were you warning anyone that there’s more trouble to come and it’s just a powder keg waiting to happen at this point?

Wrestling Observer 4/5/99 - WrestleMania 15

7. Sable (Rena Mero) pinned Tori (Terri Poch) in 5:06. Absolutely the worst match of the year. Tori came out in a bodysuit that was airbrushed to make it look like she had no clothes on. Tori didn't have a chance to do what she knows. They were blowing every spot and couldn't work together at all. People at ringside could hear Sable loudly complaining in the ring that Tori was hurting her and being too stiff. Tori did a crossbody knocking out ref Jimmy Corderas. Sable set up the power bomb but Tori was supposed to land on her feet. Like everything else in the match, that didn't happen. Nicole Bass hit the ring about 30 seconds early for the run-in and pressed Tori and dropped her leading to the Sable bomb win. -**

So much here. Sable complaining in the ring. Nicole Bass. Where to begin?

It’s announced after the success of the first Playboy shoot Sable will be doing a second Playboy shoot. Same type of negotiation as last time with everyone or was it very much different this time around?

Also around this time The Blue Meanie was doing a Sable spoof. Why?

Wrestling Observer 5/17/99

Debra vs. Sable in an evening gown match saw Venis come out and distract Debra so Sable could tear her dress off. Lawler made a comment about how great her dress would look on the floor beside his bed. Michaels indicated it had already been there beside his. Nicole Bass chased Venis away and Jarrett hit him with the guitar. Michaels then said as far as he's concerned, the one who loses their clothes is the winner so he awarded the match and the women's title to Debra. Believe it or not, they'd had problems getting Sable to do a job and give up the belt. I know that sounds stupid but wrestling often is. Anyway, I guess this was the compromise, because unlike Wendi Richter and that other situation that we talk about every week, they don't want her to quit and she's making so much money I don't think she wants to walk away either.

The Sable-Debra title change was exactly as weird as it looked on television. There have been a lot of problems between Sable and management, to the point some think it's inevitable that Sable is going to leave and try to market herself as Rena Mero (she can't take the Sable name with her if she leaves the WWF) in Hollywood. The reality is, if she does leave and goes by the name Rena Mero, her shelf life in Hollywood is very short. Right now she's major in demand as the flavor of the month because she can do business, ie sell magazines or draw ratings because of her popularity with wrestling fans who will crossover, but that'll be gone six to nine months after she's off weekly television. WWF has to put up with her and she has to put up with them right now because they own her name, and she's become this ridiculously hot property for them for no reason other than being in the right place at the right time because it sure isn't talent. There's the second Playboy spread and yet another TV Guide cover already agreed on. Since her contract isn't to be a wrestler, she's refused to wrestle at house shows, she turned down doing the job in wrestling matches to give up the title on a few occasions and was making fusses about wrestling on television at all. She was agreeable to wrestling on PPV shows because of the money involved, but didn't want to take bumps anymore. This pretty well left them to come to this ridiculous compromise in order to get the belt off her. Even that wasn't executed as planned as it was supposed to take longer before she tore Debra's dress off, although she did know going in she was dropping the title in that scenario

How does this come to be? It was time to get the belt off her but also to Debra and then the finish because Sable wouldn’t do the job?

Wrestling Observer 6/14/99

Pro wrestling's latest spill into the national headlines came with Rena Mero's $140 million lawsuit filed on 6/3 against Titan Sports and her subsequent quitting of the company.

