With the depth of talent that has existed in WWE over the years, some Superstars they sign go unnoticed. In the case of former three-time WCW World Television Champion and former WWE Intercontinental Champion Marc Mero, he never got his big moment to shine like others did during the Attitude Era.
In an interview on “Something to fight” John “Bradshaw” Layfield recalled Mero’s impressive boxing journey, including four New York State titles and Golden Gloves recipients, before joining WWE, and explained why he’s still impressed by the distance that WWE dropped on Mero.
“I mean, here’s a guy with a legit resume. It’s tough to win the Golden Gloves tournament,” JBL complimented. “He was training with Ray Rinaldi, a great professional boxing trainer. He was going to be a professional boxer, and something ended up happening with a facial injury, a nose injury or something that derailed his boxing career. boxer.”
Mero joined WWE in 1996, after a stint in WCW, but his run with WWE only lasted three years.
JBL explains why Marc Mero never materialized in WWE
Dusty Rhodes, known for his keen sense of a talent’s potential, helped build Marc Mero’s promising notoriety during his WCW career. Unfortunately, Mero got lost in the shuffle during his WWE journey, much like others who got into WWE. In 1998, when Brawl for All was announced, Mero appeared to be one of the top contenders for the boxing/wrestling hybrid tournament on paper, especially with his previous experience in combat sports. Again, through no fault of his own, his potential was underutilized after the quarterfinal against JBL, which the former WWE Champion said should never have been this way.
“And then he comes to WCW, and I think it was Dusty (who) understood what he did. He did this ‘Johnny B. Badd’ very well. He was really finished,” he said. remembers JBL. “Marc was, I believe, the first guaranteed contract they gave to anyone. They really thought he could be the guy. The problem was without Dusty. The gimmick didn’t work as well. I think that Brawl for All hurt him, too, I think they really missed the mark with him.
Mero now carries the light he should have had in the squared circle as a motivational speaker for his organization called Champion of Choices, a non-profit that works with young people to inspire them to take on everyday challenges.
If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit “Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard” with ah/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
