10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Oct 28)
6. Jesse Ventura's Biggest Payday In Wrestling Came At SummerSlam 1999
Making his in-ring debut all the way back in 1974, Jesse 'The Body' Ventura was around long before the era of guaranteed contracts in pro wrestling. Eventually, Ventura would retire from the ring and become known as an excellent colour commentator for both the WWF and WCW before chasing a career in politics.
Jesse worked major shows like WrestleMania, along with numerous other top pay-per-view events. Incredibly, none of these gigs earned him quite as much as SummerSlam 1999 did. Coming back to the WWF for the event, Ventura filled the role of Special Referee in the Triple Threat main event for the WWF Heavyweight Title.
Mankind defeated both Steve Austin and Triple H in the match to become champion. Appearing on Austin's podcast, Jesse could barely contain his own laughter upon naming SummerSlam '99 as his greatest ever payoff during a lengthy wrestling career.
Even at the time, Ventura told Austin that he was stunned by the money he received from Vince McMahon. Not having to bump repeatedly or really do much talking to sell the pay-per-view, Ventura was really only there to make the count and raise Mankind's hand. Still, he earned more than he ever had in wrestling.