Sable (wrestler)

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Sable
Sable in 2003
Birth nameRena Marlette Greek
Born (1968-08-08) August 8, 1968 (age 56)[1]
Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
Spouse(s)
Wayne Richardson
​
​
(m. 1987; died 1991)​
​
​
(m. 1994; div. 2004)​
​
(m. 2006)​
Children3
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Sable
Billed height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)[2]
Billed weight120 lb (54 kg)[2]
Billed fromJacksonville, Florida
Trained byMarc Mero
DebutMarch 31, 1996
RetiredAugust 10, 2004

Rena Marlette-Lesnar (née Greek, formerly Mero; born August 8, 1968), better known as Sable, is an American retired model, actress, and professional wrestler. She is best known for her tenures in World Wrestling Entertainment from 1996 to 1999 and from 2003 to 2004. As Sable, she gained immense popularity during the Attitude Era.[3] After feuding with Luna Vachon, and Jacqueline, Sable became the second WWF Women's Champion after the title was reinstated into the company. After leaving the company in 1999, she filed a $110 million lawsuit against the company, citing allegations of sexual harassment and unsafe working conditions.[4][5][6]

In 2003, she returned to WWE and was put into a feud with Torrie Wilson, and another storyline as Vince McMahon's mistress. In 2004, she left the company to spend more time with her family.[7] Outside wrestling, she is considered to be a sex symbol and has been featured on the cover of Playboy three times.[3] The April 1999 issue of the magazine with her on the cover was one of the highest selling issues in Playboy history.[8] She has guest starred on several television series, including Pacific Blue,[9] and appeared in the film Corky Romano.[10]

Early life

Rena Greek was born in Jacksonville, Florida.[8] She was active in her youth and was interested in activities such as gymnastics, horseback riding, and softball. After winning her first beauty pageant when she was twelve, she eventually became a model in 1990, working with companies such as L'Oréal, Pepsi, and Guess?.[8][10]

Professional wrestling career

World Wrestling Federation

Debut and feud with Marc Mero (1996–1998)

She made her World Wrestling Federation debut as Sable at WrestleMania XII in March 1996, escorting Hunter Hearst Helmsley to the ring as he took on the returning Ultimate Warrior.[3][4] Sable's first major angle involved her then real-life husband, who debuted at WrestleMania XII as "Wildman" Marc Mero. The storyline started when Marc Mero witnessed Sable being mistreated by Helmsley backstage, so Mero attacked Helmsley and took Sable as his manager.[3] She remained Mero's manager until his injury in February 1997, with Sable becoming wildly popular on her own whilst Mero was off TV.[3] When Marc Mero returned in September 1997 his gimmick transitioned. Dubbing himself "Marvelous" Marc Mero, a jealous Mero refused to let Sable get any of the spotlight, and mistreated her. The duo entered into a feud with Luna Vachon and The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust, which climaxed in a match at WrestleMania XIV in March 1998. Sable delivered a superkick to Goldust and executed a "Sable Bomb", a release powerbomb, on Luna. She also delivered a TKO and pinned Luna to finish the match, with the crowd chanting Sable's name in the background.[11] At the following pay-per-view event, Unforgiven in April 1998, Sable lost to Luna in an Evening Gown match after being distracted by Marc Mero.[12]

After Marc's interference at Unforgiven, Sable came to the ring and challenged Marc to a match. Sable then kicked him in the groin and delivered a Sable Bomb to get revenge.[13] Sable eventually broke away from "Marvelous" Marc Mero, who debuted Jacqueline as his new manager, resulting in a storyline feud between the two women.[3] The two met in a bikini contest in July 1998 at Fully Loaded. Sable, only wearing impressions of hands painted on her exposed breasts, won the contest after receiving the most cheers from the audience.[14] The next night on Raw however, Vince McMahon disqualified Sable from the previous night's contest since she did not actually wear a bikini, and the trophy was then awarded to Jacqueline. In response, Sable gave McMahon the double finger.[15] At SummerSlam, Sable and her mystery partner, federation newcomer Edge, defeated Marc Mero and Jacqueline in a mixed tag team match.[16]

Women's Champion (1998–1999)

Sable during a WWF tour in England in April 1998

Sable and Jacqueline faced off for the newly reinstated WWF Women's Title on the edition of September 21, 1998, of Raw. Jacqueline claimed the title after Marc Mero interfered.[17][18] On November 15, 1998, at Survivor Series, she dropped the title to Sable, who won after powerbombing both Marc and Jacqueline during the match.[19] During this time, Rena appeared on an episode of the USA Network show Pacific Blue.[9] Sable then briefly entered a storyline where she was forced to play a subservient role to Vince and Shane McMahon, but the storyline was cut short.

