Jesse Ventura- Why no comeback?

[celtics543]

I've been watching some early Wrestlemanias and at the end of Wrestemania 3 Jesse Ventura says something to the effect of, "maybe I'll have to come back and take the belt myself."

Now clearly he never came back but it always seemed like there was a rivalry between him and Hogan and they probably could have sold out arenas nationwide or even main evented Wrestlemania 4 instead of the tournament that they had. I know he had blood clot issues with his lungs but I'm not looking for him to wrestle full time, just come back for a one-off angle where he challenges Hulk. It was the 80's where they could do pose downs and things to build up the angle and not have it get crapped all over. Realistically the main event matches back then, even Wrestlemania, didn't go very long because Hogan couldn't go very long. It just seems like for a minimal amount of work they could have had a pretty great angle and a terrible technical match that would have gotten over huge just based on the two personalities.

Just curious if he was ever asked about it and if it was ever and option?

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

I'd imagine there are several factors, his health, he was probably earning well on commentary which let him get into movies, bad blood with Hogan over selling him out on forming a union so he was just happy to stay where he was.

[OVO 40 hunched over like he 80]

He was never that good of a wrestler, in his shoot Bobby Heenan said that while Jesse was charismatic, he sucked in the ring. I think he also had a blood clot that made him retire.

[Thunderbolt]

According to the Jesse Ventura Biography it was because Jesse stood up to Vince when Vince screwed Johnny Polo over in The Bingo Hall.

[2coldMack is even more baffled]

He was probably making more money as a commentator/movie star than he ever made as a wrestler, and there's really no reason to give up that kind of cash on the risk of being injured working in the ring.

[Mighty Attack Tribble]

Feb 28, 2016 18:40:37 GMT -5 OVO 40 hunched over like he 80 said:

He was never that good of a wrestler, in his shoot Bobby Heenan said that while Jesse was charismatic, he sucked in the ring.

Jesse is one of my all-time favourites, but my god he was awful in the ring. Not quite Ted Arcidi awful, but he certainly would've been in the bottom 10% of Hogan's opponents in the '80s in terms of in-ring talent.

[Scott]

When you are prone to blood clots, you usually take blood thinners for life. Every bump would leave a huge bruise. He'd look like he was hit by a car after every match. That or Grimace.

[A Platypus Rave]

Feb 28, 2016 19:11:04 GMT -5 Thunderbolt said:

According to the Jesse Ventura Biography it was because Jesse stood up to Vince when Vince screwed Johnny Polo over in The Bingo Hall.

Learn your wrestling history.

Raven won the title in the LA Screwjob... everyone knows that.

[Hit Girl]

Jack Tunney's corruption.

["Mr Wonderdick" Dick Dastardly]

With him on blood thinners, if he tried to wrestle and he got cut, dirt sheets would have ended up rating blood spillage on the "Ventura Scale" instead of the "Muta Scale".

[Hit Girl]

I suspect a massive global conspiracy was behind it.

[Perfect Timing]

I blame MACMAN.

[Thunderbolt]

Feb 29, 2016 0:13:33 GMT -5 A Platypus Rave said:

Feb 28, 2016 19:11:04 GMT -5 Thunderbolt said:

According to the Jesse Ventura Biography it was because Jesse stood up to Vince when Vince screwed Johnny Polo over in The Bingo Hall.

Learn your wrestling history.

Raven won the title in the LA Screwjob... everyone knows that.

What's Raven got to do with this?

[Capt Lunatic]

Because he'd been there for years.

[Milkman Norm]

Feb 28, 2016 17:22:09 GMT -5 celtics543 said:

I've been watching some early Wrestlemanias and at the end of Wrestemania 3 Jesse Ventura says something to the effect of, "maybe I'll have to come back and take the belt myself."

Now clearly he never came back but it always seemed like there was a rivalry between him and Hogan and they probably could have sold out arenas nationwide or even main evented Wrestlemania 4 instead of the tournament that they had. I know he had blood clot issues with his lungs but I'm not looking for him to wrestle full time, just come back for a one-off angle where he challenges Hulk. It was the 80's where they could do pose downs and things to build up the angle and not have it get crapped all over. Realistically the main event matches back then, even Wrestlemania, didn't go very long because Hogan couldn't go very long. It just seems like for a minimal amount of work they could have had a pretty great angle and a terrible technical match that would have gotten over huge just based on the two personalities.

Just curious if he was ever asked about it and if it was ever and option?

That's it. Another match could have literally killed him.

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Feb 29, 2016 2:56:57 GMT -5 Thunderbolt said:

Feb 29, 2016 0:13:33 GMT -5 A Platypus Rave said:

Learn your wrestling history.

Raven won the title in the LA Screwjob... everyone knows that.

What's Raven got to do with this?

If you ever watched his NBC movie from like 2000 or so, you'd wonder the same, yet get the reference.

[67 more]

Ventura after his "retirement" in 1984, would continue to wrestle very easy matches on house shows (so tag matches, matches with zero bumps, etc) until 1986, including facing Hogan for the world title and Tito for the IC title. He would return for one more match in 1990, teaming with Piper to beat the Orient Express in LA.

[auph10imitated]

Speaking of a comeback I was sure he would be back in 1994 when he left WCW

[Citizen Snips Has Left]

Feb 29, 2016 5:29:27 GMT -5 auph10imitated said:

Speaking of a comeback I was sure he would be back in 1994 when he left WCW

McMahon was PISSED about Ventura's lawsuit for years. If he hadn't become such a huge story by being elected governor of Minnesota, we might never have seen Jesse again.

[lildude8218]

He actually wrestled fairly regularly in singles matches throughout most of 1985 and the first few months of 1986