The lawsuit has inspired a lot of snap judgement, a lot of which is probably fair, that while there may be some merit to some of her complaints about the direction of the WWF, she was one of the prime beneficiaries of the change. Many would argue the changes may have been for the worst morally, even if it certainly wasn't for the worst economically. And after everything she willingly did to exploit her body for economic gain, including posing in Playboy, she's probably the last person who has the right to complain about her body being exploited and used in a sexually suggestive manner in a court case. There is more to the suit than meets the eye, but certainly not $140 million worth more. Some, including those in the WWF, are attempting to babyface the company since on the surface this lawsuit seems ridiculous, particularly the monetary damages asked for, and because people are suspicious of the timing of it coming so soon after the WWF garnered so much bad publicity. And there is also the timing of WWF talking about going public, and major lawsuits outstanding isn't going to thrill underwriters. But there is no good guy vs. bad guy in this story.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, CT, had been building up for several months as problems between the two sides had existed in a small part for about a year, and became known somewhat publicly since before the Royal Rumble, when at first Sable, the character played by Rena Mero, was pulled from the show and her scheduled strap match against Luna, but wound up a few days later having the booking put back on and doing the show. At that point, she made it clear she didn't want to wrestle regularly anymore, claiming it as being dangerous, citing the fact that she wasn't a trained wrestler and hadn't signed to be a wrestler. Since she held the WWF women's title at the time, that didn't exactly endear her to the wrestlers, and she began being ostracized which led to other problems. There had been more heat building up between the two sides when at one point she and Marc Mero had asked for their release, but things were temporarily worked out and they wound up staying. WWF management painted Marc Mero as the villain manipulating his wife in the early part of this year, and Marc was booked in a loser must retire match, which he lost, and thus wasn't used as an active participant in the shows any longer. Rena Mero, saying she wasn't under contract as a wrestler, but as a television performer, didn't want to appear on a full-time schedule on house shows, but was willing to appear but not wrestle on television, but was willing to wrestle on more lucrative PPV shows, a double standard that also didn't endear her to many. While many WCW performers have similar deals, even the top performers in WWF don't have them. The situation was only made worse because management to a degree put up with it since her popularity had exploded. She earned an estimated $750,000 to $1 million last year largely through exploiting her body. Her magazine covers such as Playboy and TV Guide did huge sales, her video, "Sable Unleashed," ranked for months behind only those of Steve Austin on the sports & rec charts, and she was realistically the company's biggest television ratings draw this year, even though she had very little wrestling or acting ability. Indeed, the general consensus was, more than almost anyone else, Reno Mero was the beneficiary of McMahon and the Titan Sports machine true marketing genius, because there are plenty of beautiful women in this world with a lot more talent, but she was in the right place at the right time with the right push. She got the push largely because Tammy Sytch, who was at the time actually the more marketable of the two, had self destructed with management under the pressure of the two being played off against each other and her other demons, and Sable, being more receptive to company's suggestions, surpassed her due to a more favorable push, and eventually Sytch was fired due to all her problems.

Problems actually began last April, after the WWF Unforgiven PPV show. Sable did her first stripper match, where the loser would be left in their bra and panties, against Luna, which she wound up in her lingerie. The show was headlined by Steve Austin's first title defense against Mankind, and drew an 0.85 buy rate, a surprisingly high figure based on the standards of the time. Sable felt she deserved an equal payoff to Austin, claiming she was at least equally if not more responsible for the buy rate. The attitude garnered her heat in the locker room, although in hindsight if you look at the numbers, the Austin vs. Mankind rematch the next month without Sable stripping (she was booked in a match where she'd get a mystery wrestle to do a wrestling match with Mero, and if her wrestler lost, she'd have to leave the WWF, and she ended up being the one to wrestle Mero when no mystery wrestler was delivered, losing in 21 seconds, but in a storyline that made no sense, was brought back two weeks later anyway) did an 0.58 buy rate, below the normal standard for such a show at the time. Her next major appearance teasing skin was the now-famous bikini contest on the "Fully Loaded" PPV where Jacqueline showed her nipple and Sable came out with only body paint on, which drew an 0.90 buy rate without a singles title match on top (Undertaker & Austin vs. Kane & Mankind headlined), which was very slightly higher and realistically basically the same as the buy rates for the next two In Your House type events where she didn't play a major role. Sable was not a television ratings draw in 1998 despite being one of the company's most popular performers and garnering huge pops whenever she came out. But in 1999, when fans were conditioned to the idea that seeing Sable meant women would be appearing in their bras, often due to clothes being ripped off, on television, and coinciding with the Playboy centerfold publicity, she became the biggest consistent ratings draw in wrestling. Since Raw was teasing exposed breasts so much, the only way to keep getting the junkies high would be at some point to eventually deliver the accident.

It is believed her first spread paid her in the range of $150,000 plus a small piece of the magazine's increase in business, which probably resulted in a total payoff of more than $200,000. She signed a similar deal to do a second cover and centerfold, scheduled for an August release, which is probably another reason things got to where they wound up.

