Former champion details his "business relationship" with Vince McMahon in WWE
Former WWE Superstar Val Venis recently spoke about Vince McMahon and the nature of his relationship with the veteran promoter.
Venis was signed to WWE for a decade-long stretch between 1998 and 2009. During his stint, he won the European and Intercontinental Championships. In the latter part of his tenure, the veteran worked with younger talent, including Umaga and Snitsky.
During a recent appearance on the WSI - Wrestling Shoot Interviews YouTube Channel, Venis noted that his relationship with McMahon was strictly business, and he simply provided service to the Stamford-based promotion.
"It was just a business relationship. For me, he was the owner of the company. I was providing him a service of entertainment. He needs people to go out and entertain and that's what I did for a long, long time. So we had a business deal together for like ten years." (0:26 - 0:44)
Despite only having a business relationship with the WWE CEO, Venis noted that he is a big fan of McMahon's business acumen.
"I admire Vince because to me, I'm a huge fan of the free market. I'm a huge fan of human beings creating things that make other human beings' lives better. And to me, Vince, I think that's the epitome of what it means to, I guess nostalgically, it's the epitome of what it means to be American." (0:50 - 1:13)
Val Venis called Vince McMahon a 'machine'
During the same conversation, the wrestling veteran expressed his respect for the former WWE CEO.
Venis noted that he admired Vince McMahon for his ability to set goals and for his creative skills. The star added that he learned a lot from McMahon and his appetite for accomplishing his goals.
"Ultimately, to me, it's what it means to be a productive, useful human being with out time that we're granted on this planet. This rock flying through space, and Vince, he was a machine. He was a creative machine, he set goals, and one thing I really loved about him, I learned a lot from Vince was watching him set goals and he didn't let anything distract him in his drive to achieve those goals," he added. (1:15 - 1:44)
Val Venis vs. Snitsky: Sunday Night Heat, April 20, 2008 adf.ly/cUf9W
Val Venis departed WWE in 2009 and has since been active on the independent circuit. Meanwhile, Vince McMahon retired from the company in July 2022 after heading the sports entertainment juggernaut for several decades.
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If you use quotes from this article, please credit WSI - Wrestling Shoot Interviews and add a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.