Black Widow
04-14-2008, 04:06 PM
He he has been to the Super Bowl, the World Series, The Rolling Stones, WrestleMania, & around the world & back again as Governor of the state of Minnesota...not it is time for "The Body" to achieve the crowning moment of his personal/professional career -- an appearance on Monday Night Mayhem! All kidding aside, The Mayhem Crew (Mosh, Blade, DFL, & Scott Hudson) were honored to welcome the listening audience to this special edition of "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio." On behalf of the program, Mosh welcomes Governor Ventura to the show, and asks how the "media blitz" has been treating him over the past few weeks. Jesse said that when it comes to writing a book, you necessarily do not know how the viewing public will react and/or feel about it. On the overall, he believes, it has been a very positive experience. He wished to add for the record and let The Mayhem listeners know that he will be appearing on NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on May 2nd -- thus adding to the major media outlets, including: CNN's "Larry King Live," Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report," CNBC's "Big Idea With Donny Deutsch," FOX News' "Hannity & Colmes," along with his first-ever Mayhem appearance.
One of the reasons he decided to have his third book come out at this point in time is because the U.S. is in the middle of deciding the next president of the United States, and Jesse wanted to inform the American public that the answer does not necessarily lie within the Democratic or the Republic parties -- both of which are "taking us down the road to ruin."
Mr. Ventura wished to go on record that you will not be seeing him on the three-hour edition of Monday Night RAW on the USA Network, as part of the "Hillary Clinton" vs. Barack Obama" contest. "There is no chance of that happening whatsoever." Jesse did approach Vince McMahon last spring & met with him, asking for his assistance in getting ballot access in all of the 50 states for a possible return to the political scene. When he returned home, Vince did not return his phone call though, and based on that, Governor Ventura strongly feels that McMahon has become a Democrat, and supports them now.
In his new book, Jesse describes how the media in America are in "the entertainment business, and not in the news business." Last summer saw the unfortunate tragedy of the Benoit family, and everyone remembers how all of the media outlets dissected & broke down various angles of the coverage, interviewing everyone & anyone that wished to give their opinions on the story -- whether they might have been qualified or not. Governor Ventura feels that "naturally the media attacks the business -- We have never been a favorite of the media." He believes they "went down the wrong route." Jesse agrees with former WWE superstar, Chris Nowinski (whom he wrote the foreword for his book, Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis"), and that it was not steroids that did it, but the numerous concussions he suffered throughout his career. Currently, there are some former football players around the ages of 40-45 that cannot even say the 12 months of the year, as Jesse points out. He feels that the issue of concussions in both pro-wrestling & sports should be monitored closely & paid attention to, just as much as the issue of steroids.
Switching gears, Blade brings up the final match of the legendary 30+ year career of "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair against "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV in Orlando, FL, as well as Flair being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame, and asks Governor Ventura his thoughts on whether or not he feels Ric will stay retired from in-ring competition at this point in his career. "I hope Ric's finally retiring. Here's a guy that has given his heart & soul to wrestling. He's closing in on his late 50's/early 60's. Ric does not belong in that ring anymore." Jesse recalls a conversation between the two when he was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2004, and how they discussed the number of backdrops he has taken in his career (an astounding number to say the least). "It's time for Ric to retire."
On a similar topic, Jesse chimed in with his takes on Blade's point of "the WWE Hall Of Fame not being a real Hall Of Fame without Bruno Sammartino." The Governor's reply: They'd put Bruno in if he wants to go in. It might be Bruno saying he doesn't want to go in. Certainly, Bruno belongs in the Hall Of Fame."
Jesse spoke very candidly about his appearance on CNN’s “Larry King Live,” and was not only surprised how much Larry took a liking to his created character in THQ’s “SmackDown Vs. RAW 2008” (saying “that’s as close as Larry will get to wrestling”), but more importantly at how many people participated in a CNN.com online poll during the telecast: “Do you think Jesse Ventura should be running for president of the United States?” That night, more than 15,000 people voted (where normal polls are tallied from a sample of 500 people or so), and 88% of the audience chose to smack down their vote for “The Body.”