WWF not only allowed, but brokered and encouraged the first deal and was involved in timing it, feeling it would be a great publicity boom for Wrestlemania, which it certainly turned out to be. Mero at first turned down Playboy but wound up acquiescing when the money deal was upped. For the second deal, the magazine went straight to Mero, who inked the deal without the magazine going through Jim Bell at Titan Sports, who by contract, should have served as her agent since she was using the name Sable and using her marketing license, both of which the company owned. WWF wanted a cut, which they didn't want the first time and quite frankly, since they encouraged it the first time, nobody would have suspected they would have wanted the second time although by contract they may be legally entitled to such. There is no doubt that a large part of the reasons the first spread sold so well was because it was pushed to death on WWF television, and without a similar television push, the second spread wouldn't have anywhere near the success. It's doubtful the second spread would have the same success anyway due to it no longer being a novelty. In failing to get a cut from either from either side since Mero and Playboy reached their own agreement, the WWF threatened to legally get the magazine to stop the photo spread because she was going as both Sable and Rena Mero, which was already shot and is scheduled for an August release. This dispute was one of the reasons both Mero's came to the television taping on 5/10 asking for a release from their three-year contracts with the WWF. WWF offered both a release, allowing Marc to get a full release, which meant he would be able to work for WCW (Mero left WCW on bad terms so there would be obstacles in him making that deal) or anywhere else, but Sable would have a non-compete clause meaning she couldn't work in wrestling until August of 2001, nor be able to use the name Sable in the future for marketing of herself or for her attempts to become an actress after her appearance on Pacific Blue did garner huge ratings for the show. Lawyers for both sides couldn't come to an agreement on the WWF's proposed release terms, and part of this lawsuit appears to be her attempt at being able to use the name Sable and keep the Playboy spread, which again she'll receive a small percentage of an increase in sales over the magazine's monthly average, from being tied up in court.

Why the WWF is playing hardball on the photo spread probably stems from the problems the company has had in dealing with her. They had wanted her to drop the womens title in a match. She was agreeable to dropping the title, but wanted to script out the manner of which it would happen, which would not be in a match, since by this point the handwriting was on the wall that she wanted out and was no longer willing to wrestle. She was attempting in this dispute to get the rights to use the name Sable, and perhaps keep options open over at some point going to WCW, but with the name, to try to market herself and attempt to go to Hollywood, where based on her drawing power in wrestling, with the video, and on Pac Blue, there were many offers thrown her way.

The 24-page lawsuit claims "the WWF controls its performers through carefully designed programs of intimidation and humiliation, including scripted sexual provocation (in and out of the ring), and staged stunts that are inherently dangerous under contracts that absolve the WWF of all responsibility." It claims the WWF repeatedly wanted her to have her breasts exposed on national television through a "scripted mistake," which she repeatedly refused to do. This probably answers once and for all the question about similar situations with Jacqueline on Raw, although only the most gullible would have believed when they went to a replay of that with a better camera shot what was and wasn't an accident. She claims that after repeatedly refusing to allow her breasts to be exposed in a similar accident, she was called a "prima donna" by Vince McMahon and told the WWF would move on to its next queen. It should be noted that the WWF had booked an evening gown match involving Sable for the UK PPV on 5/16, and was originally advertising it as the loser would be stripped to nothing but a bikini bottom. After Sable voiced complaints, the match was switched to being a regular match without the stipulations, then changed again to where Sable simply appeared, and didn't wrestle, claiming she had a cold (actually both sides, at her behest, had agreed she wouldn't have to wrestle on the show) and Nicole Bass took her place in a 27 second match.

Mero suggested losing the title, but asked that it not be on television. McMahon disagreed, saying that if she didn't appear at the 5/10 live Raw in Orlando, FL to drop the title, it would be a breach of contract. She still refused and brought her lawyers to the taping and wrote her own terms for agreeing to drop the title (which led to the ridiculous scenario they did where she stripped Debra in an evening gown match to her bra and panties, but then Shawn Michaels would say since Debra had stripped, he was changing the rules of the match and Debra would get the title).

Mero's hand-written contract regarding her title loss to Debra, which both sides agreed to before the show, was as follows: "Notwithstanding any agreement between us and because we disagree about the fashion I would lose my belt, and because of my concerns of humiliation and safety, it is agreed that I appear tonight solely upon your contractual assurances that I will not lose my gown nor wrestle, and that the girl with whom I am interfacing agrees with her role. My appearance in Manchester shall be no more then parading in the ring and shall not include wrestling. I agree to make a scheduled personal appearance outside the ring, otherwise, I will have complete hiatus from the WWF until May 23rd, at which time we hope to have our contractual concerns resolved. Until such time, neither I nor the WWF, its employees or subcontractors shall speak disparagingly about the other scripted or unscripted."

