Working Stiff: Wrestling's History With Playboy Magazine
In a curious twist of fate, it was a wrestler playing a stereotypical homosexual character at the time of Madusa's betrayal who would indirectly lead WWE's charge into sexualising women. Unhappy with his WCW Johnny B. Badd persona - though because of a proposed angle involving a married woman, and not its outdated and insulting pink feather-boa waving schtick - Marc Mero signed on the dotted line with WWF in the spring of 1996.
Mero was a reliable performer in Atlanta, but WWF had no shortage of gifted sub-250 pounders. However, they were prepared to bring him aboard as a part of a package deal - with his wife. Rena Mero, a textbook supermodel blonde, had absolutely no prior experience between the ropes, but when Vince McMahon first laid eyes on her idealised figure, he saw a money-making asset.
More accurately: he saw two.
A nameless Rena made her understated debut at WrestleMania XII, linking arms with Greenwich snob Hunter Hearst Helmsley as his evening escort. Completely under the thrall of her hirer, there was little reason to suspect the mute companion would lead the company into its own sexual revolution. Following an embarrassing defeat to the returning Ultimate Warrior, Hunter went on the warpath, interrupting Rena's real-life spouse during his introductory interview, manhandling the defenceless valet in the process. The stage was set for Mero to 'save' the damsel-in-distress and take her into his own employ. Her identity was later revealed as 'Sable'.
Interestingly, WWE had already prophetically auditioned for the full Sable arc before Rena serendipitously fell into Vince McMahon's lap (metaphorically fulfilling his fantasies in the process). At the onset of January 1996, former Playmate Ashley Allen was signed to a speculative contract with the company, appearing on the New Year's Day edition as Miss Raw Bowl, ushering the entertainingly rubbish football/wrestling concept of the same name.
Jerry Lawler, in a preview of his Attitude Era role of 'dirty old man', slathered over the sashed showgirl, a manifestation of the feeling towards Allen in the boardroom. Big plans were drawn up to have the striking newcomer align with Bruce 'Brother Love' Prichard as his wife, reductively named 'Sister Love'. Eventually, the plan was to have the minister's wife involved in a sex scandal echoing that of Pentecostal televangelist Jim Bakker - presumably, with her Playboy background coming to the fore.
It never happened, but curiously, Allen did film a set of vignettes as Hunter Hearst Helmsley's valet - the very same turn Rena Mero would occupy.
Her last appearance with the company fulfilled part of the original plan at least; she turned up alongside Hunter wearing nothing but a bikini as part of SummerSlam '96's beachside festivities.
[CON'T. P4/9]