Jesse Ventura Cites The Circumstances That Halted His Pursuit Of WWF World Heavyweight Title

On a recent panel at Steel City Con, Jesse Ventura recalled the circumstances that cost him the chance at fighting Hulk Hogan for the World Heavyweight Championship in 1984 (per Wrestling Inc). Ventura explained the medical details that prevented him from entering the ring against Hogan and the new opportunities that arose after the fact. You can find a few highlights from Ventura and watch the complete panel below.

On why he couldn’t compete against Hogan for the title: “I’m a great believer sometimes in fate and destiny. And I think fate and destiny play somewhat a role, for whatever reason that might be. Like the night before I was to wrestle Hulk Hogan for the World Heavyweight Title in Los Angeles, I ended up in critical condition in the San Diego hospital with massive blood clots from 28 days of flying in a row.”

On how his career took a new direction after the missed match: “Many times in life when something dastardly happens to you, it leads to something good as a result of it, and I never got my shot at Hogan … but what did I get to do? While I was convalescing, Vince McMahon called me and he said Jesse, I have an idea. And I said, what is it Vince? He said, we’ve never had a villain on the microphone before, you think you could do color commentating and broadcast matches?”