Basically, she refused to do a match to drop the title, and the agreement between the two sides forbid any disparaging comments about her for doing so. The WWF then pulled her merchandise and canceled her promotion appearances after they got the title off her. Six days later, while on what turned out to be her last WWF appearance at the No Mercy PPV in Manchester, England, her bags in the dressing room were smeared with feces. This is not uncommon in wrestling to have practical jokes such as this played on unpopular wrestlers, and it happened to Tammy Sytch in Europe as well a few years back which led to her coming home early from a tour. But that is still no excuse for it. Mero claimed this overall behavior should allow her to have her contract rescinded, with her maintaining all merchandise rights and rights to the name Sable. She claimed the WWF's behavior violates Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act and claimed that to send a strong messages to the industry, the WWF should be assessed punitive damages of $100 million.

According to the suit, in March 1996, while accompanying her husband to a contract signing, McMahon told Mrs. Mero he was struck by her beauty and suggested she begin appearing as a valet and she signed a contract with WWF in April. One year later, McMahon first proposed having her wrestle. She claimed she had reservations because of her lack of training and because she had breast implants, which could pose a health risk if she fell forward. She claimed she also brought up the steroid and drug problems in the company and McMahon told her he was going to clean the company up. She claimed over the next few years, she discussed with McMahon what she perceived as illegal drug use, steroid use, and the new direction of increased violence and vulgarity and talked about limiting her wrestling appearances so she could pursue acting. She claimed McMahon said he would enforce the drug policy and limit her appearances so she could pursue acting. The original three-year contract was to expire in April 1999, but in June 1998, McMahon gave her a new contract saying the appearance and payments had been changed. She didn't sign the new contract. In August 1998, she claimed before a match at the Nassau Coliseum, Jim Ross demanded she sign the renewal and said he'd brought with him a notary from Connecticut for the purpose of notarizing the contract. She claims she told Ross she wanted her lawyer's advice before signing, but Ross demanded she sign it immediately, saying, as McMahon had, the new contract was with the exception of payment and appearance modifications, the same as the original. The new contract did differ in that it had an arbitration clause, which was the only major difference. However, the lawsuit complained about certain terms of WWF contracts. The terms were, any injury resulting in an ability to perform for six weeks results in a reduction of the base salary; that the company doesn't have to pay any royalties to the performer at that point and extends the length of the contract a similar time as the layoff; In the event of injury, the wrestler absolves the company of any negligence claim; In the event of death, the defendant retains the right to any and all money still due.

She claimed to be placed in dangerous and morally compromising situations. She claimed 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 by the WWF to expose their breasts (these were the strippers they used dressed up as fans at house shows and TV tapings when they briefly did that angle where Hunter Hearst Helmsley would talk women into taking their tops off). She claimed they had big nipple contest, men bragged about sexual encounters with women present. They produced catalogues and t-shirts with her in a degrading fashion offering sexual favors. They wanted her to do a lesbian angle. She claimed, tied to roid rage, that "wrestlers regularly threatened to beat her up outside the ring" and specifically pointed to a wrestler threatening to bite her face to ruin her career, claiming the WWF did little to alleviate the abuses and its own offices regularly participated in the vulgarity. She claimed she and other wrestlers were told to engage in sexually provocative and outrageous conduct as a marketing ploy even though she had complained she found the increasing sexual tenor to be offensive and morally objectionable.

She then complained certain announcing byplay involving Shawn Michaels and Jerry Lawler violated the agreed upon deal. The passages she listed in the suit were "Do you think she is horizontally accessible?" "She is accessible every which way from what I hear." And while holding the mic, "She certainly seems comfortable with that microphone up at her mouth like that."

Her claim is that she was lied to in negotiations because the company had no intention of enforcing its drug policy and she was promised, they didn't limit her appearances or allow her to develop an acting career, and due to this, is claiming losses exceeding $10 million. She's claiming a contract breach for not accurately reporting her merchandise and is asking for an accounting of all her merchandise and damages to be determined. She is claiming another $10 million in damages for the remarks made during the broadcast which violated her agreement. She is claiming another $10 million for working in an unsafe environment which led to infliction of emotional distress. She claims by making working so intolerable to continue that she left work, she's suffered damages of another $10 million. And finally, she's claiming due to violating the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act that she's suffered damages of another $10 million.

