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Rena Mero (born August 8, 1967) is an American model, actress, and former professional wrestler. She is primarily known for her stints in World Wrestling Entertainment as the buxom Sable character.
As Sable, she was one of the first WWE Divas, gained considerable popularity, and was featured on the cover of Playboy three times.[1]
[edit] Early
life
Born Rena Greek in Jacksonville, Florida, she was active in her youth and was interested in
activities such as gymnastics, horseback riding, and softball. After winning her first beauty pageant at 12 years of age, she eventually
became a model, working with companies such as L'Oréal, Pepsi, and Guess?.[2]
Greek married Wayne Richardson in 1986, and had a daughter with him named Mariah in 1988. The two remained married until Richardson died
in 1991. She met her second husband, professional wrestler and former boxer Marc Mero (who had been performing in World Championship Wrestling as "Johnny B. Badd") in 1993. After
marrying Marc in the following year, she broke into the wrestling business through the World Wrestling Federation.
[edit] World
Wrestling Federation
[edit] 1996-1998
Rena Mero made her World Wrestling Federation debut as Sable at WrestleMania XII in March 1996, escorting Hunter Hearst Helmsley to the ring as he took on the returning The Ultimate Warrior.[1][3]
Rena's first major angles as Sable involved her then real-life husband, who
debuted at WrestleMania XII as "Wildman" Marc Mero. After witnessing Sable being mistreated by Helmsley backstage, the "Wildman"
attacked Helmsley and took Sable as his manager.[1] She remained Mero's manager until his injury in 1997. Between
1997 and the time he returned from his injury in 1998, Sable became popular on her own.[1] A returning Marc Mero (now known as "Marvelous" Marc Mero) became
jealous, refused to let Sable get any of the spotlight, and mistreated her. The duo would enter into a feud with Luna Vachon and The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust, which climaxed in a match at WrestleMania XIV. Sable delivered a superkick to Goldust and executed a
powerbomb (known as the "Sable bomb") on Luna. She also delivered a TKO and pinned Luna to finish the match, with the crowd
roaring and chanting Sable's name in the background.[4] At the following pay-per-view event, Unforgiven 1998, Sable lost to Luna in the promotion's first Evening Gown match after being distracted
by Marc Mero.[5]
After Marc's interference at Unforgiven, Sable came to the ring and challenged Marc to a match. Sable then kicked him in the groin
and delievered a Sable bomb to get revenge.[1] Sable eventually broke away from "Marvelous" Marc Mero, who
debuted Jacqueline as his new manager, resulting in a feud between the two
women.[1] The two met in a bikini contest in July at Fully Loaded 1998. Sable, only wearing impressions of her husband's
hands painted on her exposed breasts, won the contest. However, the next night on RAW, Vince McMahon disqualified Sable from the previous night's contest since she did not
actually wear a bikini. The match was then awarded to Jacqueline. In response, Sable gave McMahon the double finger.[6] At SummerSlam 1998, Sable and her mystery partner, federation newcomer
Edge, defeated Marc Mero and Jacqueline in a mixed tag team
match.[4]
Sable and Jacqueline faced off for the newly reinstated WWF Women's Title on the September 21, 1998 edition of RAW. Jacqueline claimed the title after Marc Mero
interfered.[7] However, on November 15, 1998 at Survivor Series, Sable won the title from Jacqueline after
powerbombing both Marc and Jacqueline during the match.[4][1] During this time, Rena had a guest appearance on an episode of
the USA Network show Pacific Blue.[8][2] Sable then briefly entered a storyline where she was forced to
play a subservient role to Vince and Shane McMahon, but the storyline did not progress very far.
Sable holds the record for most diva match wins in 1998, ahead of both Luna Vachon and Jacqueline.[9]
[edit] Heel
turn (1999)
In 1999, Sable was attacked by a masked woman named Spider Lady, who turned out to be Luna. Sable defeated Luna in a Strap Match at the Royal Rumble after an assist from a female Sable fan, who turned out
to be WWF newcomer Tori.[4] Tori's debut would signify a change in Sable's persona.
