3. Vince McMahon Gave Marc Mero First-Of-A-Kind Contract
By the time the WWF signed Marc Mero to a bumper contract in early-1996, Vince McMahon was already keenly aware that he was about to lose at least one of his big talents. Scott Hall had told his employer that he planned on joining WCW, because they were offering a lot more financial security that the WWF. Signing Mero was a direct consequence of McMahon feeling he needed to pad out his roster. Much to the chagrin of Mick Foley and Steve Austin, who had been forced to undertake deals for significantly less money, Mero signed a big contract. His deal with the WWF was actually somewhat of a departure from the way Vince McMahon usually conducted business. So desperate was he to get more talent in the door, he gave Mero some guarantees that he normally wouldn't. Namely, Marc Mero's deal is considered one of the first to include the classic 'downside guarantee'. This told a wrestler that they would receive a certain amount of money before even performing, something McMahon didn't really like to do. Of course, Mero's deal wasn't as big as those held by The Undertaker, Bret Hart or Shawn Michaels, but it was still a different way for the WWF to do business.
