Jesse Ventura Details Failed Attempt To Establish Pro Wrestling Union

Outside of the Attitude Era faction, the term ‘union’ is a dirty one within the world of professional wrestling, with many advocates for unionisation having been ostracised or blacklisted by the industry for attempting to get fairer deals for their fellow pros.

Out of all the stories of failed unionisation attempts, the most high-profile has to be that of WWE Hall of Famer Jesse Ventura, with ‘The Body’ attempting to start a movement within the then WWF in the late 1980s:

“I said, ‘Boys, now’s the time to unionise. All the publicity’s gone out, all we have to do is stick together, go out to the press, and say, ‘We refuse to wrestle unless federal negotiators are brought in.’ It’s a federal law. I said, ‘Who do you think turns on the lights in these buildings? Union people. If they recognise what we’re doing, Vince cannot run WrestleMania [2],” said Ventura to The Vanguard when detailing his attempts to start a union around the time of WrestleMania 2 in 1986.

Ventura continued, noting how some in the locker room would only commit if top star Hulk Hogan was part of the movement. 

“The first thing one of the guys said to me was, ‘Well, we need Hogan.’ I said, no we don’t. All we need is [King Kong] Bundy, that’s who he’s wrestling. We don’t need Hogan. And then we can contact the Charlotte guys [WCW] and have them walk out. And if we do this together, we can finally get a union,” said Ventura.

Ultimately, Ventura’s efforts failed, with many since pointing to Hogan as a key reason for the failure of the union. Word got to Vince McMahon about Ventura’s plans, one of many wrinkles in the relationship between the two men:

“I went home the next day. My phone rang, and it was Vince, ‘What in the hell are you doing yapping about this union crap in the dressing room?’ And I stood up to him, I said ‘Vince, why can’t we? It’s not just to fight you. Right now, I pay $5,000 a year for health insurance for me and my family.’ This was the ’80s, if we had strength in numbers, maybe I’d only have to pay $1,200 a year. What about retirement? I’ve seen hundreds of guys retire after 30 years in this business, they don’t have a pot to p*** in or a window to throw it out of,” said Ventura.

Times have changed, and although no professional wrestling union exists, there are still calls for one from high-profile names within the industry.

H/T: TJR Wrestling