Jesse Ventura ‘very angry’ Donald Trump is in WWE Hall of Fame
Jesse Ventura is “very angry” that Donald Trump is in the WWE Hall of Fame — so much so that he’s considered giving up his own spot out of protest.
During Trump’s second presidential term, Ventura has been an especially outspoken critic of his. He continued that criticism during a recent appearance on Independent Americans, expressing how mad he is that Trump is included in the WWE Hall of Fame. Ventura said he has wanted to publicly resign from the HOF himself because he does not feel Trump is qualified to be in it.
“You know what I’m ticked off about? He’s in the wrestling Hall of Fame,” Ventura said. “I’m angry over that. Very angry. And here’s why: I have friends that are not in the Hall of Fame. One in particular, Olympian Ken Patera. At one time considered possibly the strongest man in the world. Competed in the Olympics, had a tremendous pro wrestling career afterward. Well, guess what? He’s not in the Hall of Fame, and Trump is. And do you know how you get into the Hall of Fame? You do like what I had to do. Do you know what I did one time? True story: I wrestled 63 consecutive nights in a row without a day off. And there’s people that would destroy that. There’s guys that did more than that. But that’s how you get into the Hall of Fame. Think about that — I wrestled 63 consecutive nights in a row. This is in the territory days, that was driving to and from the town…
“You know why [Trump] got in? Because he provided us two buildings [for WrestleMania IV and V] where he probably made millions, you know, off of renting us his buildings to hold WrestleMania. And for that, Vince McMahon puts him in the Hall of Fame? It’s a disgrace. I’ve almost resigned, gone public and said I’m resigning from the Hall of Fame because Trump is in it and he doesn’t qualify. Like everything he does, he’s not qualified.”
Trump joined the Hall of Fame in 2013 as a celebrity inductee. His history with WWE includes appearances at WrestleMania IV, WrestleMania V, and WrestleMania 23.
Ventura’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame happened in 2004. He’s had a contentious relationship with WWE at different points over the years but signed a new Legends contract in 2024 and now makes regular appearances at Saturday Night’s Main Event specials.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.