After the Royal Rumble, Rena (under her Sable ring name) was featured as the cover girl for the April 1999 issue of
Playboy.[8][1] The issue was the hottest selling issue of Playboy in 15 years. Surrounding the release of the issue, the Sable character turned
heel by "going Hollywood" and having an inflated ego. Rarely
defending her title, Sable continually berated her fan Tori, and she feuded with both Tori and Luna Vachon (who had turned face). She debuted a new catch phrase: "This is for all the women who want to be me and all the men who come
to see me" and a dance move called "the grind."[1] The feud with Tori led to a match at WrestleMania XV. During the contest, Nicole Bass debuted as Sable's bodyguard and helped Sable win the match.[10]
Sable went on with Nicole Bass making Bass do all of her dirty work. Sable continued to hold the championship for over five months now,
but on May 10, 1999, Debra "won" the Women's Championship from Sable in an Evening Gown Match. Normally
in an Evening Gown Match, the winner is the woman who forcibly removes her opponent's dress, which Sable did. However, kayfabe WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels ruled that the woman who had lost her dress was the winner, making
Debra the new Women's Champion. With this, Sable became the first woman to lose a title without losing it by pinfall or submission.[2]
[edit] Post-WWF career (1999-2001)
In June 1999, Rena Mero quit the WWF and filed a $110 million lawsuit against the company, citing allegations of sexual harassment and unsafe working conditions.[11][3] During the course of the lawsuit, Vince McMahon counter-sued Rena over control of the stagename "Sable".[10] Mero reduced the amount she was seeking in damages, and they
eventually settled out of court in August 1999.[3] Subsequently, her husband Marc was released from his WWF
contract. Rena Mero used her real name for her appearance in the September 1999 issue of Playboy. After her WWF exit, she made an
on-camera appearance as an audience member on World Championship Wrestling's WCW Monday Nitro. Her WWF contract's non-compete clause was still legally
valid, preventing her from working for WCW -- although she stated that she wanted to.
During this time, Rena made appearances on The Howard Stern Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. She also made appearances on
television shows such as Relic Hunter and First Wave and in the film Corky Romano as a female bouncer. She released her autobiography, entitled
Undefeated in August 2000.[2] She also released a comic book entitled The 10th Muse starring herself as a superhero.[12] She was signed on to star in the film Doppleganger 224, but
the film was cancelled for monetary reasons.[citation needed]
On November 13 and November 14, 2001, she appeared as the on-camera "CEO" of the newly formed XWF, but these would be her only appearances with the company.[4] In 2003, she announced that she and Marc Mero were getting divorced.[2] Despite this, she continues to use his surname publicly and
professionally.
[edit] Return
to WWE (2003-2004)
Rena returned to the World Wrestling Federation (now known as World Wrestling Entertainment) on the April 3, 2003 episode of SmackDown!, reprising her role as Sable. Sable continued as a
heel and spent several months in a storyline with new Playboy covergirl Torrie Wilson. Sable would follow Torrie down to her matches, talk with her
backstage, and on one occasion she left Torrie in a tag match alone to fend for herself. Sable eventually challenged Torrie to a showdown
bikini contest at Judgment Day 2003. After Sable got the bigger applause, Torrie removed
another layer of clothing, and Special Guest Referee Tazz declared Torrie the winner. After the match, Torrie went up to Sable and kissed her
before exiting the ring. Sable had a brief feud with the guest judge Tazz, dumping water on him on the following edition of
SmackDown!, as a means of gaining revenge for declaring Wilson the winner.
