Vince McMahon thought female star was ugly, WWE veteran recalls (Exclusive)

Vince McMahon oversaw WWE's creative direction when the company began producing edgier content in the late 1990s. Vince Russo, RAW's head writer during that time, recently recalled how his former boss reacted to a segment involving Jenna Jameson.

Jameson was one of the world's most well-known adult entertainment performers in the 1990s. Vince McMahon capitalized on her fame by hiring her to feature in a vignette with Val Venis on the May 4, 1998, episode of RAW. She had previously appeared in Paul Heyman's ECW promotion.

Reflecting on the segment, Russo said on Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Outlaws that McMahon did not find Jameson attractive:

"Bro, we did so many vignettes with him [Val Venis] and Jenna Jameson, and Vince left so many of them on the cutting room floor because he thought Jenna Jameson was ugly." [10:01 – 10:12]

Watch the video above to hear Russo discuss several wrestling topics with host Dr. Chris Featherstone and former WWE star EC3.

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How Vince McMahon booked Val Venis

After the vignette with Jenna Jameson, Val Venis' non-PG character wrestled his first televised match on the May 18, 1998, episode of RAW. He went on to become an Attitude Era legend and a two-time Intercontinental Champion.

Vince Russo regularly watches that period in wrestling history and cannot fault WWE's presentation of Venis:

"He had a good run but it was the same thing, man, because I'm watching the Attitude Era now and he's starting everything and he went over [won] every match, bro. I mean, it was the same thing, man. That's how you get them over." [9:33 – 9:46]

Russo was referencing that many of today's wrestlers win and lose a similar number of matches. He believes Venis' booking proved that wrestlers should win rivalries early on in their careers to establish themselves as legitimate threats.

What are your thoughts on how Vince McMahon booked Val Venis? Hit the discuss button and let us know.

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