In December 1998, as part of a new storyline, Sable was attacked by a masked villainess named Spider Lady, who turned out to be Luna Vachon. Sable defeated Luna in a Strap match at the Royal Rumble after an assist from a planted female Sable fan, WWF newcomer Tori.[20] Tori's debut signified a change in Sable's persona. After the Rumble, Sable was the cover girl for the April 1999 issue of Playboy,[3][9] one of the highest selling issues of Playboy ever.[8] Surrounding the release of the issue, the Sable character turned heel by "going Hollywood" and having an inflated ego.[8] She debuted a new catchphrase: "This is for all the women who want to be me and all the men who come to see me" and a dance move called "the grind."[21][3] Rarely defending her title, Sable continually berated her fan Tori, leading to a feud and a match at WrestleMania XV.[8] During the contest, Nicole Bass debuted as Sable's bodyguard and helped her win the match.[22] Sable also feuded with Luna Vachon, who had turned face.

Sable went on with Bass making Bass do all of her dirty work. Sable continued to hold the championship for almost six months, but on May 10, 1999, Debra won the Women's Championship from Sable in an Evening Gown match. Normally in an Evening Gown match, the winner is the woman who forcibly removes her opponent's dress, which Sable did. As part of the storyline, WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels, however, ruled that the woman who had lost her dress was the winner, making Debra the new Women's Champion. Off-screen, Sable was in a dispute with the WWF, which is why she was stripped of the title on-screen.[23] Sable at this time was also very unpopular backstage, to the extent that Sean Waltman has since admitted to playing a nasty practical joke on her last day with the WWF.[24]

Post–WWF (1999–2002)

In June 1999, Sable quit the WWF and filed a $110 million lawsuit against the company, citing allegations of sexual harassment and unsafe working conditions.[4][5][6] She claims to have filed the lawsuit after refusing to go topless.[23] During the lawsuit, Vince McMahon counter-sued her over control of the stagename "Sable".[25] Sable reduced the amount she was seeking in damages, and they eventually settled out of court in August 1999.[4] Sable used her real name for her appearance in the September 1999 issue of Playboy.[23] She was the first woman in history to be given two Playboy covers in the same year.[21][23] After her WWF exit, she made an on-camera appearance as an audience member on World Championship Wrestling's Monday Nitro on June 14, 1999.[26][27]

During this time, she made appearances on The Howard Stern Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. She also made appearances on television shows such as Relic Hunter and First Wave and in the films Corky Romano as a female bouncer and Ariana's Quest.[10] She released her autobiography, entitled Undefeated in August 2000. She also released a comic book entitled The 10th Muse starring herself as a superhero.[10][28] In May 2001, she was given an advice column on CompuServe.[10] On November 13 and 14, 2001, she appeared as the on-camera "CEO" of the newly formed Xcitement Wrestling Federation (XWF), but these were her only appearances with the company.[20]

Return to WWE

Relationship with Vince McMahon (2003)

Sable in 2003

Rena Mero returned to the WWF, which is now known as World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on April 3, 2003, episode of SmackDown!, reprising her role as Sable. Sable continued portraying a villainess and spent several months in a storyline with new Playboy cover girl Torrie Wilson. During their angle, the evil Sable followed Wilson down to her matches, talked with her backstage, and on one occasion, she left Wilson in a tag match alone to fend for herself. Sable eventually challenged Wilson to a showdown bikini contest at Judgment Day. After Sable got the bigger applause, Wilson removed her underwear to reveal an even smaller bikini underneath, and Special Guest Referee Tazz declared Wilson the winner. After the match, Wilson went up to Sable and kissed her before exiting the ring. Sable then had an altercation with the guest judge Tazz, dumping water on him on the following edition of SmackDown!, as a means of gaining revenge for declaring Wilson the winner.[29]