While my feeling is some parts of this lawsuit are silly, and some have merit, although not at the financial level stated, she'd be a lot more sympathetic character if from the start she was turning down these exploitations of herself rather than allowing herself to be marketed and taking the big payoffs from being exploited sexually for all she was worth, having her run, having the run clearly on its way down not because she was cooling off (ratings show her popularity was peaking) but because the company was promoting a less demanding Debra ahead of her, and then when the die was cast complaining legally about everything. However, just because she posed for Playboy doesn't mean she should be requested or expected to expose her breasts at an arena or on a live Raw and/or PPV show either.

Wrestling Observer 6/21/99

Rena Mero's appearance on WCW Nitro on 6/14 while still under contract to the WWF raises a lot of legal questions.

Mero was seated in the front row at Nitro with numerous camera close-ups, coming out just before 10 p.m. and a Kevin Nash interview. The crowd reacted big to her, to the point that while Nash was attempting to do his interview there was a huge "Sable" chant. In addition, there was a sign posted that may have been a plant shown clearly on camera saying "Sable 1, Vince McMahon 0." There were numerous close-ups on her with her waving to the camera for the remainder of the show. She was never identified as either Sable or Rena Mero. Eric Bischoff was the only one who really commented on her just noting that he's seen Playboy and making cryptic comments. Earlier in the week on the internet Bischoff tried to tease that she, alluding to a female with blond hair in litigation against a wrestling promoter but never saying Sable or Rena Mero, was the driver of the hum-vee that ran into Nash. However all WCW announcers were instructed to on television not even go so far as to tease that it may have been a woman driving the hum-vee. After Sid Vicious did his run-in at the PPV in Baltimore, Bischoff made it a point on Nitro the next night to say Sid wasn't the driver and that the driver appeared to have been a woman although never teasing anything on television that would lead viewers to believe he meant Mrs. Mero. Other WCW personnel that evening were instructed not to reference Mero by any name.

WCW is trying to say that she bought a ticket to the show, but her WWF contract specifically forbids making an appearance of this type on a WCW broadcast. The Meros were offered a contract release by WWF that would have allowed Marc to return to WCW immediately, but would not have allowed Rena to work for WCW until her contract expires in August 2001. In 1995 under similar circumstances, without any warning, Lex Luger, who had worked the previous night on a WWF house show in Canada, showed up for the inaugural edition of Nitro in Minneapolis. While Luger's contract had not expired, his attorney had found a contract breach and he walked out with no notice in a major coup for getting Nitro off the ground and an embarrassment for WWF. McMahon threatened a lawsuit against Luger, but because of the breach, no lawsuit was ever filed.

The game gets interesting on several accounts here. WWF and WCW both have lawsuits outstanding against one another. Mero has the much publicized lawsuit against WCW. Perhaps the feeling in WCW is that WWF has so many legal problems at present (a third lawsuit filed over the past two weeks was by the Kuwaiti television announcer that was roughed up by Vader who this past week sued the WWF for $1.5 million) that they wouldn't want to add another one. However, not defending their contracts sets a dangerous precedent--on both sides, unless there is some proof that there was a breach that makes Mero's situation different from usual protocol.

If WWF doesn't do anything in such a highly publicized situation, it sets a precedent that talent can point to and leave the company while under contract and show up on the rival show, a game Eric Bischoff clearly loves to play. And games like that can go in both directions. What is to say that next week on Raw, that Bill Goldberg, in the midst of a contract dispute with WCW, or say any other wrestler wanting out of their deal, couldn't show up on Raw and have the WWF claim a precedent was set the previous week by the rival company? At one point last year when WWF was doing its Unforgiven PPV in Greensboro and Flair was on WCW hiatus and being sued by the company, there was talk of Flair showing up at the PPV show and it got serious enough that they had talked of pushing a Flair interview, and interviewing Reid Fliehr. Eventually the WWF attorneys advised against the idea and Flair never attended the show.

During the past week, the WWF sent a cease and desist to Rena Mero saying they had suspended usage of the name Sable, thus from this point forward she could no longer use the name. This was part of a negotiating ploy, mainly to impact the Playboy deal, which is really what started all this in the first place. However, over this past weekend, she was at an autograph session autographing the name "Sable" on the current TV Guide issue which she is on the cover and has a story about her departure from the WWF. Suspending the use of the name is part of the WWF's negotiations with Playboy over the issue proposed for August.

