A downside guaranteed contract is a standard deal WWE offers to its wrestlers nowadays but it wasn't the case when Marc Mero signed one such contract with the company back in 1996 and it got him some backstage heat.
The former WWE and WCW star recently had an interview with WrestlingInc where he talked about his time with the company among other things.
Talking about how he was one of the first wrestlers to get a guaranteed WWE contract, Mero mentioned how it upset some people. Though he claimed that his signing ultimately opened the doors for everyone to get a guaranteed deal:
"Mick Foley and Steve Austin went before me, and they never got a guaranteed deal after I got one. So as much as I think some guys were upset that I got it, if you really look back at it, it opened the doors for everyone to get it eventually. It was like breaking that glass ceiling.”
Marc Mero also discussed his experience with WWE's medical facilities when he suffered a knee injury. He explained that the company sent him to the best doctor in the country for his treatment.
The former boxing star started his wrestling career in 1990 and he was signed by WCW only a year later. He jumped ships to WWE in 1996 and lasted there until 1999. He also had a TNA stint in 2005-06.