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- [00:01]
Steve Austin
I sold my car in Carvana last night.
- [00:02]
Podcast Announcer
Well, that's cool.
- [00:03]
Steve Austin
No, you don't understand. It went perfectly. Real offer down to the penny. They're picking it up tomorrow. Nothing went wrong.
- [00:09]
Podcast Announcer
So what's the problem?
- [00:11]
Steve Austin
That is the problem. Nothing in my life goes as smoothly.
- [00:13]
Jesse Ventura
I'm waiting for the catch.
- [00:14]
Podcast Announcer
Maybe there's no catch.
- [00:16]
Steve Austin
That's exactly what a catch would want me to think.
- [00:18]
Mackenzie
Wow.
- [00:19]
Podcast Announcer
You need to relax.
- [00:20]
Steve Austin
I need to knock on wood. Do we have wood?
- [00:21]
Jesse Ventura
Is this table wood?
- [00:22]
Podcast Announcer
I think it's laminate.
- [00:23]
Steve Austin
Okay.
- [00:23]
Interviewer
Yeah, that's good.
- [00:24]
Steve Austin
That's close enough.
- [00:25]
Podcast Announcer
Car selling without a catch. Sell your car today on Carvana.
- [00:29]
Adam Carolla
Pick up.
- [00:29]
Podcast Announcer
Fees may apply.
- [00:33]
Progressive Insurance Announcer
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- [01:11]
Jesse Ventura
The following program is a podcast1.com production
- [01:14]
Steve Austin
from Hollywood, California by way of the Broken Skull Ranch. This is the Steve Austin Show.
- [01:19]
Interviewer
Give me a Hell yeah. Hell yeah.
- [01:22]
Steve Austin
Now here's Steve Austin.
- [01:24]
Interviewer
All right, everybody. Welcome to Steve Austin Show. I'm coming to you from the mean streets In Los Angeles, Cal today, sitting here in my office at 316 Gimmick Street. Hey, coming up today, part two of my conversation with the one and only Jesse the Body Ventura, former governor of Minnesota. Jesse came by the house at 316 Gimmick street and we ended up talking for so long I had to split it into two episodes. So today you're going to hear the second hour. We're going to talk more pro wrestling, including about Jesse's relationship with both Vince Sr. And Vince Jr. We get into the time when Jesse tried to unionize the boys in the business and what happened. And we'll even talk about Jesse's return to Monday night raw as GM in 2009, which was after the whole Jesse Vince McMahon lawsuit. And Jesse has a new book out called the Marijuana Manifesto. He's an advocate for legalizing marijuana and you will hear why. He's also going to drop a little 411 on the history of marijuana, which I thought was quite fascinating because I didn't know that what Jesse is about to drop on us in the podcast about how marijuana got its start, so to speak. So anyway, Jesse's always a real interesting guy to talk to. I was thankful that he got a chance to come by the house here in person and just had such a great visit with him. But we'll get to Jesse here in a minute. Before we get to that, I tell you what, on this opening of the show, I thought I'd answer a couple of questions that got sent into questions@steveaulstonjo.com I get these questions so often I figured I'd go ahead and address it. This question says, hey, Steve, I've just watched the WWE's Attitude Era Unleashed Volume 3 DVD. In it, you have a match in Kuwait against Shawn Michaels, where you're wearing your usual black trunks and also a set of bright neon pink wrist and arm bands. Was there any reason behind this, as they seemed very out of place on Stone Cold? That comes from Craig. Craig, man, we was quite simply, we was over there in Kuwait. A lot of times when you get over there, you've been over there for either so long or you're so far away or whatever's going on and you're overseas, you can get away with it. A lot of times the boys will play ribs on each other. That was quite simply a rib. I can't remember if Bret Hart was on that tour or not, because I can't remember if I borrowed the pink tape from him or just someone who had some pink tape, maybe one of the trainers. And it was just a rib. Shawn and I were. We were friends. We didn't hang around each other, nothing. So he didn't really know me that well. I didn't know him, but I just figured I'd kind of pull a rib on him. And so when I taped up that night, instead of wearing the black tape on my wrist, I put the pink tape on there. And then, of course, to top that off, I used the pink bands around my arms, which was athletic tape, ultimate warrior style, and walked out there and I believe, you know, he put it over. He smiled a couple times. But Sean's got that long hair, so he was able to cover his mannerisms up. But I popped him pretty good. And then me and Sean proceeded to work just the same match. We would always work well. We never knew what we were going to do. But I didn't work into the put a sharpshooter in there because I was wearing Brett's Kellers. I didn't do anything ultimate warrior style, but it was just a rib. Cause when I came out there, everybody was used to seeing me. Black trunks, black boots, black vest. That's it. So the pink kind of popped them. And people in Kuwait, I don't think they knew what was going on either. One other rib I used to do on a lot of guys, if I worked with them a couple times or if I was just trying to break the ice right before I went to the ring, I'd get a sharpie, and in my left palm, I'd put a big ass eye, and I'd make an eye and draw eyelashes over it and everything. And it was about. It was a pretty big eyeball drawn right in the middle of my palm of my hand. So a lot of times I'd go out there into the ring, depending on who I was working with, I might lock up with them a few times, but they can't really see the writing on the inside of my hand. And so right at the beginning part of that match, maybe I'm going to call for a test of strength. And as I go for that test of strength and stick that big left palm out there with that eyeball in it, I say look into my eyes. And of course, the guy I was working with would look directly into the eye drawn on my hands and without fell. It popped almost everybody I ever worked with. I need to start laughing. I know I got an undertaker with it. He had to put his hair in front of his face and put his head down because I got him. An undertaker never breaks character at all. So that. That was just one of the little BS things I was doing. Craig. I got so many questions about that. It was a complete rib and that was it. We were just having fun out there. Here's another one I got into questions@steveaustinshow.com this is concerning Bruce Pritchard's podcast, Something to Wrestle with Bruce Prichard. He has an episode where he talked about WWE's relationship with ECW. He mentioned you met with WWE and signed with them before you headed to ECW with. Which seems to contradict what you say on your show, which is that Paul E. Brought you in and then you got the call from wwe. I was wondering if you could clarify this ambiguity. You're damn right I can, John. Bruce Pritchard's a very good friend of mine, but he's wrong on this occasion. I was not employed by WWE as a Matter of fact, I had flown in to see Vince McMahon in person one last time and. And he wanted to bring me in as a mechanic. And I knew that there was going to be no future in that, so I didn't go to the WWF anyway. So I get hurt in wcw, get the tricep worked on, I get fired. Paul Lee is the first guy that calls me. He says, come in, cut promos once a week. I went to work for Paul Lee. I don't even remember how long I was there, whether it was a couple of weeks or a couple of months. But I never signed with WWE before I saw Paul. I signed. I didn't even sign with Paul. It was a handshake agreement. I went in there and I was an ECW wrestler. Then I got the call from WWF and then I was going to be signed and go in as the ringmaster. What I did do was go up to Lima, Ohio. I know I'm pronouncing that wrong. I went to Lima, Ohio to go train with Al Snow in his gym for about five to seven days to help get some of the ring rust off.
- [07:34]
Jesse Ventura
And.