Sable then feuded with Stephanie McMahon in a storyline where she was Vince McMahon's mistress.[3] Vince appointed Sable as Stephanie McMahon's personal assistant
against Stephanie's will, sparking the feud between the duo. During the feud, they competed in several catfights, a food fight, a parking
lot brawl, and a match where Sable bashed a clipboard over Stephanie's head. At Vengeance 2003, Sable defeated Stephanie after interference by her new
ally, A-Train. At SummerSlam, Sable accompanied A-Train in his match against The Undertaker, which he lost. After the match, The Undertaker held Sable so that
Stephanie could use a Spear attack on her. After Summerslam, Mr. McMahon and
Sable focused on getting rid of Stephanie for good, so Vince made an "I Quit" match at No Mercy 2003. In the match, Sable slapped Stephanie and was attacked by
Linda McMahon. She also handed Vince the lead pipe that he used to choke Stephanie
out for the win.[4]
Sable briefly became a face again when she appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine for the third time in her career. On the
cover, she appeared with fellow diva Torrie Wilson, making them the first WWE Divas to pose in Playboy together. Surrounding the
release of the cover, the duo feuded with RAW divas Stacy Keibler and Miss Jackie, even though all four women were faces at the time. The two teams squared
off at WrestleMania XX in an Interpromotional Tag Team Evening Gown match, but the
divas started the match in their underwear, making it more of a lingerie match.[4] Sable and Wilson were victorious.[3] The change was rumored to have occurred because Sable had
suffered damage to her breast.[13]
Following WrestleMania XX, Sable quickly turned heel again and engaged in another short feud with Wilson. The feud culminated in a
match at The Great American Bash 2004, which Sable won.The following
Friday Torrie would get a rematch were she defeated Sable after chasing her and draging her into the ring and a DDT for the win. Sable's final appearance in WWE would be on SmackDown! when she,
Dawn Marie, and Torrie Wilson accompanied Eddie Guerrero to the ring in his lowrider. On August 10, 2004, WWE's official website announced that Rena Mero and WWE had parted ways.[13]
[edit] In
wrestling
-
-
-
- Mero used the theme "Wildcat" throughout her entire WWF career. The theme, known for the growling and roar of a "wildcat" and
the sound of a whip cracking, is available on severeal WWF/WWE theme music albums.
-
- Version 1 of the song is available on Disc 1 of the WWE Anthology set. This theme was first used by Sable whilst she
was managing Marc Mero. This theme was also used during the Attitude Era when Sable gained a victory over an opponent,
and was once again used as her primary theme during her 2003 return.
- Version 2 of the song is available on the WWF The Music: Volume 2 album. This theme was used as
Sable's primary theme during the Attitude Era.
- Version 3 (a revamped version of Version 2) is featured on the WWF The Music: Volume 3 album. This theme was rarely
used by Sable; it was most notably used at the Capital Carnage Pay-Per-View in December 1998.
-
- "This is for all the women who want to be me and for the men who come to see me!"[1]
[edit] Championships and accomplishments
-
-
[edit] After
wrestling
Mero, along with Brock Lesnar, appeared at several New Japan Pro Wrestling shows after her WWE release. After Rena and Marc
Mero became officially divorced in 2004, she began dating Lesnar, whom she became engaged to later that year. The engagement was called
off in early 2005, but they were engaged again in January 2006. The two married in May 2006. It was reported by Yahoo! Sports that they
were no longer married;[14] however, they have yet to confirm such a claim.[15]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l WWE. Sable's WWE Alumni Profile. Retrieved on 2007-05-21.
- ^ a b c d e f AskMen.com - Rena Mero.
- ^ a b c d e Jason Clevett (August 11, 2004).
WWE, Sable part ways. SLAM! Wrestling. Retrieved on 2007-06-03.
- ^ a b c d e f g Obsessed With Wrestling: Sable's profile. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.
- ^ Inside Pulse - Unforgiven 1998. Retrieved on July 4, 2006.
- ^ CRZ.net: RAW 27 July 1998. Retrieved on July 4, 2006.
- ^ CRZ.net: RAW 21 September 1998. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.
- ^ a b Greg Oliver (January 11, 1999). Sable looks beyond wrestling. SLAM! Sports. Retrieved on 2007-06-03.
- ^ "CRZ.net: RAW 16 November 1998. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.
- ^ a b Official Women of Wrestling: Sable 1999 Updates. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.
- ^ TJ Madigan (August 14, 2004). Sable released by WWE. Calgary Sun. Retrieved on 2007-06-03.
- ^ WOLFMAN TAG TEAMS WITH RENA MERO ON '10TH MUSE'. Comic Book Resources. Retrieved on 2006-07-11.
- ^ a b "Official Women of Wrestling: Sable, 2004 Updates". Retrieved on 2006-07-04.
- ^ Kevin Iole (May 14, 2007). The Big Debut. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved on 2007-05-14. “"Lesnar, who was married briefly to Rena Mero..."”
- ^ Tom Wilkens (May 21, 2007). An Update on Sable and Brock Lesnar. WrestlingNewsWorld.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-21. “"In a recent article on Brock Lesnar on TwinCities.com, he mentions
his wife several times..."”
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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