“Hell has frozen over.”
That was the terminology that Jesse Ventura used to explain his unlikely return to WWE, the place he can be a visitor commentator on “Saturday Night’s Main Event” airing dwell from the Nassau Coliseum on NBC in primetime on Saturday.
In an unique interview with The Post, Ventura credited his son, Tyrel, who works because the agent for the previous Minnesota governor and WWE star.
“He’s very certified for it. He was once Sean Penn’s assistant, so he has expertise,” Ventura stated.
Ventura famously butted heads with Vince McMahon over monetary conflicts that transpired between 1986 and 1990.
WWE, nevertheless, is below new administration with the Hollywood behemoth WME now presiding over the corporate and Nick Khan as president and Paul “Triple H” Levesque as head of content material.
“My son was a fan of wrestling and a fan of myself rising up, so he took it upon himself to make some contact with the brand new possession they usually began speaking,” Ventura stated.
“One factor led to a different, and I spotted they have been below new possession and I wasn’t going to be held to the previous commonplace of why I bought kicked out earlier than. Lo and behold it occurred. I’ll let you know this: I did it selfishly for my youngsters. I’m 73 now. I ain’t gonna be round eternally. I wish to place it the place if anyone makes cash off my identify, I would like my youngsters to have a bit of it.”
Thus, Ventura signed a “Legends” contract with WWE, which led to his saying look.
Ventura (C) watches the motion as wrestlers Mankind (L) and Triple H (R) battle
in the course of the World Wrestling Federation SummerSlam Sunday evening 22 August,
1999 on the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN. AFP by way of Getty Images
“With Saturday Night’s Main Event coming again after 40 years, anyone stated, ‘We want Jesse for this,’” Ventura stated. “Because we had already negotiated the Legends deal, it wasn’t an enormous deal to barter this. The ice had been damaged and now hell has frozen over.”
McMahon left WWE earlier this yr after being accused of sexual misconduct by a former worker; he has denied wrongdoing and the swimsuit is pending.
Ventura’s first battle with McMahon got here earlier than WrestleMania II in 1986 when the previous WWE boss caught wind from Hulk Hogan that Ventura was mounting a marketing campaign to unionize the locker room in addition to skilled wrestlers from different promotions.
“I wasn’t straight fired for that — however you’ll be able to wager it performed a task,” Ventura stated.
Ventura in the end left WWE in 1990 after a dispute the place he signed an out of doors promotion cope with Sega.
“I personal the identify Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura. I’ve it copyrighted with the federal government,” Ventura stated, noting that McMahon was unwilling to barter with him about outdoors advertising.
Ventura additionally efficiently sued WWE a yr later over royalties on video gross sales.
While Ventura credit new WWE possession for his return, he did make a number of different appearances with the corporate since his fractious exit, together with a spot as a particular visitor referee at SummerSlam in 1999 for a match between Mick Foley and Triple H, in addition to induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2004.
In the cellphone dialog, Ventura nonetheless had his fastball.
He was supremely assured that he would have been in a position to defeat Donald Trump — and everybody else — within the nationwide presidential election with requisite monetary backing, however was adamant that he wouldn’t bend the knee to both main political get together for the chance.
Ventura’s triumph in successful governorship of Minnesota has been credited by president-elect Trump previously for igniting his political ambitions.
In addition to his renewed WWE work, Ventura has launched the hashish enterprise Jesse Ventura Farms.
“The cause being is that this: My spouse was stricken with seizures. Cannabis is the one factor that stopped them,” he stated.