On the topic of what the WWE can do to continue to monitor the issue of performance-enhancing substances, Jesse wished to chime in right off the bat with, “I’ve noticed the wrestlers getting skinnier & smaller.” He happened to watch a few weeks ago, and he chuckled at that. Governor Ventura added why should the government care, as the WWE has already gone on record saying they are “sports-entertainment,” it is not a real competition, and you cannot bet on it.
On the flip-side of things, Jesse believes that the only people hurting from athletes in major sports using drugs and/or performance-enhancing substances over the past few years have been the gamblers. Governor Ventura wanted to go on record saying he is not advocating taking steroids, but does feel strongly that “the government has bigger issues to tend to than investigating the use of performance-enhancing substances in private-sector sports,” such as investigating themselves for their own wrongdoings.
Jesse talks at-length in his book some candid stories about how the former owner of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, Red McCombs, was trying to get assistance from the then-Governor for funds & public assistance to build a brand-new stadium to replace The Metrodome. There are plenty of other owners in today's sporting landscape that put their cities under the same microscope, and try to pressure & coerce them into getting whatever funds they need...otherwise, they might be on the move. Governor Ventura holds no punches with his commentary on this topic. "Let them go," was his message to those die-hard fans who land up getting stuck having to contribute to keep their teams where they currently reside. Ventura thinks that the teams themselves should be responsible for building their own stadiums, and not be “at the public trough.” Jesse wished to add that there are more important things are money can be used for, such as schools, roads, & other things than the entertainment industry.
Many wrestling fans are very familiar with the legendary pairings of Jesse “The Body” Ventura with both Vince McMahon & the late Gorilla Monsoon in the announce booth. DFL asked the good Governor about how fondly he remembers those times. Jesse liked Vince as an announce, as “always has a special place in his heart for Gorilla.” Jesse defined Gorilla as “a fun guy” & “a gentle giant,” and did not have a bad word to say about anyone. He misses Monsoon laughing at his jokes & his humor. Going on record, Governor Ventura says that him & Vince “were the best announce team in wrestling history.” He credits Vince for taking the chance on him as an announcer and putting a villain on the mic -- also adding that “Vince had a lot more courage back then than he does today.” Jesse wholeheartedly agrees that “wrestling will ever be the same without us two on the mic.” He continued on by saying that “the announcers of today yell far too much, there’s too much back noise, & they feel they have to fill the whole hour with voiceover or their voices.” Just like it has always been, he thinks the wrestlers should fill up some of the time as well. “Comment when it’s time to comment, and you will do a far better job and be more entertaining.”
Jesse was very impressed with The Mayhem's association with the current presenter of The Mayhem, Sweet Sunshine Sauces, and how The MNM Crew do not bow down to the corporate sponsors, and team up with an family-owned company that is "salt of the earth." Governor Ventura gave his seal of approval on Sweet Sunshine & The Mayhem's relationship, comparing the show to "an independent candidate --not taking the pack money or the corporate donations...very good."
Jesse's words of wisdom for those who wish to enter wither professional wrestling/sports-entertainment or the political field today are three-fold: (1.) You have to be motivated, (2.) You have to have the talent, & (3.) Stay true to yourself -- Don't pretend to be something you are not (even though in wrestling, you normally are someone you are not on-camera).
What is left for "The Body" to accomplish? How about surfing! He has taken it up, and his newest goal he hopes to achieve is "to ride one wave with the great Laird Hamilton, if he can do that, "it would be another huge thrill in my life...if I fail at it, I could die, but what it would be a hell of a way to go."
