Actor, politician, and wrestler Jesse Ventura has never been afraid of speaking his mind or standing up for what he believes in. Before WrestleMania II, Ventura attempted to rally his fellow wrestlers to unionize, but he received backlash from then-WWF owner Vince McMahon, who found out about the discussions. It would be years later that Ventura would find out who had told McMahon about the union plans. During a court case between Ventura and the WWF, McMahon revealed in his deposition that it was Hogan who had informed him. Hogan, though, has denied this.
For Ventura, it was the ultimate betrayal by Hogan. “I was so stunned that day,” Ventura told Wrestling Inc. “I showed no emotion. I sat in the chair frozen. In my day, it was the wrestlers vs. the promoters. You were considered an office stooge if you went squealing stuff from the promoter, and he came up when I did. As far as I’m concerned, he’s an office stooge.”
In 2015, after Hogan’s scandalous racist rant became public, Ventura spoke out about him to Ring Rust Radio. “Maybe the people are seeing the real Hulk Hogan,” he said, adding that Hogan played a character on television and now fans were likely seeing the real man underneath the American hero persona.