- [07:34]
Interviewer
And Al was a real cool guy. I didn't really know him a whole lot back then, but of course, you know how good Al is in the ring. Great psychology, great mechanic. And I went in there and he put me through the paces and we wrestled a lot, worked a lot. I believe DLO was there helping out as well. But I was ecw. I was not WWF prior to ecw. That part is wrong. They might have done that with some guys, but I went to ECW as an independent for myself with ecw. And then I got the call from WWF shortly after, after we started cutting all those vignettes and stuff like that, where I was making fun of wcw, the places I was mad about because I was venting my frustration because they had fired me. So that's how that came about. But what comes first? The chicken before the egg? No, ECW was first, and then WCW was second. But anyway, enough of my shenanigans on these questions and answers. Let's get to part two of my conversation with Jesse the Body Ventura. And looking back at your career, I'm thinking, unless I'm missing something from the Geigel days and watching, you know, you know, tag teaming with Adrian Adonis in AWA East West Connection, and then coming into the WWF as the body. You never work, Baby Face.
- [08:52]
Jesse Ventura
Never, never, never. Here's the thing. But once.
- [08:56]
Interviewer
When?
- [08:56]
Jesse Ventura
Once beginning. Middle, Middle. No, Portland. Portland. Know what happened there? I worked Baby Face for maybe a situation. Baby Heel turn baby. I had left and gone to Hawaii. And so they worked a split between me and Buddy Rose. I was teamed with Buddy Rose then. So we did a split between Buddy and I. Buddy was staying, so he stayed Heel. I actually switched to Baby Face for that brief program of a few weeks. And then later when they brought me back, Don flew me in right before I went. Vern, he flew me in because he had lost Snuka and he needed someone to go against Rose. So he flew me in for a two week program to work with Buddy out in Portland right before I started with the awa.
- [09:45]
Interviewer
But then I'm imagining that was an edgy babyface who was making his return based on the storyline as to why you left.
- [09:51]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah, totally situational. Situational all the way. Other than that, never did I work Baby Face. Never was I brought in as one. Never did I want to be one. Because Baby Faces couldn't create.
- [10:04]
Interviewer
That's interesting.
- [10:05]
Jesse Ventura
As a heel you could create Baby Face. It was mom, apple pie and the girl back home. You couldn't insult no one. You couldn't be controversial unless. And there was the old saying, Steve, from before your day, they gotta hate you before they can love you.
- [10:22]
Interviewer
Yeah, but I've always. And I've always felt, though also as a heel, you have so much freedom. You can have egg on your face, you can trip on the bottom rope. Not to say you want to be a comedy act, but you can, you can screw up and it's okay as that baby, I just didn't. Certainly you had creativity or freedom. Not as much as you could. Okay, the original question was, put it
- [10:43]
Jesse Ventura
this way, I wouldn't have made no money as a baby face.
- [10:47]
Interviewer
Okay. But that. Okay, the original question was your definition of or explanation of how you get over. Because like you said, we've seen charismatic talkers who really can't work at much have great runs. So what is the factor? So we glossed over that. But everywhere you go, whether it's running for mayor, whether it was running for governor, you won and you were the reform or you were the independent. So you can make people like you. Yeah, but you're really good at making people hate you.
- [11:17]
Jesse Ventura
Hate you.
- [11:18]
Interviewer
You don't think you could have had a successful babyface run? Because here's what I think superstar Billy Graham was. I think, like the DVD they made for him was 20 years ahead of his time. Had Vince Senior had the foresight, like, look kind of like what Vince McMahon did with me the double term with Brett, he would have been a monster baby had he let him run. But he drops the title to Backland, he goes off the reservation, and it was never the same.
- [11:43]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah.
- [11:44]
Interviewer
Could you. Could you have been a baby face? Because you can get people to vote for you to sell yourself. I guess you make great arguments.
- [11:50]
Jesse Ventura
I guess I never had the opportunity. It never rose to me.
- [11:56]
Interviewer
My natural instinct was to be a heel.
- [11:58]
Jesse Ventura
Me, too. I never wanted to be a baby face.
- [12:00]
Interviewer
I didn't either.
- [12:01]
Jesse Ventura
Never.
- [12:02]
Interviewer
Great run, but I didn't want it.
- [12:03]
Jesse Ventura
Never. I didn't want. I didn't want it. Never. Never was. Except for the situational short time with Buddy Rose where we split the team up and we went our separate ways. But other than that, I was always a villain. Always wanted to be one. Didn't want to be mom, apple pie and the girl back home, because I just felt that wouldn't allow me to create like I wanted to create.
- [12:23]
Interviewer
But also, back in that day, you couldn't have got away with something. Some of the stuff that I was getting away with, which was considered cool, or I was very abrasive, but I had a very physical work style, but I was talking so much trash. It was entertaining people. Back in that day, it was more traditional. The business hadn't evolved to where it had in, say, 96, 97.
- [12:43]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah. Oh, yeah, absolutely. That's like when people say to me, who's the greatest wrestler of all time? I go, you can't answer that. I always remember this year in the Olympics when Bella Caroli, gymnastics coach, they started to pin him down on that girl today, or Nadia Comanich. And Bella was great. He said, that's impossible. He said, they're two different eras. You cannot compare two different eras. Both were unique in their own way. And wrestling's the same way. You can't name, like, and say, Hulk Hogan's the greatest ever, or Bruno was the greatest ever, or Steve Austin's the greatest ever. They were the greatest for their era. And you have to just like baseball, Henry Aaron, Home run king, you know, Babe Ruth, Home run King. That's their own era of time when they do it. And because one actually beats the other in number, well, there's a lot of things that could cause that. You know, the ball's livelier, it flies farther. Who knows, you know, whatever it could be. That's the reason you can never make comparisons between decades to decades, because it's a different time, it's a different place and different elements in place. And how the big Business was perceived
- [13:59]
Interviewer
when you first came into wwf, what year was that? Because that was the old man running the territory in 81. 81, yeah. What was the difference between. And everything evolves. But still it was pretty specific between the old man and Vince taking it over when his dad sold the territory to him. My question is, what is the difference between the old man and working with Vince?
- [14:21]
Jesse Ventura
Well, the difference was as a promoter, the old man was the smoothest ever. He. You could go into him. I went into him so angry one day, went in, met with Vince Sr. Walked out, achieved nothing and felt good. And 10 minutes later I was pissed again because I thought he schmoozed me. I got nothing and yet I left like I won and I didn't where the kid, he didn't have something, he didn't have that the old man had. The old man could, like I said, give you nothing and you felt he gave you the world. And I don't know how he did it. Just his whole Persona and his gentlemanly. Never raised his voice. He was the complete opposite of any. The old man never ever talked loud. In fact, he barely. He would anything. He always had his own villains that passed on as bad news never came from him. He had other people that would give the bad news out on anything. Of course, though, to side with Vinnie the Kid. The old man kept his allegiance to the old promoters and all that stuff. And when Vinnie came along, Vinnie was good and I'll call him Vinnie as opposed to. Because he had a dream and a vision and maybe he wanted to beat his dad. I don't know, maybe it was. You know what? I'm going to take this colossal, great thing my father created and I'm going to be Dr. Frankenstein and take it to a level that my dad would never have dreamed it could have gotten to. And he did. I give Vince Credit. He's the P.T. barnum of the generation. And you know, and one thing about Vince, he'll gamble too. The year we did football and all that, he'll roll the dice real quick
- [16:25]
Interviewer
on promoters, though, just working with Geigel,
- [16:29]
Jesse Ventura
Don Owen in Portland, Ed Francis in Hawaii, Vern Gagne in Minneapolis and Vince Sr. In New York.
- [16:37]
Interviewer
Give me a common thread of all those guys operating. And if you're in there for any kind of period of time, as far as psychology of trying to keep all the boys in a state of everything's cool, because you know what?
- [16:49]
Jesse Ventura
The egos and the common thread between all of them.
- [16:53]
Interviewer
Okay, okay, here's the.
