Hold onto your tinfoil hats, folks, because Jesse “The Body” Ventura is gearing up for a WWE comeback that’s sure to shake the very foundation of sports entertainment! With Vince McMahon’s hasty exit from the company (more sudden than one of his famous grappling grudges), WWE is suddenly more open to bringing back some of its most colorful—and controversial—characters. Enter Jesse Ventura, the man who’s always ready to drop a truth bomb and maybe a suplex or two.
Now, Ventura hasn’t exactly been WWE’s BFF over the years. Sure, he’s popped up every now and then, but for the most part, he’s kept his distance like a wrestler avoiding a bad storyline. But the winds of change are blowing, and it seems Ventura might be back in the WWE family for good. The buzz really started when Ventura was spotted backstage at a recent “WWE Raw” with none other than CM Punk, another wrestler who could write a book on how to get on Vince McMahon’s bad side.
In a recent chat on “Insight with Chris Van Vliet,” Ventura dropped some major hints about his renewed relationship with WWE. “My relationship with them now has much improved,” Ventura revealed, with a tone that suggested he might just be WWE’s prodigal son. “We are on the verge right now. I can say this: contracts have been written, contracts have been agreed upon. And all it requires is two signatures, one from them, and one from me. And I will be back with the Legends [deal].”
In other words, folks, we’re just a couple of autographs away from seeing Ventura’s name back in the WWE Hall of Fame of Shenanigans. When asked how soon this could all go down, Ventura didn’t mince words: “Fairly quickly, because time is money.” Spoken like a true former governor who knows that the clock is always ticking—especially when there’s cash on the line.
For those keeping score at home, Ventura’s history with McMahon is more complicated than a WWE championship belt. The two first clashed in 1986 when Ventura had the audacity to suggest forming a union for wrestlers—a move that earned him a spot on McMahon’s naughty list. After taking a Hollywood hiatus, Ventura returned to WWE as a color commentator, but by 1990, he was out the door again. The ’90s saw Ventura taking his beef with McMahon to the courts over royalty disputes, proving that even off the mic, he was always ready to fight.
Despite all the drama, Ventura did make a few memorable WWE comebacks, including as a special guest referee at SummerSlam 1999 and a guest host of “Raw” in 2009. And now, it looks like Ventura is about to add another chapter to his WWE saga—one that might just be the most surprising yet.