Mr. Ventura shoots on plenty of additional topics in this near 30-minute interview, including his uncensored thoughts/takes on why he believes the Iraq War & 9/11 have led to America's current economic struggles, why stopping foreign aid is essential to fixing the state of the country, in what way he would consider joining Barack Obama’s administration, why he would vote independent vs. Democratic or Republican, his prediction on the upcoming presidential election between Clinton/Obama/McCain, what he believes can get the United States back on the right track to success, why the American public should apologize to Jose Canseco, & a must-listen story as to why him & Vince McMahon butted heads after Vince "dumped Bruno" from the announce booth.
Check out the full interview at MondayNightMayhem.com.
PWInsider.com
One of the reasons he decided to have his third book come out at this point in time is because the U.S. is in the middle of deciding the next president of the United States, and Jesse wanted to inform the American public that the answer does not necessarily lie within the Democratic or the Republic parties -- both of which are "taking us down the road to ruin."
Mr. Ventura wished to go on record that you will not be seeing him on the three-hour edition of Monday Night RAW on the USA Network, as part of the "Hillary Clinton" vs. Barack Obama" contest. "There is no chance of that happening whatsoever." Jesse did approach Vince McMahon last spring & met with him, asking for his assistance in getting ballot access in all of the 50 states for a possible return to the political scene. When he returned home, Vince did not return his phone call though, and based on that, Governor Ventura strongly feels that McMahon has become a Democrat, and supports them now.
In his new book, Jesse describes how the media in America are in "the entertainment business, and not in the news business." Last summer saw the unfortunate tragedy of the Benoit family, and everyone remembers how all of the media outlets dissected & broke down various angles of the coverage, interviewing everyone & anyone that wished to give their opinions on the story -- whether they might have been qualified or not. Governor Ventura feels that "naturally the media attacks the business -- We have never been a favorite of the media." He believes they "went down the wrong route." Jesse agrees with former WWE superstar, Chris Nowinski (whom he wrote the foreword for his book, Head Games: Football's Concussion Crisis"), and that it was not steroids that did it, but the numerous concussions he suffered throughout his career. Currently, there are some former football players around the ages of 40-45 that cannot even say the 12 months of the year, as Jesse points out. He feels that the issue of concussions in both pro-wrestling & sports should be monitored closely & paid attention to, just as much as the issue of steroids.
Switching gears, Blade brings up the final match of the legendary 30+ year career of "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair against "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XXIV in Orlando, FL, as well as Flair being inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame, and asks Governor Ventura his thoughts on whether or not he feels Ric will stay retired from in-ring competition at this point in his career. "I hope Ric's finally retiring. Here's a guy that has given his heart & soul to wrestling. He's closing in on his late 50's/early 60's. Ric does not belong in that ring anymore." Jesse recalls a conversation between the two when he was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame in 2004, and how they discussed the number of backdrops he has taken in his career (an astounding number to say the least). "It's time for Ric to retire."
On a similar topic, Jesse chimed in with his takes on Blade's point of "the WWE Hall Of Fame not being a real Hall Of Fame without Bruno Sammartino." The Governor's reply: They'd put Bruno in if he wants to go in. It might be Bruno saying he doesn't want to go in. Certainly, Bruno belongs in the Hall Of Fame."
Jesse spoke very candidly about his appearance on CNN’s “Larry King Live,” and was not only surprised how much Larry took a liking to his created character in THQ’s “SmackDown Vs. RAW 2008” (saying “that’s as close as Larry will get to wrestling”), but more importantly at how many people participated in a CNN.com online poll during the telecast: “Do you think Jesse Ventura should be running for president of the United States?” That night, more than 15,000 people voted (where normal polls are tallied from a sample of 500 people or so), and 88% of the audience chose to smack down their vote for “The Body.”
On the topic of what the WWE can do to continue to monitor the issue of performance-enhancing substances, Jesse wished to chime in right off the bat with, “I’ve noticed the wrestlers getting skinnier & smaller.” He happened to watch a few weeks ago, and he chuckled at that. Governor Ventura added why should the government care, as the WWE has already gone on record saying they are “sports-entertainment,” it is not a real competition, and you cannot bet on it.
