10 Things You Didn't Know About WWE In 1998
7. The Disturbing Truth Behind The Val Venis Vs. Kaientai Feud
In 1998, the WWF debuted Val Venis, who had a different occupational gimmick to his mid-'90s predecessors. Where Duke Droese was in waste management, Venis was in load management - and he wasn't a physio who advised coaches on whether their star athletes required some rest.
The professional wrestling pornographic actor, when locked in a conflict with the Kaientai stable, started having it off with the leader's wife: Mrs. Yamaguchi-san. This was revealed by Venis when he cosied up to her in bed. Dwell on that.
The affair naturally incensed her husband, who threatened to discipline her with a paddle board before Venis made the save, and in response to that, the stable threatened to lop Val's genitals off with a gigantic sword. The cliffhanger was resolved when Venis revealed that his penis remained intact the following week. He had suffered from shrinkage, avoiding the impact, and was escorted from the scene by John Wayne Bobbitt - a man who had developed notoriety when his wife had cut off his penis in 1993.
Two particularly bleak notes on this.
The actress who played Mrs. Yamaguchi-san was 17 at the time - and, Christ, she was filmed at an up-skirt angle when Venis rescued her - while John Bobbitt, accused of absolutely horrific acts, wasn't exactly the victim of some "jezebel" as portrayed on WWF TV.