Cox Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 I think Mero's main problem amonst his peers was that they perceived his best ability to be getting paid extremely well, while being a solid, yet replaceable mid card hand. I think Mick Foley, in particular, resented that he and Mero were making the same money, despite Foley believing himself to be a good deal better than Mero, which is something that was only made worse when Mero got a better contract jumping from WCW to WWF during the start of the Monday Night Wars, whereas Foley came in at a much lower guarantee coming from IWA/ECW. I don't think it should be held against Mero that he was much smarter than a lot of his peers at getting fat contracts, but I do think that has a lot to do with his bad reputation amongst fellow wrestlers. Amongst fans, I think his career ending the way it did makes him easy to forget. He was a solid worker for sure, but he was injured near the end of 1996/beginning of 1997, and by the time he came back, his career wound up being eclipsed by Sable to such a degree that he never really recovered. I always found it interesting that Mero never found his way back to WCW after his WWF career fizzled out. I can understand Bischoff having bad feelings over what happened in 1996, but with all of the other regimes that were in place around that time, it's odd that at least one of them didn't find a spot for Mero. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chief Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Mero popped up on a random Nitro or Thunder sometime during the Russo/Bischoff era but he didn't wrestle. So I would think that maybe there was an opportunity for him but he didn't want it for whatever reason. I don't think he really did anything at all after leaving the WWF in 98, seems like a guy who didn't want to be in the business anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Sorrow Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 The Marvelous Mark finisher was what I used on that WWF videogame with the first CAW function. That looked bad ass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cox Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 I think Mero is the subject of an interesting "What if" scenario: What if Mero had re-signed with WCW in 1996? Apparently at one point they were pretty close on a new contract at one point until negotiations broke down and Mero went to Vince and got a better offer during the start of the Monday Night Wars. I don't think it's unreasonable to think there's a situation out there where Mero signs another deal and stays in WCW. What happens with his push? I think he is probably kept somewhat strong, and he becomes one of the top WCW babyfaces fighting the nWo, and becomes a DDP/Booker T like homegrown star on the WCW side, or he jumps to the nWo and has Buff Bagwell's career, without the neck injury. But either way, I think he plays a part in the nWo somehow, and is kept strong in an interesting way. But that's not the only way he would alter history. Without Mero in the WWF, there is no Sable either. Does Sable wind up signing with WCW at some point? Does she wind up a Nitro Girl? Without Sable around, that also hurts WWF's ratings in 1998, as she was undoubtedly one of the ratings movers that helped WWF establish some momentum that year and makes the Monday Night Wars closer and more compelling. Without Sable around, how does that affect the ratings battle? Without Sable around as her main rival, does Sunny no longer implode, or was that going to happen no matter what? Does Terri Runnels somehow become the face of WWF Divas without Sable around? Heck, if Mero stays in WCW, to take this a few steps further, Sable never meets Brock Lesnar, and Brock winds up marrying somebody else. So yeah, I think Mero signing with WWF changed wrestling history in a lot of ways, big and small, that we probably don't even notice otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted March 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Regal lumped Mero in with Van Hammer and Buff Bagwell in guys he didn't care for in WCW as wrestlers on the latest Austin podcast. He said those guys were more interested in tans and protein drinks than wrestling. Having said that, Mero's body of work is speaking for itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainmakerrtv Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Mero = a better documented Owen Hart? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aceman Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 saw his picture in magazines for years before viewing him wrestling on tv. match was vs macho man & while savage was intense & believable as always, mero was not. fun flyer particularly when working with somebody with a contrasting style, but mero was not an especially good worker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonthewall2983 Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 The Johnny B. Badd character was okay, but I wonder if the gimmick rubbed some of the black talent in WCW wrong. One could argue it's essentially a blackface gimmick without the makeup. His promos in WWE were excruciating, the gimmick they stuck him with was uninspired, but he had some okay ring work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-P Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Regal lumped Mero in with Van Hammer and Buff Bagwell in guys he didn't care for in WCW as wrestlers on the latest Austin podcast. Well, Mero has said that when he debuted, he was riding with Hammer, Bagwell and Eric Watts. Yep. Bad idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted March 5, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 I think he did have a similar appearance to Little Richard so I don't think it was similar to blackface at all. More like a queen dressing up as Madonna or Liza Minelli. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt D Posted March 5, 2014 Report Share Posted March 5, 2014 Regal lumped Mero in with Van Hammer and Buff Bagwell in guys he didn't care for in WCW as wrestlers on the latest Austin podcast. He said those guys were more interested in tans and protein drinks than wrestling. Having said that, Mero's body of work is speaking for itself. I know there were at least a few Regal vs Badd matches. How are they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoe Posted March 6, 2014 Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 I've always liked the Regal/Badd matches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted March 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2014 Regal lumped Mero in with Van Hammer and Buff Bagwell in guys he didn't care for in WCW as wrestlers on the latest Austin podcast. He said those guys were more interested in tans and protein drinks than wrestling. Having said that, Mero's body of work is speaking for itself. I know there were at least a few Regal vs Badd matches. How are they? We reviewed them on a couple of P2B podcasts when we reviewed 1994 PPVs. Nobody had anything bad to say about any of them. Great series. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victory Posted March 7, 2014 Report Share Posted March 7, 2014 I always hated his gimmick. His work on the other hand I always thought was decent, sometimes I just couldn't get past the gimmick to enjoy his matches as much as I should. I actually had high hopes for the Wildman gimmick. It just didn't click for some reason. This is an interesting microscope, I'm going to have to revisit some of these matches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonthewall2983 Posted March 7, 2014 Report Share Posted March 7, 2014 I think he did have a similar appearance to Little Richard so I don't think it was similar to blackface at all. More like a queen dressing up as Madonna or Liza Minelli. True, but I'm sure not everybody got that. I'm surprised it never was an issue. I really thought he was black until I saw his RF interview and it became clear to me he wasn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stiva Posted August 13, 2014 Report Share Posted August 13, 2014 Arn Anderson vs. Johnny B Badd I was watching Clash 30 this morning on a whim and this match opens that show for the TV Title. Arn is Arn so he's always great but I was definitely struck with how good Badd looked. The story at the start is Arn not being able to get any offense in but all of Badd's stuff looks great; there's a good plancha, an axe handle off the top that really looks good and it's just a real good babyface performance once Arn gets on offense. Especially as he contends with Meng and Col. Parker at ringside who eventually help Arn win the match and keep his title. As said throughout the thread, there's no way you can watch matches like this and not come away thinking that Mero has been underrated throughout the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soup23 Posted August 13, 2014 Report Share Posted August 13, 2014 So when did Johnny get good. Feels like in some ways, one of the biggest cases of someone flipping a switch as he is dreadful in 1991. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMJ Posted August 13, 2014 Report Share Posted August 13, 2014 I've just finished watching all the 92' and 93' Clashes and PPVs on the Network and I wasn't very impressed with any of his matches from that sampling. Then again, like most guys, it seems like he looked better depending on who he was working with (and maybe whether or not that person was motivated at all). The feud with Maxx Payne? I didn't like at all. I thought his match against Foley at Clash #21 was below average, and didn't like his matches against Smothers (WrestleWar 92') or Ricky Morton (Clash #18) either...but I did think his match with Regal at Clash #25 was pretty good. Reading the above comments from other posters actually makes me a little excited for watching through 1994, though, as it seems Mero got better somewhere in that year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted August 13, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 13, 2014 Badd was solid from the start in 1994. I am actually going to go backwards and look at his 1993 stuff. I agree with Chad that he was green as grass in 1991. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hollinger. Posted August 15, 2014 Report Share Posted August 15, 2014 Quickly looking through results, and going almost entirely on memory of watching at the time, but spring 94 was about the time where I started paying more attention to him on TV. Coincides with lots of working Austin & Regal on the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyonthewall2983 Posted August 16, 2014 Report Share Posted August 16, 2014 It's too bad Mero never had a feud with Piper in WCW. Mero would have been an interesting addition to the NWO, not unlike what happened with Bagwell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zep81 Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Badd/Pillman (Fall Brawl i think) is an excellent match, even with the 'overtime' part at the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteF3 Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Badd vs. Regal from the year before is great, too. An improvement over the Bash at the Beach match is quite good in its own right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMJ Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Quickly looking through results, and going almost entirely on memory of watching at the time, but spring 94 was about the time where I started paying more attention to him on TV. Coincides with lots of working Austin & Regal on the road. I think I found THE moment (at least in terms of what is on the Network). In February 94', Mero wrestles Jimmy Garvin at SuperBrawl 4 in what is really a pretty lame match. As per usual, Mero relies heavily on arm drags, wrist locks, and side headlocks. Its not a total stinker or anything, but it's not going to raise eyebrows or qualify as "must watch" for even the biggest Freebirds fan. But, then, at Spring Stampede, Johnny B. Badd's offense is noticeably crisper, with much more variety, and the pace he cuts is electric. And this above-average outing is against a still-green Diamond Dallas Page, no less. The match just exceeds any expectations one could have based on what else is of his is on the Network prior to it. So, yeah, as Hollinger wrote, something clicked in that time frame because those two matches are just night and day when comparing Badd's energy level, the variety of his offense, and his transitions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbo Slice Posted September 30, 2014 Report Share Posted September 30, 2014 I just watched Badd vs. DDP from Spring Stampede '94 and really liked it. Not a fantastic match by any means, but everything was done very cleanly and for a guy who hadn't had much training, DDP had a lot of nifty takeovers and you could really see his fluidity even early on. I'm also a big fan of Mero's top rope sunset flip. Considering where they were a year later doing their series, this match was actually a nice feather in both guys' respective caps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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