"Helllllo Ladies…." These two sultry words uttered in a deep, raspy voice captivated thousands of women, no doubt leaving an indelible mark on the WWE’s "former" adult film star, Val Venis.
Also known as "The Big Valbowski," Venis became infamous for his entrance to the ring, accompanied by the theme of a seductive saxophone. With his signature move of wagging his fingers, licking his thumb, and performing a tease before gifting his special towel to a lucky lady sitting ringside, Venis made a lasting impression.
However, in 1998, Vince Russo and Bruce Prichard secretly arranged a steamy crossover shoot that WWE quietly shelved, yet the rumor mill never forgot.
“The Big Valbowski” Val Venis. Photo Credit: WWE.
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Val Venis: The Man Behind the Towel
Val Venis, then known as Steele, before his CMLL World Heavyweight Championship match against Jalisco Jr. Photo Credit: CMLL.
Sean Morley grew up in Oakville, Ontario, dreaming of flying helicopters long before he grabbed a towel and became Val Venis.
Morley trained in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1991 and had his first match there in 1994. Morley worked on the independent Canadian circuit and spent time internationally in Puerto Rico, Mexico, Japan, and England. In Mexico, he made history under the name "Steele" by becoming Heavyweight Champion in the prestigious CMLL organization.
Making History in Mexico
Val Venis, then known as Steele, after winning the CMLL World Heavyweight Championship by beating Jalisco Jr. Photo Credit: CMLL, Super Luchas.
Val Venis, then known as Steele, was the eighth-ever CMLL Heavyweight Champion and the third non-Mexican to hold the title after Konnan and Norman Smiley.
CMLL would not put the title on another foreigner for 20 years after Steele walked out of the company while champion. (Thank you to Redditor "SovietShooter" for this fact.)
In the United States, Morley had a unique opportunity in 1997 to choose between the two industry powerhouses: WCW and the then-WWF. Morley worked tryout matches for each company, and WCW executive producer Eric Bischoff expressed high interest in signing the Canadian.
Fellow Canuck Chris Jericho, who was working for WCW at the time, spoke to Morley at his tryout and advised him against joining them, and thus, Morley was on his way to see WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.
Russo explained that he was tasked with the role of finding a gimmick for Morley. Sean was big into politics, and Russo feared he could not write for a political character if they went that direction.
Russo felt something bigger was on the horizon than a political wrestler because he felt Morley strongly resembled an adult film star. This idea of a crossover between wrestling and adult films was pitched to McMahon, and it was greenlit.
Embracing the Adult Film Star Persona
Val Venis makes his entrance wearing a towel. Photo Credit: WWE.
Sean Morley remembers that when McMahon told him that the adult film star gimmick was happening, he was very excited as it was not done before and was envelope-pushing.
On the March 30, 1998, episode of Monday Night Raw, the Raw after WrestleMania 14, the debut vignette aired for Val Venis in which he was watching his latest "movie" Live Hard. In the vignette, Venis was seen complimenting his work and forewarning the World Wrestling Federation of penetration and squeals of delight.
With a spicy first appearance, the bar was set.
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Soldier of Love: Val Venis’s Most Memorable Vignette
Adult film star Jenna Jameson and Val Venis during their videoshoot. Photo Credit: WWE.
A few weeks later, the crowd nearly lost it when the infamous ‘Soldier of Love’ vignette hit Raw on May 4, 1998.
Venis was promoting his latest "film" entitled Val Venis: Soldier of Love. He then introduced his "co-star," legitimate and world-acclaimed adult film star, Jenna Jameson, who was only wearing a tactical accessory over her chest.
The vignette ended with Jameson telling Val she wanted to go back down in the hole.
A follow-up vignette involving the two was filmed in a bathtub, featuring Jameson in the buff, as Morley confirmed to Russo. WWE has seemingly vaulted footage of this, but the tale of the production lives.
Jenna Jameson: Wrestling’s Unlikely Star
Jenna Jameson on ECW television. Photo Credit: WWE.
The appearance of Jenna Jameson in the WWF was not her first in professional wrestling.
Jameson previously did work for the hardcore-based ECW promotion with her most notable appearances at 1997’s Hardcore Heaven and 1998’s Living Dangerously pay-per-views. Other adult film stars have intermingled with wrestling, too.
The then-WWF had Playboy centerfolds Pamela Anderson and Jenny McCarthy acted as valets at WrestleMania 11 in 1995. Anderson also did a vignette a few months before 1995’s Royal Rumble.
By 1998, Jenna was an award-winning adult film star and was transitioning into mainstream media with appearances on Howard Stern’s radio show and 1997’s movie Private Parts.
Her appearance on WWF TV in 1998, then having 5-6 million viewers weekly, had the company and Val Venis buzzing with interest. Jenna was put in touch with WWF/E producer Bruce Prichard, and the two became friends.
