Show: Wrestling Epicenter
Guest: Marc Mero
Date: 03/21/2025
Your Host: James Walsh
Here comes Johnny B. Badd, you don’t want to make him mad! He’s as pretty as a picture, he looks just like Little Richard!
That’s right. If you grew up watching World Championship Wrestling in the early to mid 1990’s, chances are you know every word to this man’s Slam Jam theme song. Complete with the Badd Blaster, a distinct look that borrowed from the late great Little Richard, and an incredible athletic ability that shined through each and every week, Marc Mero was a huge part of making WCW stand out. And, in 1996, Mero joined the WWF and was a champion there as well both as the “Wildman” and boy, did he do a “Marvelous” job!
Now retired from the ring, Marc Mero is an inspirational speaker spreading good vibes to kids all over the world. A man who was a champion in both the boxing and wrestling rings using his celebrity status and life experience for good! And, his new book, “Badd to Good”, a perfect title as his autobiography spreads positivity!
You can get the book now on Amazon and from Inside the Ropes directly! You can buy the book at this link!
Check out our brand new interview with marc Mero as well as our classic 2004 interview with him on www.WrestlingEpicenter.com. If you use any of this article on your site, please include a link back to our page as a lot of work went into putting it together. We appreciate you and encourage you to post it and spread the word about Marc’s book and our site as well!
You can embed the video on your site also! The video URL is: https://youtu.be/Z5JLuR5ezjE
MARC MERO:
On what made now the right time to write his book:
“You know, writing my autobiography is always something that I wanted to do. But, as I’ve gotten older, it became time to whre I knew the time was right. About a year ago, I was in England and I met a guy named Ben Veal , he is my co-author, He wrote a few things about me in a couple of magazines and I liked what he wrote so we started discussing him writing my whole life story.”
On the process of writing the book:
“We’ve been doing this for a whole year! Every night, we would talk on Zoom – A lot of Zoom calls. And, as we were doing it, I started sharing some of my very dark personal stories. Some bad parts of my life – Because, you’ve got to go through the bad before you can get to the good! It was a cool experience to discuss my life. We all go through adversity but through our struggles, we find our strength!”
On if it was difficult to open up as much as he does in the book:
“Well, any time you deal with death and loss, it is difficult. My brother and my sister both died at the age of 21. My mother died at the age of 58. My dad died in my arms from lung cancer. And then, divorce… Drug addiction. Drug addiction is a big part of it. When you’re doing it (drugs),you feel good and you want to do more and more… Drugs almost ruined my life – Almost ended my life, really. It got to the point that I was suicidal. I didn’t want to be here anymore. But, thank goodness I was able to turn my life around!”
On how he became an inspirational speaker:
“I understand what people go through. From drug addiction, brokenness, divorce, death… I understand and I get it! I’ve been given this gift to help other people and it has been the greatest joy of my life. 18 years now I’ve been speaking at schools, churches, and corporations all over the world!”
On if the positivity of the Johnny B. Badd character helped him with hos overall positive messaging:
“i suppose it did in some ways. If I’m being honest, my favorite time in pro wrestling was being the Johnny B. Badd character. It was such a fun character! It was a party going to the ring! (laughs) Throwing out frisbees, shooting the Badd Blaster, kicking your booty with my Tootie Fruity! It just was one party after another! (laughs)”
On Lex Luger going into the WWE Hall of Fame:
“You know, the two guys who wrote my forward were Lex Luger and Diamond Dallas Page… I love those guyts. I couldn’t be happier for Lex Luger. It is long overdue. He’s working with Dallas right now – You know, being in the wheelchair and slowly being able to get out of it… How cool would it be to see him walk to the podium to receive his WWE Hall of Fame award? Bless him. You know, I exchanged a belt with Lex on 3 different occasions. Diamond Dallas Page and I wrestled for the World Television Title on many, many occasions. These are two great guys! Two guys really making a difference in this world. It is just amazing to see Lex now. I did an autograph signing with him not long ago and you go over to him, you shake his hand, and you give him a hung and, you know… He’s just so different from the guy he was. He was one of the biggest personas in the world! He had one of the best bodies ever in wrestling. And now, he’s so frail as far as body size goes. He sits there in a wheelchair and he told me, “Marc, I’m the happiest I have ever been.”It blows me away! To think of the life changing moment in his life, accepting Christ and changing his life. He’s just an amazing guy! I couldn’t be happier for him and I am blessed he wrote one of the forwards in my book.”
On if he wants to be in the WWE Hall of Fame himself:
“I don’t think there is a wrestler out there that wouldn’t love the opportunity to go into the Hall of Fame. But, James, don’t hold your breath, OK? (laughs) Luckily, it is not going to be what defines my life. My legacy is going to be the difference I make in people’s lives. I’m so blessed in my life. I really am! If that happens, that would be great. But, I don’t know if that will ever happen.”