- [16:54]
Jesse Ventura
They screw the boys over that's the common thread. They all have their own ways, they all have their own techniques, but essentially they're doing the same thing.
- [17:04]
Interviewer
But you give it to. You give it to Vince Senior for being the smoothest.
- [17:08]
Jesse Ventura
Oh, he was the smoothest operator. Like I said, Steve, I wish you'd have gotten a chance to work for him. You'd have walked in so angry over something, and you'd have walked out feeling he solved the whole thing. And then 10 minutes later, you realized he didn't solve anything. He just got me out of the office and got me off my high horse, and he accomplished what he needed to get done.
- [17:30]
Interviewer
But I'll give you something, because you didn't deal with him in your later years because you'd already been through the business and worked and moved on. But Vince Jr, he assumed those qualities because I had many dealings with him, but I was on the same page with him. One time we had a meeting at catering, and it was one of those things where everybody gets together, you know, put the rally caps on and get the morale up and. Anybody have any questions? One particular person stood up and asked a question, and I don't remember the question, but it was so basic, you knew what the answer was going to be. And Vince spun that person around and just. You could see the cycle going. And then the person goes, okay, and sits down. And everybody in the room except that person knew that they had got hoodwinked and they witnessed it firsthand. So I've seen many cases of it, and I've heard other guys say the same things about going in and see the old man, and all of a sudden everything's hunky dory. Fine. The door slams, you can't go back, and five seconds later, I didn't get anything accomplished.
- [18:29]
Jesse Ventura
You know what? The greatest compliment I was ever paid.
- [18:32]
Interviewer
I've heard this. What was it?
- [18:33]
Jesse Ventura
Freddie Blassie?
- [18:34]
Interviewer
Yes.
- [18:35]
Jesse Ventura
Classy Fred Blassi? Yep. Freddie. One day, apparently, when. When I was at the height of the whole Saturday night main event, I had my own dressing room, never asked for it, but all of a sudden I got a dressing room with my dame on it and all this. And I heard Freddie stood up one day with the boys and says, there's only one guy in this whole territory that calls his own shots with Vince, and that's Jesse Ventura. And I can't tell you, you know, having known old grumpy Freddy Blassie, if you ever met him. I did. Freddy, that's the greatest compliment Fred could have ever given me. And he'll always be dear in my heart. More so than managing me was for when he said that that there's only one guy that calls his own shots. With Vince, we used to go to
- [19:23]
Interviewer
the Garden and Freddie would show up. You know, he's getting. He's getting on up there. But I always have conversations. Conversations with him. Yeah. God. Just to respect. And he had this charisma about him, as you know.
- [19:32]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah.
- [19:33]
Interviewer
Like you said, for a guy like that to push you over.
- [19:35]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah.
- [19:35]
Interviewer
And some of the things I've done when a veteran will put you over and say that was good, it doesn't mean anything about tickets sold. It's if that person has validated what they thought about you.
- [19:44]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah. It's for Freddie to say that that was always made me pride to sit for an old timer to say that.
- [19:50]
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- [21:07]
Podcast Announcer
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- [21:21]
Jesse Ventura
moment you head home.
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Podcast Announcer
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- [21:26]
Jesse Ventura
because a great trip starts with the right support.
- [21:29]
Podcast Announcer
And, hey, a good playlist doesn't hurt either.
- [21:37]
Steve Austin
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- [21:43]
Jesse Ventura
Even if it means to sitting front row at a comedy show.
- [21:46]
Steve Austin
Hey, everyone, check out this guy and his bird.
- [21:49]
Jesse Ventura
What is this, your first date?
- [21:50]
Steve Austin
Oh, no. We help people customize and save on car insurance with Liberty Mutual.
- [21:54]
Jesse Ventura
Together. We're married. Me to a human, him to a bird.
- [21:57]
Interviewer
Yeah, the bird looks out of your league.
- [21:58]
Steve Austin
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- [22:03]
Jesse Ventura
Liberty. Liberty.
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Jesse Ventura
Another pina colada.
- [22:12]
Steve Austin
Yes, please.
- [22:13]
Podcast Announcer
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- [22:17]
Jesse Ventura
Fantastic.
- [22:18]
Podcast Announcer
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- [22:20]
Jesse Ventura
You're hired.
- [22:20]
Steve Austin
And you're hired.
- [22:21]
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- [22:37]
Steve Austin
Steve Austin Show.
- [22:38]
Interviewer
I read that you never ever signed a contract with WWF and that you never took a piss test.
- [22:43]
Jesse Ventura
Never.
- [22:45]
Interviewer
Did everybody else sign a contract?
- [22:46]
Jesse Ventura
I guess I didn't look out for everyone else. We're independent contractors, Vince.
- [22:51]
Interviewer
So to speak.
- [22:52]
Jesse Ventura
Wait, Vince, wait. Vince is lucky I didn't go for the senate, because had I gone into the senate, I would have started a senatorial investigation as to why pro wrestlers are called independent contractors when they're not. You work for one company, they order you around, they control your whole life. How are you possibly an independent contractor except for they don't have to pay your Social Security. That's why. And so Vince is lucky that I never got to the senate because I would have investigated that. Because to me, look at the thousands of dollars it's cost all of us wrestlers to have to pay 15% or whatever it is as an independent contractor on our taxes. That's a B. That's been under my saddle since I began wrestling. I thought, we are not independent contractors. I can't work for another promoter on Wednesday and then work for you on Friday. It don't work that way. How are we independent contractors?
- [23:55]
Interviewer
You brought up the idea of a union way back in the day. What was it, 84?
- [23:59]
Jesse Ventura
No, it was right before WrestleMania 2. Okay, because I left and did Predator and became part of the Screen Actors Guild. And before I signed with Vince, I told him, don't worry about union Vin. If they don't want it, that's their fault.
- [24:14]
Interviewer
But when you brought up the idea, like, did you have any design on how it would be run, what you wanted to try to accomplish?
- [24:20]
Jesse Ventura
All I wanted, all I did. It was WrestleMania 2, two weeks before it. All the publicity had gone out. The vantage was ours. See, Jesse Ventura studies business. The advantage was ours. I waited so there was no agents around. I stood up in the dressing room and I gave a speech to the boys. And this was at the time we were still battling Charlotte. And I said, if we go together and simply tell the media we are not wrestling unless union negotiators, by federal law, come in and give us the opportunity to unionize. I said, guys, the people that turn on the lights in these buildings are union. I said, they have to do it by law. It's in our favor. Then if we engage the Charlotte guys to do the same thing, we can have a union in wrestling. I gave this big speech. I left it there. I went home the next night. I got a call from Vince, who basically threatened to fire me if I ever brought it up again and read me the riot act. And I then went and did WrestleMania 2 and immediately left and did Predator and was a member of the Screen Actors Guild. Now my union that I get retirement from. Now, health care, from all of that, from. And so when I came back to Vince, I told him point blank, vince, I won't ever bring up union again. I said, if these guys are too stupid to fight for their rights, I have my union now. I'm a member of the Screen Actors Guild. I get health care. I get retirement. I get everything from them. I'll pay my union dues. You won't hear from me. Well, then when I sued Vince, we had to depose him. And on the way out, I told my lawyer the story. And in deposition, you can bring up anything. And I said, if you can, David, find out who ratted me. I said, find out who ratted me that day. Because it was one of the boys. Because there were no agents there. And so we got in there, Vince, and my attorney was great. He says, Mr. McMahon, he said, has there ever been a union in wrestling, Vince? No. Anyone ever try to form one? Vince sat a minute. He says, well, yeah, as a matter of fact, I think Jesse Ventura spouted his mouth off about it once years ago. And my attorney goes, well, how do you know that? Did you hear him? No. Well, how did you know he spouted his mouth? He didn't even hesitate. Hulk Hogan told me I was sitting in the chair and had a deposition.
