The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin were WWE's most marketable names in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In a recent interview, Marc Mero recalled how his involvement in another storyline cost him a feud with Austin.
Mero was married to former WWE Diva Sable between 1994 and 2004. On the May 11, 1998, episode of RAW, Sable powerbombed her then-husband after months of dissension between their on-screen personas.
Speaking to James Romero of WSI, Mero confirmed he was supposed to face Austin at several live events before the moment with Sable:
"Yeah, I blew a run with Steve Austin. But, you know what, looking back I have no regrets because it got her over so big. That powerbomb, when people saw that she could do that to me, or I could do it to myself, people were just amazed." [0:32 – 0:48]
New Champs in WWE! More RIGHT HERE
The storyline largely revolved around Mero's villainous character becoming jealous of Sable's popularity with fans. The powerbomb drew a huge reaction from the crowd, cementing Sable as an even bigger star.
Why Steve Austin refused to work with Marc Mero
Although he had no issue with Marc Mero in real life, Steve Austin did not want to feud with him following the Sable segment.
More than two decades on, Mero understands why The Texas Rattlesnake wanted to face a more credible opponent at the time:
"Of course, I can understand, looking back, and Steve and I have talked about this. I can understand. Why would you want to wrestle someone that just got beat up by a girl? When you really think about the logic of our fans and stuff like that. But, again, I would have done it a million times only because I knew it was going to get us over as a team." [0:49 – 1:08]
Mero left WWE in 1999. The former Intercontinental Champion is also well known for his spell in WCW, where he performed as Johnny B. Badd.
Do you think Stone Cold Steve Austin should have feuded with Marc Mero? Let us know in the comments section.
Please credit WSI and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.