Dusty Rhodes, known for having a sharp eye for a talent's potential, helped build Marc Mero's promising prominence during his WCW career. Unfortunately, Mero got lost in the shuffle when he voyaged to WWE, as did others who branched out to WWE. In 1998, when the Brawl for All was announced, Mero looked to be a top contender in the boxing/wrestling hybrid tournament on paper, especially with his prior background in combat sports. Again, to no fault of his own, his potential was underutilized after the quarterfinal round to JBL, which the former WWE Champion says should have never been that way.

"And then he gets down to WCW, and I believe it was Dusty [who] figured out what he did well. He did that 'Johnny B. Badd' really well. He was really over," JBL recalled. "Marc was, I believe the first guaranteed contract that they gave away to somebody. They really thought he could be the guy. The problem was without Dusty there. The gimmick didn't work as well. I think the Brawl for All hurt him, too. To me, I think they really missed the boat with him.

Mero now carries the light he should have had in the squared circle over as a motivational speaker for his organization called Champion of Choices, a non-profit organization that works with youth to inspire them to face everyday challenges.