- [26:59]
Interviewer
You didn't sell it.
- [27:00]
Jesse Ventura
Well, at a deposition, you can't talk. You gotta be. I was there. It was like someone punched me in the face. This was my friend. And I thought Hogan betrayed me. Hogan called Vince and ratted me. Was an office stooge. In my day, that's what they were called. That was a low life. An office Somebody who reports to the office in the old days. And it stunned me. Stunned me. I sat there in the chair, and I couldn't even think that it was Hogan. And then Vince admitted it on Larry King, too. And there's no reason for him to lie. He's under swore an oath. And then Hogan continued to lie about it and said he didn't do it. And I've never spoken to him since. And I don't care to, because in my opinion, Hogan sold me out. And then I found out in the trial. Why?
- [27:56]
Interviewer
Why?
- [27:56]
Jesse Ventura
Well, in the trial, we got the records of WrestleMania 3, the big one, him and Andre. Well, Hogan made more money than all of us combined, including Andre. If you took the payoffs of Andre and the whole rest of the card, Hogan made more than we did. So naturally, he didn't want a union that could even out the money a little bit more. And when I saw that he made more than Andre and all of us combined, then the picture was crystal clear to me that he sold us out because he was getting taken care of, and he didn't want nobody else horning in on the good deal he had.
- [28:38]
Interviewer
How was going back in 2009 when you were the general manager for night of Monday Night Raw and you got a chance to interact with Vince?
- [28:45]
Jesse Ventura
Yep.
- [28:46]
Interviewer
Couple of promos, and then you did color on a match.
- [28:48]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah.
- [28:49]
Interviewer
Well, y' all clicked right back into the old gear for me.
- [28:53]
Jesse Ventura
I took it as that when they flew me there, I turned to my son, because my son came with me that night. And I turned to him and I said, ty, I said, please bear with me tonight, but this is an opportunity for one night, for me to go back and be who? And so did you notice, I villained it?
- [29:11]
Interviewer
Yes.
- [29:11]
Jesse Ventura
Everyone was gonna cheer me, and I right away turned and went villain. I did that on purpose. I said, I want to be the old Jesse. And so I went there and went against all the baby crap and went total villain. And what it did, it gave me a fleeting moment of enjoyment of what it used to be. It's like anything in life when you leave something and you never do it again. Rarely do you get an opportunity to relive the feeling. And that's what it gave me for that one night to revive, you know,
- [29:43]
Interviewer
after the lawsuits, after all the bs, you know, to me, it was business.
- [29:48]
Jesse Ventura
Just business, just business. Vince was treating me fine. We were both scratching each other's back. I can't complain about Vince, because here's the thing. I'm embarrassed over Steve, and I Think you were part of this? The biggest payday I ever received in wrestling was when I refereed the match in Minneapolis. Was Governor 98 or 99? It was 99. And what I say, I'm embarrassed over that. As a wrestler, how can I say my biggest payoff was being a referee? I'm a wrestler. Referees, come on. Those are the old washed up guys or the guys who couldn't wrestle in the first place and want to be in the business. No offense to the referees, but here I'm getting the biggest payoff I've ever gotten in my life and it's because I'm a frickin ref. You know, that part of it was tough to take. The money was great. You know, it overshadowed it.
- [30:50]
Interviewer
I'm glad you brought that up because here's something that happened during that match and I don't know if you know about this to this day. So I was part of that match. It was me.
- [30:57]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah. Six men, Triple H. Yeah.
- [30:59]
Interviewer
And it's like a triple threat match.
- [31:01]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah, yeah.
- [31:02]
Interviewer
I hate those kind of matches.
- [31:03]
Jesse Ventura
I'd never seen one before, so it was new to me.
- [31:06]
Interviewer
I love tag team wrestling. When I was with, with Brian, sure come to love it. But I was always like a singles guy.
- [31:12]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah.
- [31:12]
Interviewer
So anyway, we're in this triple threat and I think Shane McMahon came ringside and I was standing on the bottom rope and he came by the ring. I took a swipe at him and when I did, this was the first night. That was the first night that I started wearing the double knee braces. I used to wear one, but now I was wearing double because the knees were so bad. Well, I tipped over and went upside down. And when I did, I hung myself in the ropes. So I'm hanging upside down by my legs. There's no way I can right myself back up. And so something just happened. Maybe it was something you did with Shane, but all of a sudden you go into a strut and I'm hanging upside down. I can't ask Mick or Triple H to hey, help me out. I can't get out here.
- [31:56]
Jesse Ventura
Sure.
- [31:56]
Interviewer
So as you're strutting, I'm hanging upside down going Jesse, Jesse, Jesse. And you're caught up in a moment. We got 20,000 people there. I'm hanging upside down on the top baby face in the world. And I'm screwed. And so finally Triple H and me,
- [32:12]
Jesse Ventura
who always had such a genius. I don't even remember.
- [32:14]
Interviewer
No, you didn't. But Triple H, he writes me up and he had no business Doing so because he's a heel.
- [32:20]
Jesse Ventura
Sure.
- [32:20]
Interviewer
And this is one of those moments. Every now and then, I'll botch a high spot or something with Triple H, who I loved working with. And right away I had to start punching like, God dang it.
- [32:29]
Jesse Ventura
God dang it. God dang it.
- [32:31]
Interviewer
But I'm using the other word.
- [32:32]
Jesse Ventura
Sure.
- [32:32]
Interviewer
And we went to a whole high spot, but it was so embarrassing. It was just unfriend believable. I'm like, Jesse, I'm just waiting, man. You took care of me in 92 and down in WCW, helped me out in 99, get me back on my feet.
- [32:46]
Jesse Ventura
I don't even remember I had the enjoyment that night. What I really took pride in as referee, I actually backed down China that night.
- [32:57]
Interviewer
Really?
- [32:57]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah. She backed up from. She sold me. And remember, China wasn't taking crap from nobody there.
- [33:03]
Interviewer
She was over strong.
- [33:04]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah, yeah, yeah. She was over big. But I got along well with her. I was really saddened when I learned she died. I know I was really. Because, you know, she had a background, but she always. She was very fair to me and I liked her. I really enjoyed her. She was a strange woman, you know, but. But an unbelievably good talent.
- [33:27]
Interviewer
She was an absolute sweetheart.
- [33:29]
Jesse Ventura
Oh, and she was a great talent.
- [33:30]
Interviewer
We all had our own issues, but a great look. She was over strong.
- [33:34]
Jesse Ventura
Oh, and a great talent.
- [33:36]
Interviewer
Yeah.
- [33:36]
Jesse Ventura
A phenomenal talent.
- [33:37]
Interviewer
And I had a charisma. We had this kind of a relationship. Just kind of a goofy or silly sense of humor.
- [33:43]
Jesse Ventura
Steve, let's get to the book.
- [33:44]
Interviewer
Let's talk about. We got a good book segue to it, because I know you got to go.
- [33:47]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah.
- [33:48]
Interviewer
The Marijuana Manifesto. I'm on chapter three. Everybody listening to my podcast knows that I have a hard time reading. But the forward by. Who's it? Ken Duffy?
- [33:58]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah. No, Cubby. Steve Cubby.
- [34:00]
Interviewer
Steve Cubby. That thing's halfway riveting.
- [34:03]
Jesse Ventura
Oh, yeah. It's an outrage.
- [34:06]
Interviewer
It is.
