During a recent episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast”, Jesse Ventura, a legendary figure in professional wrestling who is also in the WWE Hall of Fame, brought up some past disagreements he had with the previous WWE Chairman, Vince McMahon.
Ventura shined a light on how his successful performance in the movie “Predator” was a source of tension between the two. He explained that McMahon, surprisingly, wasn’t pleased about this success because he wanted total control over how his wrestling talents were marketed.
Key excerpts from the podcast can be seen below:
Discussing Vince McMahon’s reaction to his role in “Predator”: “Not being able to control my success in Hollywood didn’t sit well with McMahon. Individuals like him, those who possess a great deal of wealth and power, are all about keeping everything under their authority. It has nothing to do with conducting business properly or promoting things the right way. It’s solely about maintaining control. I was the unruly stallion that slipped his grasp. I didn’t allow him to shape my image as he pleased.”
On his claim over the rights to his own alias and character: “The final straw for McMahon was my decision to produce my own video game. He objected and I countered, citing that I had legal control over my rights; I was officially registered under the name Jesse The Body Ventura with the copyright held by the government. How could he prevent me from doing this? Ultimately, that was when he dismissed me. In spite of this, I never did manage to release the game. I still have a suspicion something shady took place, although I lack any supporting proof.”