Behind the Scenes: Filming with Jenna Jameson
Adult film star Jenna Jameson and Val Venis film together in 1998. Photo Credit: WWE.
Bruce Prichard’s backyard became an impromptu film set for two Jenna Jameson and Val Venis vignettes, one in a jacuzzi and another by the pool.
On March 6, 2020’s episode of Prichard’s podcast Something to Wrestle, he and co-host Conrad Thompson discussed the working relationship he had with Jenna.
"Jenna would call [my home]; she lived in California, so when she would call, It would be late. Maybe at 1 o’clock. 12 o’clock. Midnight and stuff. Sometimes my wife would answer the phone, ‘Hi, it’s Jenna. Is Bruce there?’ She’s like (sighs)…"
Bruce continued, "So we brought Jenna in, she came to my house, we shot vignettes back in my backyard. That’s the one you see with Val rising in the army helmet. Then we shot some stuff in my jacuzzi, we shot some stuff in the bed, and then we shot some stuff in the living room, I believe.
“But, midway through this thing, my wife looks at me, ’cause Jenna’s walking around without clothes, basically for the majority of it, ’cause she was [in the buff] in most of the stuff. My wife looks at me, says, ‘How do you know this woman again?’"
The Aftermath: Vince McMahon’s Disapproval
Vince McMahon had some disparaging words to say about adult film star Jenna Jameson. Photo Credit: WWE.
There was no bad blood between Jenna and Bruce’s wife. Bruce had not told his wife that Jenna was an adult film star. "She goes, ‘Wait a minute, she’s an [adult film] star?’ I’m like, ‘Well if you want to put it that way, okay.’
"She says, ‘So you just had a [adult film] star in our bed?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, pretty cool, huh?’ (Laughs) She didn’t see it that way, but she liked Jenna."
The final vignettes were shown to Vince McMahon, but he disapproved of them at first.
According to Prichard, "Jenna was great, and I remember Vince looking at the videos and saying, ‘She looks like an [adult film] star! We don’t want to air that.’
“I said, ‘Vince, she is an adult film star; she is the single largest adult film star in the world. Everyone will know who she is, and this will help Val more than anything.’ ‘Ugh, it’s trashy.’ Bruce replied to Vince, ‘HE’S AN [ADULT FILM] STAR!!!’ (laughs) So we only aired one of [the vignettes]."
Vince Russo stated on his podcast with Morley that McMahon did not find Jameson attractive.
On May 18, 1998’s edition of Monday Night Raw, Val Venis debuted in Nashville, Tennessee, to a booming crowd ovation in one of the loudest debut crowd reactions in professional wrestling history. In the match, he defeated 2 Cold Scorpio.
His first major storyline was having an affair with the wife of Yamaguchi-San, the manager of the foreign stable Kaientai, which resulted in a near castration for Venis if not for the help of a cold butcher’s block, causing "a little shrinkage," and assistance from his friend John Wayne Bobbitt, a man who his wife legitimately castrated.
This angle would give us one of the Attitude Era’s most memorable soundbites as Yamaguchi-San threatened he would.
Val Venis in the WWE: Success and Limitations
A bald-headed Val Venis making his way to the ring in a towel later in his career. Photo Credit: WWE.
Morley would have an 11-year run in the WWE, undergoing various character transformations, but he would always be remembered for his iconic role as Val Venis.
Venis captured European, Intercontinental, and Tag Team gold, but that towel-dropping persona proved both a blessing and a curse, cementing his fame yet boxing him into one role.
A "former" adult film star main-eventing WrestleMania and being the face of a publicly traded multi-million dollar company was never going to happen.
Where Is Val Venis Now?
A recent photo of Val Venis. Photo Credit: Bill Pritchard.
Morley would work for TNA Wrestling for a brief stint after WWE and made various independent appearances until his 2019 retirement. Sean’s final-ever professional wrestling match was a six-man tag on April 5, 2019, at WrestleCon in a losing effort.
Morley is now a self-professed "Cannabis Connoisseur," and his government musings can be found on his YouTube channel, Top Shelf Anarchy.
Morley had the ability and look, if packaged right, to be a top player and world champion as he was on international waters.
Although he was never going to get to the top of the card, he got to be the envy of many men and women and had the chance to work with the world’s biggest adult film star. Now that’s something not everybody can say!
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"Evan Ginzburg’s stories are a love letter to wrestling, filled with heart, humor, and history. A must-read for any true fan."— Keith Elliot Greenberg
Luke Marcoccia is a contributing writer for Pro Wrestling Stories. He's a college graduate for broadcasting and a university graduate for health and safety. Luke is also a mail carrier in Alberta, Canada. He trained briefly in professional wrestling and has attended over 20 WWE events, including WrestleMania 31 and 32. Luke is an avid wrestling VHS tape and memorabilia collector.
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