WWF is attempting to get a fee from Playboy to allow them to use the name Sable in the August issue cover and centerfold shoot coming on the heels of the April issue that sold approximately one million copies. Where it gets interesting is that for that first issue, Mero turned down the magazine's initial deal despite it being encouraged by the WWF. Eventually, the WWF agreed to pay Sable a bonus above what the magazine was already paying her, and also not take a cut as it normally would as her agent for third party promotions, to get her to do the original shoot as a promotion both for Wrestlemania and getting her over to where her value as a celebrity and to ratings increased from the exposure. The first cover sold so well that the magazine went to Sable, who was able to get approximately four times the money she earned on the first shoot, or a figure WWF believes to be $850,000 for the upcoming issue. The WWF was initially aware of the shoot and publicized it, but didn't know a money deal had been reached without going through them. WWF felt Sable's contract calls for the WWF to be her agent on such deals and wanted a cut, believing the first issue sold so well, with WWF not getting a cut, to a great part because WWF pushed the magazine so strongly on its television shows.

In this week's TV Guide, Mero's interview called "The First Lady of the Ring" by Janet Weeks (who as coincidence would have it in another lifetime I went to college with and we briefly worked at the same newspaper after each of us had graduated before I moved to Texas). The Q&A story saw Sable fed softball questions and she answered them in a fashion that would make her look great to people who only see the surface part of the story.

When asked about steroids and roid rage, she stated, "I can't say for certain. But...it's common knowledge that you do not look like the people in our sport without enhancement. The wrestlers, the crew that we count on to set up the ring and the ramp--a lot of them, I believe, may be on drugs." She talked about McMahon dropping the drug testing, while WWF attorneys claimed the WWF does drug test based on reasonable suspicion. She said she came to the decision to want out long before the death of Owen Hart and criticized the WWF for continuing the show after Hart died. When it was brought up that she posed topless for Playboy but the WWF was trying to get her to accidentally fall out of her top on Raw, she said, "There is a time and place for that. I do not feel like--in the middle of a wrestling arena where they're serving alcohol and there are screaming fans, including children, in the front row--I don't feel like that is the proper place to be exposed. Posing for Playboy for me was a classy and tasteful thing to do."

When asked what happened when she refused the accident, she said, "Any time you refuse to do anything you are taken down a notch, and someone else is put up. It is total competition, 24 hours a day. Right after I told them I would not do that, it was scripted for me to lose my belt. If I would have agreed to do that, I would still be the WWF champion." WWF attorneys countered saying Sable losing the title was part of her planned storyline, indicating it didn't have to do with her refusing to bare her breasts. Since no date has been given for when Sable was requested to bare her breasts on Raw, I can't comment on this other than the die was cast for her to lose the title at Mania in January and wound up being delayed for various reasons and I'm assuming this request was after that point, although it may have also sped up existing plans.

When asked about guys punching holes in the womens dressing room and if she complained about it, she said, "Every time that happened, we complained about it

We had several discussions with Vince McMahon to find out who was punching holes in walls to view us. One wrestler apologized. He felt so bad. (But) I felt very uncomfortable and unsafe working there or even being backstage. It is such an obscene atmosphere. Women are...having contests to see who has the largest nipples. They're pulling their skirts up to expose their private parts." The story also noted Mero's current WWF contract was for a $150,000 guarantee which she noted was less than the men in the company.

While nobody is specifically named in either the roid rage or threats made against her in the lawsuit, it is common belief when it comes to threats to disfigure her face or beat her up in the ring the alleged threats were made by Gertrude Vachon Heath (Luna). To say the WWF did nothing about it, if it was Mrs. Heath, would be incorrect being that she was fired shortly thereafter for those and other similar actions.

Wow! Wow! Wow!

Wrestling Observer 6/28/99

Titan Sports attorney Jerry McDevitt on 6/16 talked with WCW lawyers and threatened to file a federal lawsuit immediately. WCW on 6/18 responded by sending Titan a letter saying that Mrs. Mero is not under contract to WCW, that no contract negotiations with her are going on, and that she wouldn't be appearing on WCW television anymore until either her contract expires (August 2001) or she gets her contract release from Titan Sports. She did not appear on Nitro on 6/21, nor were there even veiled references made by the announcers to her appearance in the first place. McDevitt said he was investigating rumors as to whether or not Mrs. Mero was paid for her appearance on the show and didn't get answers from WCW attorneys to that question.

While it would have been perfectly legal for Mrs. Mero to watch a WCW wrestling show from the stands, appearing on television in the position that she did constituted a grave violation of her contract according to McDevitt, who vowed that there is no way she is ever going to get the rights to the name Sable nor is their any court precedent even if she were to win the lawsuit, of companies losing their intellectual property (the name and parts of the gimmick Titan created) to a competitor even if a performer leaves the company. The WWF has suspended Mero from using the name Sable, which is a hot issue due to the Playboy issue set for an August release having her as a cover and centerfold model with the magazine wanting to publicize it as Sable. However, NBC television on 6/21 advertising her appearance on 6/24's Jay Leno show still billed her as "World Wrestling Federation star Sable."

