When the Val Venis character debuted, fans enjoyed the fact that he was blatantly sexual. A former porn star who had taken his talent to WWE, he made a major impact on Monday nights early in his stint. One of his first major feuds was with Kaientai leader Mr. Yamaguchi-san and Venis repeatedly stuck it to the Japanese businessman. And stuck it in his wife, Mrs. Yamaguchi-san. That earned the wrath of both the Kaientai mouthpiece and WWE Lightheavyweight champion Taka Michinoku who, as it turned out, was the brother of Venis' latest conquest. He turned heel and aided Kaientai in subduing Venis and taking him backstage, where Yamaguchi-san vowed to "choppy, choppy" the Big Valbowski. A well-timed flick of the light switch saved Val's Venis and helped him retain his in-ring career as well. At the time, it was shock TV at its best, the sort of segment that made fans tune in every week to see what would happen next. In hindsight, it was awful storytelling that pushed the boundaries of good taste and could have done irreparable damage to the character. Venis, a skilled performer between the ropes, deserved better than that.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