Sable then feuded with Stephanie McMahon in a storyline in which she was Vince McMahon's mistress.[4] Vince appointed Sable as Stephanie's personal assistant against Stephanie's will, sparking the feud between the duo. During the feud, they competed in several catfights, a food fight, a parking lot brawl in which Sable's bra was ripped off, revealing both her breasts on live television, and a match in which Sable smacked a clipboard over Stephanie's head. At Vengeance, Sable defeated Stephanie after interference by her new ally, A-Train.[30] At SummerSlam, Sable accompanied A-Train in his match against The Undertaker, which he lost. After the match, The Undertaker held Sable so that Stephanie could use a Spear attack on her. After SummerSlam, Vince and Sable focused on getting rid of Stephanie for good, so Vince made an "I Quit" match at No Mercy. During the match, Sable slapped Stephanie and was involved in a scuffle with Linda McMahon.[31]

Various storylines (2004)

Sable briefly became a face again when she appeared on the cover of Playboy magazine (March 2004 issue) for the third time in her career. On the cover, she appeared with fellow diva Torrie Wilson, making them the first WWE Divas to pose in Playboy together. Surrounding the release of the cover, the duo feuded with Raw divas Stacy Keibler and Miss Jackie, even though all four women were faces at the time. The two teams squared off at WrestleMania XX in an Interpromotional Tag Team Evening Gown match, but the divas started the match in their underwear, making it more of a lingerie match. Sable and Wilson were victorious.[32] The change was rumored to have occurred because Sable had suffered damage to her breast implants while weightlifting.[33]

Following WrestleMania XX, Sable quickly turned heel again and engaged in another short feud with Torrie Wilson. The feud culminated at The Great American Bash, where Sable defeated Wilson despite the referee not noticing that one of Wilson's shoulders were not down.[34][35] On the edition of July 1 of SmackDown, Sable was defeated by Wilson in a rematch.[20] In the July 22, 2004 episode of SmackDown! she competed in a Fatal-4-Way lingerie match, against Wilson, Dawn Marie, and Miss Jackie; but Kurt Angle (in his kayfabe role as WWE’s General Manager) fired all four of them, however all four were re-signed after Angle was fired as General Manager of SmackDown! by Vince McMahon. Sable's final appearance in WWE was on the August 5, 2004 episode of SmackDown! when she, Marie, and Wilson accompanied Eddie Guerrero to the ring in his lowrider, mocking Angle, turning face again. On August 10, 2004, WWE's official website announced that Sable and WWE had parted ways, this time on good terms.[33] Lesnar claimed that she left the company to spend more time with her family.[7]

New Japan Pro-Wrestling (2006–2007)

She made her debut for New Japan Pro-Wrestling on January 4, 2006, at Toukon Shidou Chapter 1, along with Brock Lesnar as special guests,[20] and continued to accompany Lesnar until late June 2007.[36] Sable and Lesnar later departed from the company after Lesnar battled WWE in a lawsuit.

Other media

Playboy and video games

Sable made her video game debut in the WWE game WWF Attitude, and appears in WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain and WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw. She also appeared in the April 1999, September 1999, and March 2004 issues of Playboy, the latter with Torrie Wilson.

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
2001 Corky Romano Female Bouncer Film debut
2002 Ariana's Quest Ariana
2003 The Final Victim Julia Grant
Slaves of the Realm Shira Alternative title: Sins of the Realm
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1998 Pacific Blue Brenda Macy Episode: "Heat in the Hole"
1999 First Wave Lucas Episode: "Target 117"
2000 Relic Hunter Elizabeth Rukeyser Episode: "Nine Lives"
Music videos
Year Title Role Artist
2002 Breath Girlfriend Cledus T. Judd

Personal life

Rena married Wayne W. Richardson in 1987. They had a daughter named Mariah,[8][23] and remained married until Richardson died in a drunk driving incident in 1991.[23] She met her second husband, professional wrestler and former boxer Marc Mero, in 1993.[8][23] After marrying Mero in 1994,[8] she broke into the wrestling business through WWE. Before the couple divorced in 2004, Greek began dating professional wrestler Brock Lesnar, to whom she became engaged later that year. They were married on May 6, 2006.[7] They have two sons named Turk (born June 3, 2009) and Duke (born July 21, 2010).[37]

