Working Stiff: Wrestling's History With Playboy Magazine
The financial difficulties which had triggered Miceli's departure a year earlier were a sign that WWF's old model was no longer working. As the audience of the late-'80s boom were growing up, so too were their appetites, and fresh competition from Atlanta didn't help. Madusa's dramatic departure south was the latest move from WCW's upstart promoter Eric Bischoff, part of his drive to make Monday night wrestling shake it's stupor to become edgy, must-see television.
On the night of Sable's debut, it was clear WWF were already starting to wake up to the new season. Elsewhere on the show, the controversial, androgynous Goldust character had been stripped of his jumpsuit by a rampaging Roddy Piper, revealing women's lingerie beneath. The implications of kink added to the sexual undertones of his gilded persona were a stark departure from the wholesome entertainment proudly presented for many years prior - to the extent that television executives demanded changes. But the rabbit hole - or the bunny hole, as it would become - just became deeper.
Envelope-pushing programming gradually became the norm on WWF television, particularly following the damaging departures of Kevin Nash and Scott Hall to the southern rivals. Recognising the changing tastes of their audience - for many, part of a biological process of puberty - the company were prepared to shelve their prior prudish sensibilities. Contrary to the attitude surrounding Miceli's dismissal in 1995, women were suddenly about to become worth having. This time, wrestling had nothing to do with it.
An ill-timed injury to Marc Mero in 1997 couldn't have had worse implications for his career. During his convalescence, Sable maintained her on-screen presence, where her popularity mushroomed. Without being tied to a man, the audience began to appreciate Sable on her own merits - and for many, without the residual envy of her husband. The fans wanted to see more of Mrs. Mero - a lot more. They'd soon get their wish.
By 1998, Pandora's Box had well and truly been opened, and the fatuous purgatory of the 'New Generation' was consigned to the past. The ribald everyman 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin was WWF champion, but just as crucial to the company's shift in attitude was the new breed of objectified women, pretty pin-ups carrying the overt invitation to ogle. The top cat of this litter of sex kittens was Sable, whose enormous following brought the women's title back into existence once more.
Compared to Miceli, Mero couldn't have been less legitimate between the ropes - it was even written into her contract that she wouldn't take bumps - but that was irrelevant. Her matches didn't involve pinfalls or submissions, but panties and swimsuits. Sable might not have been able to sell in a wrestling ring, but her sexuality did.
[CON'T. P5/9]