As a pro wrestler turned politician, nobody understands Linda McMahon’s campaign struggles better than Jesse “The Body” Ventura.
Her work as World Wrestling Entertainment’s Chief Executive Officer helped McMahon raise the US$50 million she has invested in the Connecticut Senate race against incumbent Dick Blumenthal. But even with one of the largest personal campaign expenditures in U.S. senate history, McMahon still trails by double-digits in recent polls entering Tuesday’s election.
McMahon’s WWE ties and heavy media/campaign criticism of the company have proven a deciding factor.
Ventura said he tried to warn McMahon about some of the pitfalls in being associated with a controversial product like WWE before she announced her senate run. Ventura — who wrestled from 1975-94 — faced some of the same scrutiny during his successful 1998 campaign to become Minnesota’s governor.
“I told her, ‘Quite honestly, are you really sure you want to do this?’” Ventura said in a recent telephone interview.
“She was motivated, but this is a whole other ballgame. This was going to shine a light on pro wrestling that maybe you don’t want shined on it. Any skeletons in your closet, get ready for them to come out. When you run for office, people will find them. The opposition will do anything to destroy you.”
Besides campaign attacks stemming from the days when WWE aired racier content, McMahon has gotten bashed for the high number of drug-related pro wrestling deaths over the past decade as well as inconsistencies in the company’s testing program. WWE also is now being investigated by the state of Connecticut for its classification of wrestlers as independent contractors. Grapplers don’t have pension plans or WWE-sponsored health insurance in a company with $426 million in assets as of June 2010.
In a statement on the company’s corporate website, WWE states it “has always complied with the law and constantly reviews its internal practices and procedures to comply with ever-changing employee laws.” The issue strikes a chord with Ventura, who unsuccessfully tried to unionize the WWE locker room in 1986.
“It has always troubled me how WWE has gotten away with that,” said Ventura, who worked there from 1984-90. “Wrestlers are hardly independent contractors. How can you be when you’re signed exclusively to that company, you’re not allowed to work anywhere else and they hold your rights?”
Ventura said he wouldn’t vote for Linda McMahon because she is affiliated with a traditional political party (Republican) and he only supports independent candidates. Ventura was willing to stage a 2008 presidential run with WWE’s support but claims company kingpin Vince McMahon (Linda’s husband) never responded to his proposal.
Ventura pitched an angle in which he would return to counter McMahon’s own storyline presidential aspirations. Behind the scenes, Ventura would have worked to get his name on the ballot in all 50 states for a legitimate campaign once the McMahon-For-President plot ran its course.
“Maybe he took my angle and decided to do it with his own family,” Ventura said in a half-serious tone. “Vince and I get along good — better today than when we worked together. I’m a rebel and Vince knows I won’t go along with everything just because he’s the dictator. You can ask Che Guevara down in Cuba if rebels and dictators get along all the time.”
“The Body’s” knowledge of history serves him well on his television show “Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura’’ (12 p.m. Fridays, TruTV).
Ventura and his staff of investigators tackle conspiracy allegations surrounding such controversial topics as the John F. Kennedy murder and 9/11 terrorist attacks. While not everyone will agree with his theories, Ventura hopes his show will lead to fewer people taking government and media claims at face value. Ventura points to the 2005 expose that the Gulf of Tonkin incident during the 1960s was fabricated to justify U.S. military involvement in Vietnam, which is where he served during a six-year military career.
“We all say we want change and there are all these angry politicians who say they’re outraged,” said Ventura, 59. “But when you come down to it, we still have foolish faith in authority.”
For more information on Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura, visit www.trutv.com.
Alex Marvez writes a syndicated pro wrestling column for Scripps-Howard News Service. He can be reached at alex1marv@aol.com or followed via Twitter at http://twitter.com/alexmarvez