On if he misses pro wrestling:
“Well, being on the road as much as I am with my speaking it is almost like I’m still doing it! I’m playing to big venues at these schools and churches, it is a lot like life on the road as a wrestler. The only difference is nobody is hitting me over the head with a chair anymore! (laughs)”
On his WCW Slam Jam theme song being an ear worm:
“(laughs) It was fun getting that theme song. It was really well written except for the part where they say, “That man from New York City” because they would announce me as being from Macon, Georgia. (laughs) I think it was, “He’s so pretty, that man from New York City!” (laughs)”
On what he shows as a video introduction before he speaks:
“We do show a video… It is about a minute long. The clip shows me and The Rock going at it. It shows me and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin wrestling. I chose those clips because those two guys, aside from being huge stars, are also still known to the kids of today because they’re still around from time to time. This way, they know I was around those guys. It helps… The Undertaker. Remember, it is only about a minute long. But, “Ih my Gosh, he knows this guy or that guy.””
On his favorite match from his career:
“If you’re asking my favorite match, it has to be WCW Fall Brawl 1995 against Brian Pillman. 30 minutes and it is non stop! It is just such a great match! But, there’s also matches with Diamond Dallas Page that were fun. Eddie Guerrero! Even though I lost, my King of the Ring match against “Stone Cold” Steve Austin! And then, winning the Intercontinental Title was great because I was able to beat “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Owen Hart, and Ron Simmons.”
On Jim Cornette often saying he knew how to be Johnny B. Badd but he didn’t know how to be Marc Mero in WWE:
“Everybody’s got their opinion. I like Jim Cornette. But, let me explain. When I first went to WWE, they thought they were getting a version of Johnny B. Badd. I really believe that. But, there were so many lawsuits going on that they didn’t want to do anything anywhere near Johnny B. Badd. So, they tried to do something a little different. Vince McMahon flew me in to sign my contract. He says, “Listen, I’ve got this gimmick. “Wildman” Marc Mero.” Now, I heard that. I was trusting their vision. Remember, I’m the first guy to get a guaranteed contract. I get the signing bonus and I get to bring my wife wherever I go. What am I going to do? Go in and argue right off the bat? (laughs) They had all these drawings done of the costume, everything. I remember Vince saying, “Can you do a Tarzan yell?” I thought, “Oh boy! I don’t really have a strong voice.” Not like Sting or Flair who had the loud “WOO!” The Tarzan yell would have been longer than a “WOO!” Vince goes, “I’ve got this Wildman character. I really like it!” I was thinking, “What the hell is a Wildman? Am I from the jungle?” (laughs) Anyway, I think that plays into what Jim said. Remember, he’s seen me… All I’ve ever been for 6 years was Johnny B. Badd! So for him (Jim Cornette) to say that isn’t really far from the truth because I was comfortable being Johnny B. Badd because it was so far from who I was as a person. It was fun to put on the costume and kind of play that character. But, “Wildman” was different and I just didn’t get it. But, when they turned me heel and made me “Marvelous” Marc Mero, that was fun because I was feuding with my ex-wife and getting lots of boos. Whether they’re cheering you on or booing you, you’re doing your job! I really felt like “Marvelous” Marc Mero was finally doing the job that they wanted.”
On the differences between the merchandising machine behind WCW and WWE:
“Neither one was a great deal as far as merchandising for the wrestlers unless you were someone like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. When I was courted by WWE, I thought I was heading in to this massive merchandising, marketing thing. I never really saw that. The action figures weren’t what they are now. Now, they look amazing. But, back then… Well, it just wasn’t what I thought.”
On his WWE action figure with Sable having the bulging crazy eyes:
“(laughs) How did they know I was doing a lot of cocaine?”
On if he has any regrets from his time in wrestling:
“I could look back at my career and find many, many things I wish I could have done differently. But, really, I have no regrets because everything I did, good and bad, is what made me the man I am today. I wouldn’t want to change that. I’m very content. Happiness comes and goes. But, when you’re content, it is the best feeling to be.”
On if he watches any modern wrestling:
“Being on the road, I really don’t watch as much as I’d like to. But, when I do, I love the storylines. The Bloodline is just such a great storyline. It is really one of the better ones they’ve had in a long time. And, of course, Cody Rhodes! How long will they keep the strap on him? And, who is going to be next? It is an exciting time to see where things are going… And, there are a bunch of guys there right now that I wish I could have wrestled… Seth Rollins, Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns! I would love to have had the chance to work with those guys!”
On seeing Cody as a kid and now seeing him as the main guy of WWE:
“It is amazing. I remember seeing him as Stardust and I wondered how he was ever going to get beyond that. But, it is amazing to see what he has achieved and the desire he has to constantly improve and get better on everything – Promos, in the ring. He’s a talented guy, always working hurt. He’s just an amazing person.”
On the impact Dusty Rhodes had on him:
“One of my favorite times in wrestling was when Dusty was teaching me how to become Johnny B. Badd. You have to remember, I didn’t know any of what they wanted me to be with Johnny B. Badd. So, we would get to the building early and Dusty would go out there with me and say, “I want you to walk like this. I want you to talk like this. I want you to say, “I’m so pretty, I should have been born a little girl!” (laughs) (laughs) All the lines we came up with! I’m so outrageous, it’s contagious! I don’t sit down, I get down! (laughs) I just remember we would be trading lines and laughing in the ring, just me and him, and hugging him. Those are memories I will cherish forever!”
On his relationship now with Rena Mero:
“We don’t have a relationship. I mean, we do. We get along well. I’m happy for her success. We share a beautiful daughter together. But, we don’t see each other for Thanksgiving. (laughs)”
