Marc Mero (born July 9, 1960) is an American motivational speaker and retired professional wrestler and amateur boxer. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) under his real name and with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and NWA Total Nonstop Action (NWA TNA) under the ring name Johnny B. Badd.

Mero was heavily pushed as a mid-carder as "Johnny B. Badd" in WCW during the early 1990s. He won the WCW World Television Championship three times during the course of his career before departing the company due to creative differences in 1996. He would then compete in WWF under his real name, making his debut at WrestleMania XII and going on to win the WWF Intercontinental Championship. He would then feud with his wife Sable before departing in 1999. Mero's last mainstream appearance was in NWA TNA, where he wrestled sporadically in the mid-2000s.

Mero was born into a Jewish family in Buffalo, New York (his grandfather shortened the family name from "Merowitz"). His parents divorced when he was eight years old, with his mother supporting him and his two siblings by working two jobs. At the age of 12, Mero began playing hockey, eventually becoming his league's Most Valuable Player. In 1973, Mero's family relocated to Liverpool, New York, where Mero played for the Mid State Youth Hockey League. At age 15, Mero began playing for the Syracuse Stars Junior Hockey Team.

Mero began playing football in his senior year at Liverpool High School, with his team winning the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Title under the tutelage of future Notre Dame and UCF coach George O'Leary. In the same year, Mero began training as a boxer under Golden Gloves coach Ray Rinaldi. Mero went on to win four New York State titles, including the New York Golden Gloves tournament. Mero intended to become a professional boxer, but his career was sidelined after his nose was broken in an accident. He briefly pursued a bodybuilding career, placing third in the Mr. New York State bodybuilding contest.

In his 20s, Mero became a Christian.

In 1990, Mero decided to become a wrestler, traveling to Tampa, Florida to train under the Malenkos. He debuted in June 1990 in Suncoast Pro Wrestling, against Chris Zaharias. He would spend the next several months working the Florida independent circuit.

Several months after his SPW debut, Mero began working for World Championship Wrestling, originally as enhancement talent. He debuted on February 4 at the WCW Saturday Night television taping at the Center Stage Theater in Atlanta, teaming with Greg Sawyer in a loss to NWA World Tag Team Champions Doom in a non-title squash match that aired on February 16. Mero spent over three months putting over big names like Sid Vicious, Ron Simmons, Lex Luger, Sting, Rick Steiner, Big Van Vader and The Young Pistols, before he was eventually signed to a contract by booker Dusty Rhodes. Rhodes repackaged Mero with the ring name Johnny B. Badd (as a nod to the Chuck Berry song "Johnny B. Goode") and he was given the character of a flamboyant Little Richard look-alike. He was initially a villain and managed by Teddy Long. He debuted at the inaugural SuperBrawl pay-per-view, on May 19, 1991, where he was introduced as Long's newest client. He made his televised in-ring debut on the June 1 episode of World Championship Wrestling against enhancement talent Kip Abee. Badd made his pay-per-view debut at The Great American Bash, where he lost to The Yellow Dog by disqualification after Long tried to remove Yellow Dog's mask.

Badd was heavily pushed upon his debut, being placed in the rankings of the top ten contenders for the World Heavyweight Championship due to a dominant undefeated streak. He put his lip stickers on the faces of his defeated opponents after matches. On August 25, he participated in a tournament for the vacated United States Heavyweight Championship, where he faced Yellow Dog to a no contest in the quarter-final. As a result, both men were eliminated from the tournament. Badd suffered his first pinfall loss on television on the September 5 Clash of the Champions XVI: Fall Brawl, where he was pinned by the United States Heavyweight Champion Sting. Badd continued his dominance with a win over Jimmy Garvin at Halloween Havoc and unsuccessfully challenged Brian Pillman for the Light Heavyweight Championship on the November 19 Clash of the Champions XVII.