Championships and accomplishments

References

  1. ^ "United States Public Records". familysearch.org. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Sable". WWE.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Sable's Alumni Profile". WWE.com. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e Jason Clevett (August 11, 2004). "WWE, Sable part ways". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved June 3, 2007.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ a b Johnson, Mike (August 10, 2004). "WWE ANNOUNCES THEY HAVE 'PARTED WAYS' WITH SABLE, MORE ON SABLE-WWE BACKGROUND". PWInsider. Archived from the original on August 27, 2004. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  6. ^ a b "Sable Blows Her Top". People. February 23, 1999. Archived from the original on February 4, 2008. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  7. ^ a b c "Sable/Brock Wedding Details". June 5, 2006. Retrieved February 5, 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i Tim Baines (March 21, 1999). "Sable-mania: Wrestling's sexiest star talks about her life inside the ring and out". Ottawa Sun. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved January 21, 2008. daughter Mariah prefers her own meal of chili dogs .. she's popular in Mariah's Grade 5 class.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ a b c Greg Oliver (January 11, 1999). "Sable looks beyond wrestling". Slam Wrestling. Archived from the original on October 5, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2007.
  10. ^ a b c d e "'Top Net Knockout' Rena Mero Launches Exclusive Advice Column on CompuServe". Business Wire. May 16, 2001. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
  11. ^ "Sable and "Marvelous" Marc Mero vs. Goldust and Luna Vachon: WrestleMania 14 – Mixed Tag Team Match (3:26)". WWE.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  12. ^ John Powell (April 27, 1998). "McMahon, the real star of Unforgiven". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. ^ "Sable powerbombs Marc Mero: Raw, May 11, 1998 (2:23)". WWE.com. Archived from the original on July 24, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  14. ^ John Powell (July 27, 1998). "Austin and Taker win tag team gold". SLAM! Sports. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012. Retrieved January 21, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ^ "CRZ.net: RAW 27 July 1998". Retrieved July 4, 2006.
  16. ^ "Edge and Sable vs. "Marvelous" Marc Mero and Jacqueline: SummerSlam 1998 – Mixed Tag Team Match (3:54)". WWE.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  17. ^ "Sable vs. Jacqueline: Raw – Women's Championship Match, September 21, 1998 (3:13)". WWE.com. Archived from the original on September 8, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  18. ^ "CRZ.net: RAW 21 September 1998". Retrieved July 4, 2006.
  19. ^ "Survivor Series 1998 Full Event Results". WWE.com. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  20. ^ a b c d "Online World of Wrestling: Sable's profile". Retrieved July 4, 2006.
  21. ^ a b Bill Reed (June 13, 2003). "Wrestling diva Sable's adoring fans turn out to meet their minx". The Gazette (Colorado Springs). Archived from the original on July 31, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
  22. ^ "WrestleMania 16 Full Event Results". WWE.com. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g Marlene Habib (August 11, 1999). "Mero gets physical". Canadian Press. Archived from the original on January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  24. ^ "X Pac tells Steve Austin a great story about Sable". YouTube. April 7, 2014. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021.
  25. ^ "Official Women of Wrestling: Sable 1999 Updates". Archived from the original on May 22, 2006. Retrieved July 4, 2006.
  26. ^ Steve Anderson (August 2000). "Wrestling's Biggest Scandals". Wrestling Digest. Archived from the original on December 14, 2007. Retrieved January 24, 2008.
  27. ^ "WCW Nitro June 14, 1999". pWw--Everything Wrestling. June 14, 1999. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
  28. ^ "WOLFMAN TAG TEAMS WITH RENA MERO ON '10TH MUSE'". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on July 3, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2006.
  29. ^ "SmackDown! Results: May 22, 2003". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved January 21, 2008.
  30. ^ "Vengeance 2003 Full Event Results". WWE.com. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  31. ^ "No Mercy 2003 Full Event Results". WWE.com. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  32. ^ "WrestleMania XX Full Event Results". WWE.com. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  33. ^ a b "Official Women of Wrestling: Sable, 2004 Updates". Archived from the original on November 3, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2006.
  34. ^ "Torrie Wilson vs. Sable: The Great American Bash 2004 (2:03)". WWE.com. Archived from the original on July 31, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  35. ^ "WWE PPV WRESTLING RESULTS – THE GREAT AMERICAN BASH". OWW. Retrieved June 27, 2004.
  36. ^ "New Japan Pro-Wrestling news (June 28, 2006 – July 19, 2006)". Strong Style Spirit. Archived from the original on February 9, 2008. Retrieved April 26, 2007.
  37. ^ "Brock Lesnar and Sable's Kids - WWE - Sportskeeda".
  38. ^ Olmstead, Christopher (February 11, 2013). "WWE: The Greatest Women's Champions of All Time". The Bleacher Report. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  39. ^ a b "The Slammy Awards - Pro Wrestling History". Pro Wrestling History. Retrieved June 7, 2019.

Notes

  • Kevin Iole (May 14, 2007). "The Big Debut". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved May 14, 2007.
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