- [34:06]
Jesse Ventura
It's an outrage. Let me explain why this is a focus to me now.
- [34:11]
Interviewer
I know. Seizures, right?
- [34:13]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah. I had. Someone very close to me developed epileptic seizures and was seizing three to four times a week. Not only was this person's quality of life gone, so was mine. Because if you've ever had to deal with a person with seizures, it's hopeless. You're hopeless. You don't know what you can do. You want to do something, and there's nothing you can do to bring them back until the seizure runs its course. And we had gone Our quality of life was gone. The person went to the doctor, got put on four different pharmaceutical medicines. One, one, the next one, the next, none of them worked. The seizures continued. All the pharmaceuticals had horrible side effects. One was hair falling out, all these horrible side effects. Finally, in desperation, we went to Colorado and I managed. We got what they call medical marijuana. Three drops under the tongue, three times a day. It's now in pill form. One pill in the morning, one pill at night. This person's completely off seizure. Pharma medicine now has been seizure free for two and a half years and it cured her. This person and I owe my life, my latter golden years to marijuana. So I've now made it a focus that I want to see it legal across America before I die. And that's going to be one of my focuses, is to see that happen because there's other people out there suffering. And the thing that I found in researching this book is we're lied to in history. They've lied to us. When you find out marijuana was the economic backbone of this country for 160 years.
- [36:02]
Interviewer
I didn't know that until I read the book.
- [36:03]
Jesse Ventura
Exactly. And I like to say this. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, if they live today, they'd be raided by the DEA, they'd be doing 10 to 12 years in a federal penitentiary as major drug dealers because they raised and sold massive amounts of marijuana back then. The only reason cotton replaced it in the south was when they invented the cotton gin. It was marijuana before that. This country and my other argument, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and Betsy Ross's flag are all made out of marijuana. If that doesn't make it all American, what could? And I argue we allow tobacco, we allow alcohol. Why is marijuana. And then you learn why. Because William Randolph Hearst wanted to corner the market, so he paid off the politicians to make it illegal so we'd have to buy his lumber from lumber and trees, the paper rather than marijuana. I love to throw this out too. My friend Willie Nelson. I've been to Willie's home and Willie's a great guy. He is a phenomenal guy. Oh, yeah, right in Austin.
- [37:19]
Interviewer
Well, he loves to be on the bus.
- [37:20]
Jesse Ventura
Well, that's the point I'm getting to. Willie doesn't only smoke pot, which, who cares? So did Satchmo. Louis B. Armstrong came out and said he smoked before every time he plays. Now, if that gets you Willie Nelson and it gets you Louis B. Armstrong, I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with marijuana. And Willie, not only does he Partake in it, which everyone knows about. Get this. He runs all his tour buses on biodiesel fuel from marijuana so it can power our vehicles. This plant is so remarkable. When you learn about it, you think, why have we been eradicating it? And then I love to throw this in, Steve, for all the religious people out there, okay, then you have to admit God made marijuana because it was here before we were. So if God made it, what right do we have to destroy it? To destroy something God made. And if he made it, then, as the stories go, he made it for us to use it. Everything was put on Earth for us to use. Why aren't we using it the proper way? And I dedicated the book to my friend Tommy Chong, because people laugh about Cheech and Chong. He made his living at pot. But Tommy's a brilliant guy if you ever meet him or read his on the Internet. And Tommy informed me there should be no difference between what they call medical and recreational, because the people that smoke it for the euphoric feeling are doing it for mental health. They're doing it. And what's wrong with that? I'd rather have someone take a hit of a pot than be on Prozac, you know? And so if you smoke it for your mental health, you're not harming anybody. Why? How can, in a free country, can you commit a crime against yourself?
- [39:15]
Interviewer
There's so many arguments, and I'm only at the beginning of the book, but there's so many arguments for and against. In Colorado, it's legal, right? Well, technically, because you can only buy so much.
- [39:26]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah.
- [39:27]
Interviewer
If you can go and buy as
- [39:28]
Jesse Ventura
many cigarettes, as many alcohol as I want, that's when it's legal. That's when it's legal. When you can walk in and there's no limit, you can buy as much alcohol or cigarettes as you want.
- [39:39]
Interviewer
Right. Or cheeseburgers.
- [39:41]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah, exactly. So why shouldn't you? Why do they limit you to an ounce of marijuana? Or a half an ounce is the most a visitor can buy?
- [39:52]
Interviewer
So I don't understand the argument why that's the way it is.
- [39:54]
Jesse Ventura
But the good thing is it's happening state by state. That's the way it's going to be legalized. Because California is going to vote next this fall, and I fully want them. I expect them to legalize. I hope it happens out here.
- [40:07]
Interviewer
I would think in California, just because of California, that that's what it would be.
- [40:11]
Jesse Ventura
Well, when in some of the Colorado, all the bad things they told you about it aren't Happening.
- [40:18]
Interviewer
No, but what about the Rick, what about just driving under the influence? I mean, because if you drink and drive, there's a breath meter and they can tell you what percentage you're driving at. And there's a 0.10 or 0.08 depending on what state you're in. So with respect to marijuana, you know, I've driven.
- [40:34]
Jesse Ventura
It's called personal responsibility. You're not supposed to drive under the influence of anything. I could counter Steve, and say I think texting and cell phones are more dangerous.
- [40:47]
Interviewer
I would agree.
- [40:48]
Jesse Ventura
You know, and people do that. Drive out here in LA today and take a look at. As people drive, half of them are looking, half of them are looking at a cell phone. Well, excuse me, that's a two ton projectile that goes 100 miles an hour that you're in charge of. You ought to be paying attention to what you're doing. It's like I said when I was governor, with freedom comes a price. We all want freedom, but along with freedom comes the ying and the yang of it, the freedom to be stupid. And we have to accept that. And as I used to say, you can't legislate stupidity. People are going to do stupid things. And in the case of yes, you should not drive under the influence of marijuana. But also the testing's unfair because if they were to test you, you could smoke pot on Saturday and on Thursday, if you're pulled over, you'll test positive. Well, you're not under the influence of marijuana five days later. So they need to find a mechanism that will immediately are you under the influence while you're driving. But on the flip side, if you are driving on pot, chances are you're going slower, chances are you're abiding by the laws. More so than speeding, maybe.
- [42:06]
Interviewer
But if they were to have that mechanism, do you think that would help the cause?
- [42:10]
Jesse Ventura
Maybe, maybe not. Because every day In America there's 300,000 drunk drivers out there who doesn't know it's illegal. There's no excuse to drink and drive. And people still do it, don't they? Correct. And they're not outlawing alcohol, are they? But so that's my point.
- [42:29]
Interviewer
Is it Big pharma?
- [42:32]
Jesse Ventura
Oh, that's one of them. Oh, it's big pharma. It's the tobacco industry, it's the alcohol industry. None of them want it legal because that all cuts into their profits. If someone, they've already proven one of the major lies we've always been told, that marijuana is a gateway drug to heroin and yet now it's been proven in every state that's legalized marijuana, heroin usage has dropped. It's done the opposite. And when you look today and Hillary Clinton takes the chicken way out, like all politicians. Well, we need more testing. No, we don't. There's a university in Israel, the Cannabis University. We fund it. The doctor over there knows everything about it. He's already stated it will help post traumatic stress for soldiers coming home. He stated it will help the head trauma in the NFL. Yes, it already. As you saw Steve Cubby, it cures some forms of cancer. It stops you. If you're getting chemotherapy, you're able to eat and consume food. It has so many positives to the small amount of negatives that it is ridiculous that this is not available to everybody who needs it or wants it. And it's jobs waiting to happen. Steve. How many people work in the tobacco industry? How many people work in the alcohol industry? How many jobs are waiting the state of Washington? You know what their first windfall was when they legalized, and I can tell you as a governor, this is mammoth. They saw a 15% drop in their statewide judicial budget. 15%. You're talking hundreds of millions of dollars out of your judicial budget. As taxpayers, you don't have to pay for that. See, people need to understand every time a person gets arrested for anything that costs you money. It costs you tax to arrest anybody for anything. Well, why are we arresting people for committing crimes against themselves in a free country?
- [44:44]
Interviewer
God damn it.
- [44:46]
Jesse Ventura
There is no argument. Why would it be illegal when George Washington and Thomas Jefferson used it? Excuse me. They were smoking pot and they wrote the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. You know, I find those two documents pretty damn good. And get this. Washington even knew in his diary he knew about cross pollination. He talked one year. He was angry because he let his Hampshire cross pollinate. He lost his female and male plants. So they obviously knew about the euphoric feeling too.
- [45:22]
Interviewer
Yes.
- [45:23]
Jesse Ventura
And what's wrong with it? Like I've told people, if I went to a party and was offered a party to go to a drinking party or a pot party, I'd take the pot party. The chances of violence are slim to none. With drinking, it's 50. 50. Nobody's gonna throw up on me. And you can smoke pot til three in the morning and get up and go to work and function drinking. You drink till 3 o', clock, get up at 7, you ain't gonna work.
- [45:50]
Mackenzie
My name's Mackenzie and I started a GoFundMe for the adoptive mother of a non verbal autistic child. The mother had lost her job because she wasn't able to find adequate care for this autistic child. So she really needed some help with living expenses, paying some back bills. So I launched a GoFundMe to help support them during this crisis and we raised about $10,000 within just a couple of months. I think that the surprising thing was by telling a clear story and just like really being very clear about what we needed, we had some really generous donations from people who are really moved by the situation that this family was struggling with.
- [46:37]
Podcast Announcer
GoFundMe is the world's number one fundraising platform, trusted by over 200 million people. Start your GoFundMe today at gofundme.com that's gofundme.com gofundme.com this podcast is supported by GoFundMe.
- [46:51]
Steve Austin
This podcast is sponsored by Talkspace. November is Men's Health Awareness Month. So Talkspace wants guys to know that being prepared for life's biggest challenges and opportunities means prioritizing mental health too. Talkspace can help you go beyond fine tuned workouts, supplements and productivity hacks. Talkspace can help you fine tune your inner life so you can succeed in being the best version of yourself in any situation. And with Talkspace, you can get therapy from anywhere and on your time. You can even text your therapist between sessions. If you're depressed, stressed, struggling with a relationship, or just need a little extra one on one support, Talkspace is here for you. Plus, Talkspace takes most insurance and most insured members have a $0 copay. Men's Health Awareness Month is the perfect time to reach out to TalkSpace. Now. Get $80 off your first month with promo code space80 when you go to talkspace.com match with a licensed therapist today at talkspace.com and save $80 with code space80@talkspace.com that's talkspace.com, promo code space80.
- [47:51]
Podcast Announcer
This is a paid message from GoFundMe. Meet Juan Naula. When a son was hospitalized for a viral infection, Juan started a GoFundMe to pay for medical expenses.
- [48:02]
Juan Naula
It was 5k to pay the bill for my son and I need only 22 hours. It was amazing. People really trust on GoFundMe.
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Podcast Announcer
How did Juan raise $5,000 in less than a day? He posted a short video on GoFundMe telling his story in 30 seconds.
- [48:18]
Juan Naula
30 seconds. Be specific, be quick and tell what are you going to be using the funds for? I was nervous to do it because it doesn't feel okay to ask money. But you shouldn't be nervous. Sometimes you just have to do it and see the results. We were able to save my son's life thanks to gofundme that we still have my son with us.
- [48:41]
Podcast Announcer
Start your GoFundMe today at gofundme.com that's gofundme.com gofundme.com this message reflects one person's experience.
- [48:51]
Interviewer
Question. It's taken you about a year to put the research together. You and your at least Skyhorse with Jen.
- [48:58]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah.
- [48:59]
Interviewer
To put this book together.
- [49:00]
Jesse Ventura
40 pages of notes.
- [49:01]
Interviewer
Talk about. Just for a second. Now you gotta leave. But you're talking about with Skyhorse Publishing. You and your partner there. He's gonna get a lot of heat for putting this book out.
- [49:09]
Jesse Ventura
Knowing Tony Lyons.
- [49:10]
Interviewer
Yeah, Tony Lyons.
- [49:11]
Jesse Ventura
Cause you, you said Tony don't care. That's great about Tony.
- [49:15]
Interviewer
He'll take the heat. What kind of heat comes from a book like this?
- [49:20]
Jesse Ventura
From the status quo. From heat from the government. The federal government doesn't want it legal. They make money off keeping it illegal.
- [49:28]
Interviewer
Correct.
- [49:29]
Jesse Ventura
And so, and not only that, but if the feds come out now and legalize it, then don't they have to let everybody out of prison that's in there for pot? Wouldn't you think? If they see that's why they won't legalize. Because they now have corporate run prisons. And in a corporate run prison, you have to have it full so the corporation can turn profit to the state stockholders. So it's imperative to keep pot smokers in jail so that the corporate run prisons can make money for the private corporations. But Obama's come out and said he's going to end that. Great, great.
- [50:04]
Interviewer
In the Atlantic. You did an interview with those guys July 25, 2016. You say you're paying a price for writing some of the books that you've written. You can't get hired in the United States. You're blackballed here.
- [50:15]
Jesse Ventura
Yep. Well, mainly. Mainly I'm blackballed over the Chris Kyle thing.
- [50:20]
Interviewer
Okay. The Chris Kyle thing.
- [50:22]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah. Because he lied.
- [50:24]
Interviewer
We know the story.
- [50:25]
Jesse Ventura
Yep.
- [50:25]
Interviewer
But I mean. So how does that make you feel? I mean, you still Minnesota, but you're here now. I take you. Well, I love you to death.
- [50:33]
Jesse Ventura
I know. And you do. And some do. But as the person in the room can testify, when I was out in New York, I got read off in the lobby of a hotel over the Chris Kyle thing. And this was February, this was September 11th of 2016.
- [50:50]
Interviewer
All you're doing, standing up for your story.
- [50:52]
Jesse Ventura
Well, but all I did was he lied about me. And I went to court and proved it. But, see, now I'm a target.
- [51:01]
Interviewer
You're a bad guy.
- [51:01]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah, because the Court of Appeals overturned the jury. They broke a 76 year rule, and they broke a second rule that they ruled the opposite three days later on in a different case.
- [51:14]
Interviewer
Y' all going back to court?
- [51:16]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah. I have to retry the whole case. They've ordered a new trial. Yes, it is.
- [51:21]
Interviewer
But I'm a target as a sniper for our country. But in this, I don't know why you're the villain.
- [51:27]
Jesse Ventura
Well, I don't know why either, because all I did was stand up for a lie. He lied about me.
- [51:32]
Interviewer
You stand up for yourself.
- [51:33]
Jesse Ventura
And he lied about me. And he lied about a lot of other things. The latest, they caught him. He lied about his medals. The Navy had to come out and make the correction.
- [51:44]
Interviewer
Will you get any heat off the marijuana manifesto?
- [51:47]
Jesse Ventura
Sure, I probably will. The dea. I don't speak very highly. I want them disbanded. I feel that the Drug Enforcement Agency, they're as bad as the cartels. There's cases they break into homes, shoot and kill people, and then find out they got the wrong address. And nobody goes to jail for it. Nobody's held accountable, I guess. It's a real war. Civilians always die as collateral damage in war.
- [52:12]
Interviewer
Is there another book up your sleeve?
- [52:15]
Jesse Ventura
There will be, I think. One more. One more. I won't talk about it now, but you have to be motivated to write on something. And I'll be writing one more book that probably won't be popular. I don't know.
- [52:30]
Interviewer
Okay.
- [52:31]
Jesse Ventura
But I have to do it. I'll tell you what it is. It's going to be a book on my trial.
- [52:37]
Interviewer
Really?
- [52:38]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah. I want the public to see the transcripts of the trial and see what this court of appeals did. And all this because I think the public needs to know that when you're a person like me who stands up as an individual, that you can get targeted by them. I don't know how you feel about Mr. Snowden, but to me, he's a hero because he exposed the government for violating the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution. And yet he's treated like a criminal. And if he comes home, he'll be arrested and put in prison. Well, do you know who John Caricou is?
- [53:14]
Interviewer
No.
- [53:14]
Jesse Ventura
Oh, you need to have him on. He's a former CIA agent who refused to take torture training to torture people. He's the one that exposed the torture in Iraq. Guess who went to jail? He did. The guy who refused to torture and who would and exposed that we were committing war crimes, torturing people. He ended up two years in prison. Can't get a job today. And they've literally destroyed him because he told the truth about us committing a war crime. And I'm not at the level of John, but I still feel I'm a target like him.
- [53:56]
Interviewer
You're about to head out the door
- [53:57]
Jesse Ventura
and I've signed a new contract. People didn't realize 34 major media conglomerates came into my trial in the peels to have it overturned. Every major media in America wanted my verdict overturned and they did it. They used their influence on these two judges, Riley and Sheppard, and they. Plus here's what they violated in a court case. If you're going to object to final argument. If something said in final argument, you must object in front of the jury so that the judge has a chance to rule and the jury has a chance to hear it. They never objected. The jury left at 11:58. At 12:02 they objected and the judge overruled them. The two judges then overturned the case over something that was never objected to during the case, which broke a 76 year rule. Then they overturned a Minnesota law called unjust enrichment. They now say that can't apply. Well, the rules to the appeals court state you can only argue the theory that was argued in the trial while the media came in and argued a new theory and they accepted it. Three days later on another case they ruled directly the opposite way. And I'll state this, it even came out. I've heard from other judges have said clearly Jesse Ventura, they're out to get him.
- [55:29]
Interviewer
How about if I finish the book? I know you're gonna go. Are you gonna go back to Mexico when you get done making your media rounds?
- [55:33]
Jesse Ventura
No. In fact, I'll tell you what I'm doing. Being that I'm blackballed in the US media and no one will allow me. I took a job on the Internet where the company's owned by Carlos Slim the Mexican. Well, that didn't did it a year and a half and that didn't quite work out because of other things. But during that time my show was picked up by Russian television and I've now signed a two year contract with Russian television. I will be there with Russian TV the night of the election. And people call Russian TV a propaganda tool by the Russian government. That's a lie. Yes, we're financed by Russia, but so is pbs, financed by our government here. Pbs. Plus, we don't have no advertising, so Big Pharma can't control me, or no advertiser will control me. They flew me to Russia in December. I met Putin, and I've been assured I will never be censored in any way, shape or form. I can say what I feel, and they've done it so far. I have to believe them. But isn't it ironic, Steve, that I, as a Vietnam vet and lived through the Cold War, it's now the Russians giving me my free speech and not my own country.
- [56:52]
Interviewer
Will you film that here?
- [56:54]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah. No. Yeah. It's rt, America. It's so powerful. My show will be seen by 800 million homes throughout the world. It's second only to the BBC on world coverage. It's just that Russian TV's censored here. It's hard to get it in the United States. As soon as I get back from this, as soon as I'm through, and as soon as the election's over, I want to be busy when I'm in the States. But, see, I've got a deal set up with them where I'll do eight shows, then I'll go to Mexico for the winter and then come back and do shows again.
- [57:34]
Interviewer
So it's not 27, you're talking about shows?
- [57:37]
Jesse Ventura
Well, it's more shows than that, but it's eight in a block, and they've bent over backwards for me. I do them right in Minnesota.
- [57:44]
Interviewer
But there's things that you're passionate about.
- [57:46]
Jesse Ventura
Anything I want to talk about?
- [57:47]
Interviewer
Yeah, you just decide it.
- [57:49]
Jesse Ventura
Yeah. And we're going to talk about all those controversial things like medical marijuana, like torture. Like, I heard Putin interviewed the other day, and the BBC guy was getting on him about Russian aggression. And President Putin said, well, let's put it into common sense terms. We, Russia, we have two military bases outside of Russia. He goes, the United States has 174. Who's the aggressor? Well, I sit back and go, gee, when you. 174 to 2, I'd say we're the aggressor out in the world. See, the United States, we're living with blinders on. Did you know, Steve, that there was a poll taken three years ago by Gallup, 3,000 people internationally, no US people. One of the questions was, if your country were to go to war, who would it be likely be against? 23% answered the United States, 8% answered China, 6% answered Pakistan. One out of four people internationally think if they go to war it'll be with the US As a veteran, I hang my head in shame over that. That that's how we're looked at now. We're the war country. We're the country that everyone fears will go to war against. I want to change that. And you know, working for the Russians here, I'll have some fun with you. Why aren't. After all these years, they should be our friend, shouldn't they? After all, you know, finally, I'm just
- [59:27]
Interviewer
wondering where the heat's at.
- [59:28]
Jesse Ventura
Wait. Yeah, me too. But here's my kicker thing. Well, we should be friends with Russia. After all, they're white. You know, this isn't Mexico we're talking about here. Brown skinned people we want to build walls to defend. These are white people. And I do that tongue in cheek, so people know. But I do laugh about it and think, gee, they're white people. Why wouldn't we want to be friends with them? And here's the other reason I want to do it, Steve. My father fought in World War II. Six Bronze Battle, North Africa, Normandy, Battle of the Bulge, Anzio, Berlin, Remagen Bridge. And he didn't talk much about the war, but he did tell me about Berlin, the friendships he made with the Russians when they got there. And I could never figure out how they became our enemy before the war was even over. They did. Well, it's because Wall street ran us. And who's Wall street afraid of? Socialism? That's how come they became our immediate enemy. Well, with my father in mind, I'm 65 now. I want to do anything I can to make U.S. and Russia friends. And if it means a little part is working on Russian television to show both sides we can do it, that's what I'm going to do now. That and get marijuana made legal. Those are the two things that I'm focusing on now in my golden years, as they call it.
- [60:58]
Interviewer
More conspiracy theories coming?
- [61:00]
Jesse Ventura
No, I got in so much trouble for that. I got read off on the floor of Congress. Did you know that?
- [61:06]
Interviewer
I didn't know that.
- [61:06]
Jesse Ventura
Oh, yeah. I got read off on the floor of Congress when we did the show about the FEMA camps.
- [61:12]
Interviewer
When you say read off, what does that mean?
- [61:14]
Jesse Ventura
That means a congressman got up on the floor and read officially into the record what a horrible person I was for exposing that. They ordered FEMA to build these camps around the US and we took photos of them. They look identical to the German camps. They got spurs coming up. We went to one barbed Wire fences and do you know how to read barbed wire? You're going to learn barbed wire. If it's straight up and down, it's neutral. If it slants this way, it's to keep you in. If it slants that way, it's to keep people out from getting in all these FEMA camps, it slants in, it's to keep you in. And in the back of one was all these toys for kids to play on. And I approached them in the show, I said, you've had children here. We don't answer anything. You have to talk to Homeland Security. Well, why would you have toys? Jungle gyms. What, for adults? You know, you put kids in here for what purpose? I got read off on the floor of Congress for that. When we went did Plum island, as we circled the island, the Coast Guard fell in and put us under observation. Right behind us the whole time. We had two vehicles on shore piggybacking. I guess they thought, as a frogman, I might swim in. I didn't want no part of that island. You know, that's where they do the biological warfare, where we turned it over to a Nazi to do it. We found the history of it. The guy's a Nazi that ran Plum Island. That's where. What do you call it, disease came from? Lyme disease because it's named after Lyme, Connecticut, which is right across the water from Plum island, where they do these experiments. And this guy, what was his name? Now I can't think of it. He was the head Nazi for biological warfare. And we gave him his own laboratory on Plum island, the United States. This guy should have stood trial at Nuremberg. Lyme disease was created at Plum Island.
- [63:20]
Interviewer
I thought it was from ticks.
- [63:22]
Jesse Ventura
It is. That's what they experiment on ticks and mosquitoes for. Biological warfare. You infect the mosquitoes and ticks and then turn them loose.
- [63:31]
Interviewer
Are you kidding me?
- [63:32]
Jesse Ventura
Would I kid about what we do for war? Steve, I want you to think about this a minute. Chemical warfare is illegal, right?
- [63:41]
Interviewer
Right.
- [63:42]
Jesse Ventura
They can't use tear gas at war. Right. Yet we can use it on our own people to break up a demonstration. So we use on our own people chemicals that we are not allowed to use against an enemy. Does that make sense that we would use on our own people?
- [64:01]
Interviewer
Jim's giving us a go home cue. We're signing off. Damn. Jesse, it's been a pleasure having you here at the house.
- [64:05]
Jesse Ventura
Steve, it was my pleasure to come here to renew our friendship. And I'll state this. When I did that Short gig at wcw. I knew then they didn't know what the hell they were doing with you. And when you got up to Vince, Vince knew what to do with you. No, I saw you as a talent waiting to happen. You just needed the right people to make it happen. And you found them.
- [64:30]
Interviewer
I did. Thanks for coming by.
- [64:31]
Jesse Ventura
Absolutely.
- [64:32]
Interviewer
All right, everybody, give me the Go home. Q. It's time to wrap up his podcast and ride off into the sunset, man. I want to thank Jesse the Bite Aventura for stopping by 316 Gimmick Street. It was good seeing you and congratulations on the book. Another best seller, probably the Marijuana Manifesto. I'm going to finish reading this book, call Jesse up on the telephone and see if we can just have an in depth discussion with everything in the book. There's so much information there. I highly recommend you go check out Jesse Ventura's Marijuana Manifesto. It really opened my eyes to a lot of the stuff that goes on in the marijuana industry in general. Anyway, I got to give you guys something to watch and time for my video of the week. I'm going to take you back to 2009. Jesse Ventura and Mr. McMahon returned to Monday Night Raw in 2009 to call the 8 Man Breakthrough Battle Roll match. So go to YouTube and type in 8 Man Breakthrough Battle Royale match where the winner earned a future WWE Championship against John Cena. And to watch Vince and Jesse go back to work, it's like they never missed a step. Both guys fall right into their groove. And Jesse, just that damn voice of his, one of the best colored commentaries in the history of the business as far as I'm concerned. And his chemistry with Vince and Bobby Gorilla, all those guys that he worked, worked with. But his chemistry with Vince was really something else when those guys were in their prime, you know, in those mid-80s years when Jesse got out of the ring due to the blood clots in his lungs. And it just turned out there was a silver lining to that dark cloud. Everybody discovered the genius of Jesse the body on a microphone. Hey man. So anyway, check that out and I'm going to have some new T shirts coming over at prowrestlingtees.com tvos and also a brief broken skull ranch.com all the new designs, I'm kicking them out next week. They will be available soon. And if you're looking for the best IPA in the United States of America, get The Broken Skull IPA from El Segundo Brewing Company at 140 Main street in El Segundo. Stop by to brew and have one fresh out the keg. Pick it up at Whole Foods and Total Wines if you live in California or order it from insidetocellar.com or brokenscore ranch.com if they deliver to the state that you live in. You can find everything at broken skull ranch.com including the broken skull Cold Steel Knife. But if you want the best price on the baddest knife on the planet, go to Amazon. It's 75 bucks on Amazon. You can use my links. You'll get a great knife for a great price and help out the podcast and the process. That's right, all my Amazon links are@podcast1.com click on the Killer Deals button in the top right corner of the page and then hit the Steve Austin show button. I got Amazon links for USA UK and Amazon Canada. Just use my Amazon links whenever doing any online shopping and Amazon will kick back a few bucks to the podcast. Doesn't cost you no extra. Ain't no hidden fees or charges. Buy whatever you plan on buying and help out the podcast in the process. If you bookmark it, you can find it easier. You'll also find links to the great sponsors of this year podcast. I appreciate you guys supporting sponsors because they are the ones that let me do this for you. Free. That's right, free twice a week. So big thanks to ddpyoga.com Austin get 15% off the DDP Yoga DVDs and 3 months of full access to the DDP Yoga now app for a limited time. And to draft kings. Use my promo code Steve to play for free this weekend. And hey, the 62nd AP news headlines are coming up next. Until then folks, my name is Steve Austin and I will catch your ass down the road.
- [68:18]
Steve Austin
Download new episodes of the Steve Austin show every Tuesday@podcast1.com that's podcastone.com.
- [68:32]
Podcast Announcer
Pluto TV has thousands of free movies and TV shows.
- [68:36]
Jesse Ventura
We're coming at you with everything we got.
- [68:38]
Podcast Announcer
This is the mindset.
- [68:39]
Interviewer
Free.
- [68:40]
Podcast Announcer
This is the mantra.
- [68:41]
Steve Austin
Free.
- [68:42]
Podcast Announcer
This is the mindset. Mindset. With movies like Pineapple Express, the entire Star Trek film franchise and Gladiator, and TV shows like Survivor, SpongeBob SquarePants, the Fairly Odd Parents and Ghosts, Pluto TV is always free.
- [68:57]
Mackenzie
Huzzah.
- [68:59]
Podcast Announcer
Pluto TV. Stream now pay Never. This episode sponsored by Forkfull. Most meal delivery services promise healthy food, but look closer and you'll often find cheap industrial seed oils hiding in the ingredients. Forkful does things differently. Forkful delivers chef prepared meals made with premium ingredients you'd expect at a great restaurant from Center Cut Filet Mignon to wild caught lobster Mac and cheese and every meal is 100% seed oil free. Instead of canola or soybean oil, forkful chefs cook with extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil and grass fed butter because better fats make better food. Meals arrive fresh, never frozen with clear nutrition and ingredient transparency so you always know exactly what you're eating. Restaurant quality meals Real ingredients, no seed oils Discover forkful today@forkfulmeals.com Catch the NBA
- [69:58]
Jesse Ventura
playoffs on Sling TV, the most flexible live TV streaming service putting consumers in control to watch games their way with fun, flexible subscriptions. Want to catch one game or a full series on espn? Grab a one, three or seven day pass. If you want to catch as many games as possible, get a monthly subscription with our abc, NBC and ESPN combo package. Either way, Sling lets you watch the playoffs your way with no long term contracts. Learn more@sling.com.