"She can sue us till the cows come home and she's not going to get it (the name Sable)," McDevitt said. "She can make all the allegations she wants and it won't get her anywhere."

Jerry McDevitt coming in hot!

Wrestling Observer 7/5/99

Mero, appearing on Leno later that night, was advertised in TV listings all week and in NBC promo's as Sable, but that night Leno called her Rena Mero, the artist formerly known as Sable. She got only a tepid reaction and showed very little in the way of charisma or personality in the setting to an audience that didn't really seem to know who she was or really care. It was a real reality check as to her being able to make it outside the choreographed confines where all she had to do was look a certain way and dress a certain way and she'd be a star. She claimed the obscenity and vulgarity in the WWF had gotten out of hand and said she'd never participate in the WWF again unless things changed. When asked about the name Sable, all Mero said was that it would be up to the courts to decide. Leno said that he hoped she wins her lawsuit.

Feelings on her going on Leno at this point?

Wrestling Observer 7/26/99

It appears that Rena Mero's lawsuit against Titan Sports is on the verge of a settlement.

The $140 million lawsuit, which garnered much publicity with the sensationalistic sexual harassment charges, was at its best and worst, a high stakes poker game in an attempt for Mero to get the rights to the name Sable and to keep her reported $850,000 deal with Playboy that she negotiated rather than having it been negotiated by Titan Sports as her contract with the company owning her likeness specified it would have to be.

On 7/12 in court in Hartford, CT, it was ruled that Titan Sports owned the rights to the name Sable. There was no legal precedent, even if Mero was able to prove her charges, where she would get the name, so it appeared her strategy was hoping Titan would settle on the name out of court rather than incur the bad publicity her charges would bring. When Titan moved to have the issue of the name settled immediately, long before a jury trial, and won that aspect, the key element, as opposed to the elements of the suit largely meant for publicity purposes were already settled. At that point, negotiations began and continued throughout the week to work out a settlement between the two sides. Details of these negotiations are said to be highly confidential because the settlement was not completed, but it was expected a settlement to be completed in short order and the lawsuit to disappear.

The major issues needing to be finalized appear not to be money directly as far as a money settlement which may not even be an issue at this point, but more the financial details and split of the Playboy deal (the magazine already promo's next month's magazine billing her as Sable, and the magazine, which comes out in a few weeks, may have gone to press already with her billed as Rena Mero, the artist formerly known as Sable), future merchandise revenue, terms of her release and the release of Marc Mero, and attempts for both sides to come out of this while saving as much face publicly and there is belief that when all it settled that a confidentiality clause will be placed over the settlement and that both sides would agree not to denigrate the other side publicly.

Is this considered a victory?

Wrestling Observer 8/2/99

The lawsuit filed by Rena Mero against Titan Sports was officially settled out of court on 7/22 with both sides agreeing as one of the terms to not to say anything further public about the subject as well as discuss the terms of the settlement, which allowed both sides to save face in the aftermath.

The WWF announced the settlement on its web site, and said they could say nothing further about the subject. However, before the settlement was finalized, Vince McMahon did go on "Entertainment Tonight" and insinuate that Mero wouldn't get any money in the settlement. A statement from Mero responded at the end of the piece indicated McMahon wasn't telling the truth, although she didn't get specific as to what wasn't true. They also had Paul Wight and Lisa Moretti on to knock Sable as a prima donna.

What is known about the settlement is that the terms of the Mero's release from their WWF contracts are the same as the original offer from WWF, that Marc has a full release and can work with WCW immediately, while Rena can't work in wrestling until her contract expires in August 2001. In addition, whatever controversy there was over WWF not negotiating and getting a cut from the second Playboy shoot is now over, although whatever terms there were regarding settling that are sealed. The controversy over the name Sable was already settled in court on 7/12 with a ruling that WWF owns the name.

Mero was interviewed before the settlement on the subject of the lawsuit for the show "Fox Files," which wound up airing on 7/27. During the interview, Marc Mero at one point grabbed the tape from the camera men because he was unhappy with the direction of the questions being asked. The scene was publicized before the show aired, and mentioned in the piece, which broke no new ground and was mainly Mero giving the same answers and making the same charges. The piece mentioned that since the filming of the interview the lawsuit had been settled.

