18 WWE Attitude Era Midcarders That Deserve Hall Of Fame

12. Val Venis

There may be no character that better personifies the sexual element of the Attitude Era better than Val Venis. Handed the gimmick of an adult film star, he made the character his own. From the not-so-subtle innuendos to the moaning and groaning that accompanied every sentence out of his mouth, not to mention the innovative vignettes that managed to incorporate world renowned pornstar Jenna Jameson into them, he was 100-percent invested in the persona. Fans bought into it, accepting it because he did.

Venis was never more than a quality wrestler in a midcard role, capturing the Intercontinental Championship on two separate occasions, first as a babyface, then as a heel. While he is most remembered as the babyface that had fans laughing at every inappropriate sexual reference he made during pre-match promos, his best work may have come as a heel in the summer of 2000, when he aligned himself with Trish Stratus and feuded with Rikishi. The two Superstars battled in a Steel Cage match at the Fully Loaded pay-per-view that saw Venis endure a top rope splash at the hands of the 350-pound competitor.

His days as a bona fide star came to an end late in that year when he was shoved into the Right to Censor faction, stripping him of his gimmick...and his heat. Despite the late-era misstep, Venis was a star of his time, a character easily associated with the most creative era in sports-entertainment history. Some may look at the later years of his career as a glorified jobber and argue against inclusion in the Hall but, if Koko B. Ware can be included based strictly on his WWE career, Venis at least deserves consideration.