Vince McMahon Cautioned Ex-WWE Star Over Risqué Gimmick

WWE

Vince McMahon was the mastermind behind the adult movie star turned wrestler Val Venis character and needed Sean Morley to believe in it.

Very much a fundamental part of the WWE Attitude Era in the 1990s, Venis was one of many characters that pushed the boundaries of taste, with Morley delivering his performance with enthusiasm.

In a recent appearance on Stories with Briscoe and Bradshaw, Morley revealed the original pitch for the character, saying:

“I had just returned from a two-week camp [WWE tryout] back to Mexico.

“It was 7 am in the morning in Mexico City, my phone rings and it was Vince McMahon. He says, ‘I got Vince Russo on speakerphone with me, we have this character for you, and we want to run it by you and see if you’re comfortable with it.’

“Vince McMahon says, ‘This character’s name is Val Venis.’ When he spelled the last name, I was like, ‘That’s kinda odd.’

“Val Venis was a former film star-turned-pro wrestler.’ In my head, I’m thinking Hulk Hogan and Jesse Ventura had already done [movie star gimmicks], and how the hell was I to play a Hollywood actor better than those guys?”

McMahon would go on to detail the fictional movie career of Venis, with Morley going on to say:

“Actually, Val Venis was a former adult film star-turned-pro wrestler. Now he’s got my attention! I’m like, ‘This s–t ain’t ever been done before.’

“He laid out the basics of the character, but he didn’t have to twist my arm — working with hot chicks on a massive WWE stage … are you kidding me?”

Morley’s enthusiasm would be briefly tempered by advice from McMahon about accepting the character, saying:

“‘Take at least 24 hours [to] contemplate this character. I need you to feel comfortable with it. Because if you don’t feel comfortable with it, it’s not going to work.'”

The character would, of course, go ahead, with early skits being recorded with genuine adult movie star, Jenna Jameson.

Morley would explain how the skits were shot in Bruce Prichard’s house, much to the displeasure of Prichard’s wife, as he would later discover.

Transcript from Wrestling Inc.

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