On this week’s episode of “Grilling JR,” Jim Ross and Conrad Thompson talk about Sable’s career.
JR talks about the decision to hire Sable along with then-husband Marc Mero, how she became one of the hottest stars in the history of the company, her departure and lawsuit against WWE, the circumstances behind her return to the company and her second departure.
Jim Ross talking about the time Vince McMahon and Ross met with Marc Mero to sign him: “Vince called me 2 hours after the meeting and asked, did you see what I just saw? Basically he thought Rena Mero (Sable), who accompanied Marc to the meeting was going to be a star. Vince was right about that. She did have the look to be a star. Neither of us knew because she had no product knowledge. She had not been in the wrestling business before. She didn’t seem to be a long term fan. Our conundrum was, what do we do with her? If you have a talented person, and you know they have talent, it’s incumbent upon the creative arm of the entity to make that person relevant. Find something for them to do.”
Ross commenting on Sable’s rise in popularity: “It’s extraordinary when you stop and think about it. Somebody getting that much notice and that many accolades and support, buzz, chatter, whatever for no longer than that person has been in the business was absolutely amazing, quite frankly. I don’t know if that’s happened since. Think about that. She had no previous training. Zero. She didn’t go to the performance center. She didn’t go to a wrestling school. She was greener than grass. For what she did was amazing. I don’t know if there is anybody we can name that was in the business less than 2 years and become that famous and perceived as a star. Here’s the thing. In less than 2 years, Rena became a global star and that has not happened since.”
Ross said Sable left the company before, sued the WWE and then came back. Ross was asked why she left the second time: “I think she wanted to be a mom. We can overthink this thing, but we talk about little girl dreams and going to Hollywood and being a star. She became a star. She made massive money. Sable made more money in a year than any of the best years of a guy like Lou Thesz or Buddy Rogers. I would say for the majority of her career, she may have had years that surpassed Ric Flair. The talents became aware of that. I think she just wanted to have a family.”
Ross responded to what he thought Sable’s legacy in the business will be: “She started out as a housewife. She lost her husband and became a single mom. She met Marc and got married. He was a good stepfather to the little girl who’s now a grown woman. But at the end of the day, she made that full circle. If she had not had all the negativity with the lawyers, the lawsuits, I think that really hurt her image. She did come back. She was no issue whatsoever that I recall. Working with her on her return, being with Brock (Lesnar), is that a long term deal or a road buddy? It worked out. They had great chemistry. They loved each other and they got married and had children. So she made a full circle from housewife to wrestling star back to being a housewife and a mom. I think her life in my estimation was a great success story. It was unapproachable to no other male or female in a two-year span that became global over like Sable was. If somebody said to me, Sable is going into the Hall of Fame, I would say great. She earned it. She opened the door for a lot of other women. She cast the mold for what the wrestling fan largely was going to be attracted to. Those males 18-49 that we talk about so vehemently and frequently. I would say her story is one of success and had a happy ending.” She is living a good life, thank God. I saw her at a Brock fight a few years ago and she looked great. I’m happy for her and I’m happy I got to work with her. I wish we wouldn’t have had all those rough spots in the road, but we did. But by persevering and being honest, we worked through them. My hats to her for her career.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Grilling JR with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription
