Going Ringside Ep. 77: Democrats respond to Hulk Hogan with Jesse Ventura

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The dynamics of politics and pro wrestling have been fascinating to watch this summer. First, the Republican National Convention was headlined by Hulk Hogan speaking and endorsing former President Donald Trump.

Now, weeks later, it appears the Democrats have a response with another very high-profile ex-wrestler: Jesse “The Body” Ventura.

Ventura did as much for mainstreaming the pro wrestling industry as anyone in 1998 when he was elected governor of Minnesota.

The former Navy SEAL is now endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris and current Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. This comes two years after Ventura, a self-proclaimed independent, endorsed Walz for governor.

Now, Ventura is bucking his history eschewing the two-party system and is wading into the 2024 race.

This is happening roughly a week or so before the Democratic National Convention begins. At the time of this writing, it’s unclear if Ventura will have a speaking role at the convention. But, at this point, would that surprise anyone?

This is a post from the former governor on X.

This is fascinating from a pro wrestling fan’s perspective because Ventura and Hogan’s careers started together as opponents and now it appears, in a sense, they’re ending their public life in a very high-profile manner as opponents.

Both started their careers in the late 1970s and had similar gimmicks. Each had long, bleach-blond hair, very muscular physiques and flashy characters.

However, unlike Hogan, by the mid-1980s, health issues sidelined Ventura from wrestling, and he became an announcer. Ventura is widely regarded as one of the greatest announcers ever, and he was a perfect foil to Hogan who was the in-ring star.

And like Hogan, Ventura was one of the first wrestlers to really start making his way into Hollywood. Both men by the late 1980s started acting. Very few at that point had the success of Hogan and Ventura.

While their film credits may not be as impressive as modern-day stars like Dwayne Johnson and John Cena, at the time, this was a big deal for the wrestling industry.

Also like Hogan, Ventura became famous in the mainstream more than most any other star when he was elected Minnesota’s governor. It laid the groundwork for the mainstreaming of stars in movies and politics. Both Glenn Jacobs (Kane) and Linda McMahon ventured into politics after Ventura’s success.

Now all these decades later, it seems like these two former bleach-blond bodybuilders are facing off, once again, in a fashion -- one supporting Trump/Vance, and the other supporting Harris/Walz.