Few figures can claim to have taken WWE to the cleaners in court and be welcomed back on-screen years later.
Then again, Jesse “The Body” Ventura isn’t any ordinary man, and wrestling is no ordinary business.
One of the most colourful and charismatic stars of the Hulkamania-inspired boom of the 1980s, Ventura was a flamboyant presence in the ring with his feather boas, sunglasses and swagger.
Though injuries curtailed his in-ring career, he pivoted into the commentary booth where his back-and-forth with Gorilla Monsoon became part of WWE’s soundtrack. His rasping delivery and willingness to side with the villains gave him an edge that stood out from the usual babyface cheerleading.
By the early 1990s Ventura was moving beyond wrestling. He launched a political career in Minnesota, first as mayor of Brooklyn Park before his stunning rise to the governorship of the state in 1999.
His win, running as a Minnesota Reform Party candidate, made headlines worldwide and cemented him as one of the few wrestlers to make the leap from the squared circle to public office.
Why did Jesse Ventura sue WWE?
But before politics came court. In 1991 Ventura filed suit against Titan Sports, alleging fraud and misrepresentation over videotape royalties.
A federal jury sided with him, awarding $801,333 in royalties plus $8,625 in merchandising revenue. The figure was later affirmed on appeal, a landmark victory for a wrestler against Vince McMahon’s company.
“I sued him, and I beat Vince McMahon in federal court … now I’m paid royalties for everything that I participated in by the WWE,” he said in a later interview. It was proof that McMahon’s empire could be challenged – and beaten.
It would be far from accurate, however, to say McMahon’s frustration at losing in court resulted in a grudge to last forever. Wrestling history rarely moves in straight lines, and Ventura was back in a WWE ring at the height of the Attitude Era.
At SummerSlam 1999, with Stone Cold Steve Austin defending the WWE Championship against Triple H and Mankind, Ventura returned as the special guest referee.
It was a remarkable scene: a former wrestler, commentator and now sitting Governor of Minnesota raising Mankind’s hand in victory in front of a sold-out crowd at Minneapolis’ Target Center.
His political rivals had a field day, scoffing at wrestling as a spectacle as if it were a place no politician belonged – ironic given one of WWE’s top stars of the time in Kane later became a long-serving mayor in the US.
The Body blasted back, though, reaffirming his pride at being a product of the industry, telling the rowdy crowd: “…I’m proud I was a wrestler and I’m proud to be here tonight.”
WWE icon made return 40 years after heyday – and suing the company
But SummerSlam wasn’t Ventura’s only return. Having been a staple on early episodes of Saturday Night’s Main Event during his heyday in the 1980s, he has popped up again in the 2020s.
In 2024, some four decades after roaring alongside Monsoon at the embryonic WrestleManias, he re-emerged on the show to mark its revival.
In 2025 he made another appearance, underscoring just how enduring his bond with wrestling remains, delivering a brilliantly sour and villain-friendly performance from the commentary table and analysts desk.
Jesse “The Body” Ventura may be remembered for his wild outfits, his heel commentary or his improbable political run.
But his place in wrestling lore is just as firmly tied to the moment he took WWE to court, won over $800,000, and still found his way back into the fold.