10 Things You Didn't Know About Marc Mero
6. Vince McMahon Asked Him To Learn A 'Tarzan Yell' For The Wildman Character
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.