10 Things You Didn't Know About Marc Mero

6. Vince McMahon Asked Him To Learn A 'Tarzan Yell' For The Wildman Character

Johnny B Badd WCW
WWE

Marc Mero makes no secret over the fact that he wasn't a pro wrestling fan growing up. He trained almost exclusively to play the Johnny B. Badd character in WCW, because that gimmick was handed to him so quickly after his in-ring debut. Playing another role was always going to be challenging.

It didn't help that the persona Vince McMahon had in mind for Mero upon joining the WWF in 1996 wasn't exactly well defined. Known as the 'Wildman', Marc was recast as a babyface who didn't really have a definitive gimmick as such. McMahon's original idea was that he'd be akin to Tarzan and that was it.

By his own admission, Mero has a weak voice. His tone has always been a husky one, because he's prone to blowing out his voice when he shouts. That didn't deter McMahon from suggesting that he learn how to yell like the 'King Of The Jungle'. Mero couldn't match the fictional character's vocal power, but the WWF went with the 'Wildman' guise anyway.

In this post: 
Marc Mero
 
Posted On: 
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.