On the flip-side of things, Jesse believes that the only people hurting from athletes in major sports using drugs and/or performance-enhancing substances over the past few years have been the gamblers. Governor Ventura wanted to go on record saying he is not advocating taking steroids, but does feel strongly that “the government has bigger issues to tend to than investigating the use of performance-enhancing substances in private-sector sports,” such as investigating themselves for their own wrongdoings.
Jesse talks at-length in his book some candid stories about how the former owner of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings, Red McCombs, was trying to get assistance from the then-Governor for funds & public assistance to build a brand-new stadium to replace The Metrodome. There are plenty of other owners in today's sporting landscape that put their cities under the same microscope, and try to pressure & coerce them into getting whatever funds they need...otherwise, they might be on the move. Governor Ventura holds no punches with his commentary on this topic. "Let them go," was his message to those die-hard fans who land up getting stuck having to contribute to keep their teams where they currently reside. Ventura thinks that the teams themselves should be responsible for building their own stadiums, and not be “at the public trough.” Jesse wished to add that there are more important things are money can be used for, such as schools, roads, & other things than the entertainment industry.
Many wrestling fans are very familiar with the legendary pairings of Jesse “The Body” Ventura with both Vince McMahon & the late Gorilla Monsoon in the announce booth. DFL asked the good Governor about how fondly he remembers those times. Jesse liked Vince as an announce, as “always has a special place in his heart for Gorilla.” Jesse defined Gorilla as “a fun guy” & “a gentle giant,” and did not have a bad word to say about anyone. He misses Monsoon laughing at his jokes & his humor. Going on record, Governor Ventura says that him & Vince “were the best announce team in wrestling history.” He credits Vince for taking the chance on him as an announcer and putting a villain on the mic -- also adding that “Vince had a lot more courage back then than he does today.” Jesse wholeheartedly agrees that “wrestling will ever be the same without us two on the mic.” He continued on by saying that “the announcers of today yell far too much, there’s too much back noise, & they feel they have to fill the whole hour with voiceover or their voices.” Just like it has always been, he thinks the wrestlers should fill up some of the time as well. “Comment when it’s time to comment, and you will do a far better job and be more entertaining.”
Jesse was very impressed with The Mayhem's association with the current presenter of The Mayhem, Sweet Sunshine Sauces, and how The MNM Crew do not bow down to the corporate sponsors, and team up with an family-owned company that is "salt of the earth." Governor Ventura gave his seal of approval on Sweet Sunshine & The Mayhem's relationship, comparing the show to "an independent candidate --not taking the pack money or the corporate donations...very good."
Jesse's words of wisdom for those who wish to enter wither professional wrestling/sports-entertainment or the political field today are three-fold: (1.) You have to be motivated, (2.) You have to have the talent, & (3.) Stay true to yourself -- Don't pretend to be something you are not (even though in wrestling, you normally are someone you are not on-camera).
What is left for "The Body" to accomplish? How about surfing! He has taken it up, and his newest goal he hopes to achieve is "to ride one wave with the great Laird Hamilton, if he can do that, "it would be another huge thrill in my life...if I fail at it, I could die, but what it would be a hell of a way to go."
Mr. Ventura shoots on plenty of additional topics in this near 30-minute interview, including his uncensored thoughts/takes on why he believes the Iraq War & 9/11 have led to America's current economic struggles, why stopping foreign aid is essential to fixing the state of the country, in what way he would consider joining Barack Obama’s administration, why he would vote independent vs. Democratic or Republican, his prediction on the upcoming presidential election between Clinton/Obama/McCain, what he believes can get the United States back on the right track to success, why the American public should apologize to Jose Canseco, & a must-listen story as to why him & Vince McMahon butted heads after Vince "dumped Bruno" from the announce booth.
Check out the full interview at MondayNightMayhem.com.
PWInsider.com