At this point...and once again knowing the WWF and Vince McMahon...never say never...do you ever expect Sable or Marc Mero back with the WWF at this point in time?

Wrestling Observer 9/30/99

According to WWF attorney Jerry McDevitt, the magazine and the WWF were negotiating an agreement to allow the magazine to use the name Sable for the September issue cover and pictorial, but never reached an agreement before the issue went to bed and they are suing for a percentage of the revenue. Rena Mero had already been signed to an $850,000 deal for her second pictorial after the first one led that issue to do near record business. In addition, they are requesting an injunction in Federal District Court in Manhattan to block the magazine from putting out a 96-page newsstand issue devoted to Rena Mero, called the Woman Formerly Known as Sable, that is scheduled to be distributed next month, for using the Sable name and the company is set to sue for a percentage of that issue's generated revenue if the injunction isn't granted.

How much of a headache is all this to the WWF but does it get into your purview?

Wrestling Observer 12/18/20

Some highlights of Jim Ross' media conference on 12/7. He said that he personally has had talks with Marc and Rena Mero for a few months, but doesn't see them coming back any time soon because the timing isn't right. He basically said there are a lot of hard feelings in the locker room regarding both of them that haven't healed and until time heals those wounds, they wouldn't be bringing her back.

What were these conversations about at this point?

During the next few years Sable had bit parts in the TV show Relic Hunter, First Wave and in the movie Corky Romano and released an autobiography called Undefeated. How often would you or the company check in with her or vice versa?

Wrestling Observer 4/7/00

Smackdown 4/3/00

Torrie Wilson came out for a promo regarding Playboy. Sable came out to a very disappointing reaction. She did a better job on the promo than you’d think. Sable working in WWE and playing a lesbian role is amazing on so many different levels. 1) Nearly every woman in the company has been asked to do the role and most refused, including her on several occasions; 2) It’s been done twice now, once with Torrie and Dawn and once with HLA, and was a flop both times, has never worked in wrestling and it was six years ago’s hot thing on Stern; 3) Sable sued the WWE and claimed she’d never come back; 4) Everyone in the company hated her before she left and more when she sued; 5) She’s done nothing since leaving. Anyway, she said she wanted to be friends with Wilson and kissed her on the lips.

1. How the hell does this come together?
2. How is this the storyline that she comes back to?
3. Do you know what her and Marc were like at this point?

During this angle with Wilson she pretended to be in love with her and than fueded with her and having a bikini contest with her at Judgment Day. 

Was this just a test to see what you can get away with now that she’s back into the fold? Was there anything you would ever see her doing that can draw money again like in the past?

Sable than fueds with Stephanie McMahon in a storyline in which she was Vince McMahon’s mistress.

This has got to be heaven for Vince. Sued by her. Settle and make money off of it. Make her your mistress and than have her feud with your daughter… HAHA PAL!

Stephanie brawls with Sable on Smackdown in the parking lot and rips her bra off and reveals both of her breasts on live TV.

God damn pal!

At Vengenance Sable defeats Stephanie McMahon after interference from A-Train. Sable is aligned with Vince until close to the end of the year. She gets placed into a match where Vince faces Stephanie in an I Quit match at No Mercy where she brawls with Stephanie AND Linda!

What a weird full circle thing this is. From a lawsuit against WWF to being in the ring with Vince, Stephanie AND Linda!

Sable turns babyface and it’s announced that Sable & Torrie Wilson will pose for and be the cover models for Playboy. They face Stacy Keibler & Miss Jackie Gayda at WrestleMania XX in a Lingerie match and win.

She turns heel on Torrie afterwards and defeats her in a one-on-one match at Great American Bash.

We’re halfway through 2004. The rumor and innuendo at this point is that Marc Mero and Rena Mero are on the outs. Where are you and the company at in this scenario?

Rena and Brock Lesnar are rumored to be dating at this point and after he leaves the company at WrestleMania XX and the scenario with Marc was Brock pushing for her to leave?

Her last appearance for WWE was on the August 5, 2004 episode of Smackdown where Sable, Dawn Marie & Torrie Wilson accompanied Eddie Guerrero in his low rider.

On August 10, 2004, WWE’s official website announced that Sable and WWE parted ways albeit this time on good terms. What do you remember about this? Was there the influence of Brock Lesnar on it?

What do you think Sable’s legacy is in the business and WWE?