It has been reported that a WWE Hall of Famer has been quietly let go from the company after being brought back in 2024.
Jesse Ventura, who was brought back to WWE in late 2024 for the reintroduction of Saturday Night’s Main Event, was nowhere to be seen on the November 1 edition of the show, leading fans to speculate as to why he was missing when he had been featured on all the other instalments of SNME.
Writing about the situation in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer wrote that it was his belief that Ventura signed a one-year deal when SNME was brought back, but after his outburst on commentary during the Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest Steel Cage match at the May 24 show, WWE decided not to use him in a featured spot on the July 12 show, and omitted him entirely on November 1. Meltzer wrote:
“The other notable thing on the show was no Jesse Ventura, who was brought back for the nostalgia aspect. Nothing has been officially said. We were under the impression he had signed a one-year deal for these shows, and that deal would have run out with the last show.
I don’t know that factually and in checking, the only thing we got was that it was not a major topic of discussion, but after the cage match fiasco performance in the McIntyre vs. Damian Priest match, we were told the die was cast as far as using him going forward. He was downplayed on the next show while still under contract and not on this show, nor ever referenced. They also didn’t bring in stars from the past or air nostalgia clips.”
What Did Jesse Ventura Say On The May 24 WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event?
On the May 24, Saturday Night’s Main Event, Jesse Ventura was on commentary and at the end of the Drew McIntyre vs. Damian Priest Steel Cage match, Priest won the bout by walking out of the cage door, and Ventura seemed to take issue with this finish and said, “Wait a minute, what kind of BS is that?”. His comments were edited out of the recap video of the match that was uploaded to WWE’s YouTube channel after the show.
