Don Muraco on the Jesse Ventura WWE Union Story

[@johnp8355]

I am so happy to see Don Muraco again.

[@chrisruth7057]

I agree with Don as far as the territory days cause you could go to another territory if you disliked the promoer yes but when the territories were almost gone the union would have been mostly great for the pro wrestlers cause VKM was way to controlling & he knew after most of the territories were gone the professional wrestling entertainers couldn't go anywhere cause of the contracts

[@jeffreyivery4299]

Jesse Ventura Thought He Was Right

[@TheNinthHeart]

And?

[@juanbotello1]

@@TheNinthHearthe’s probably not. Had Hogan not turn on Jesse, maybe another top star was going to turn on Jesse anyways. The top stars don’t want a union, nor will they benefit. The top stars would have to take a pay cut so the lower card guys would get more. People blame Hogan, but it wasn’t going to work anyways. Macho would’ve preferred no union. Warrior, Undertaker, Austin, Rock, all the top stars would prefer no union. It’s just reality. I would’ve turned on Jesse too if I had been in hogan’s position.

[@juanbotello1]

He really thought. I’ve listened to other wrestling personalities and they say almost the same thing: the top guys wouldn’t want nor need a union. It’s the midcarders who benefit from a union. But Hogan gets all the blame cause the was the one who told on Jesse. Notice how none of the top stars trash Hogan for this.

[@jeffreyivery4299]

@@juanbotello1 yes I now get why the boys did really want a Union

[@jeffreyivery4299]

@@TheNinthHeart and now I see why they didn't need one it makes sense

[@frenchmime1972]

remember the actor's union every day 97% of their members are unemployed

[@georgemaranville3305]

False equivalency. WWE is more like MLB or NFL. Not the Screen Actors Guild.

[@frenchmime1972]

@georgemaranville3305 to cover you if you work for different companies it needs to be more like SAG, the unions in pro sports are only in the top leagues, to use SAG members when you make a film or TV series need to be approved by the union, I see it working that way, but wrestlers would most likely work on non union shows making the union powerless

[@JamesSmith-sw3nk]

WWF/WWE is a multi-billion dollar entity. Actors and most major league sports organizations have unions or associations with pensions & benefits .It is true that only around 15% of actors qualify for benefits in a given year, that is still a higher number than pro wrestlers.

[@TheNinthHeart]

No one cares about rasslin

[@givem110]

And if they unionized Vince wouldn't have been able to make it s multi billion dollar industry. Wrestling usually can't have more than one successful company in the big time at once. 83-86 JCP and WWF. 98-99 WCW and WWF. Other than that only one company is making real money and unions would have killed it.

[@JamesSmith-sw3nk]

@@givem110 Vince's most successful shows were at Madison Square Gardens. It's always been a union building.

[@TheHannibalTV]

Don Muraco The Hannibal TV Playlist: kzbin.info/aero/PLvoIHF4T3-L5qH6knt4DUv_EUb5NQTHBU

[@georgemaranville3305]

Ask Brock Lesnar if he thinks health care sucks in Canada.

[@TheHannibalTV]

He almost died here yea

[@rondoughhowell6442]

Well atleast Jesse didn't have to be a 50 year old over the hill guy still trying to make a living after Vince McMahon gives them the axe

[@StuUngar]

They hafffto! It's the LAAAW!

[@roohaa8382]

Down here in the BAJA its less rules, more regulations

[@GregBailey-h8j]

I’ve heard you say before Devon that universal healthcare in Canada sucks. Here in the states it costs a fortune and it still sucks!

[@TheHannibalTV]

They have people dying here waiting for cancer and heart treatment because the system is so slow. I've had stuff done in the US and the wait times for emergency is faster. They are very far ahead on medical innovations too. The cost sucks for sure though there. At one point last year I was in the hospital for 3 days and just pushed around to different rooms. After the 3rd day I just left because they couldn't tell me how much longer it was going to take to get in for the type of treatment I needed.

[@glocksNgrippers]

​@TheHannibalTV and people here in the States think socializing health care is a good idea I wish all of those same people could read what you experienced.

[@Chickenbus22]

The problem in the Canadian system is you wait for procedures. My mother waited more than a year for a hip replacement. The quality of care is high - if you survive the wait

[@romans52345-cy3tq]

0:28 He's getting a little confused with the Piledriver music video

[@travfdy]

WTF is wrong with these guys man?! I googled NFL pensions. The average is $43,000 per year and the highest is $201,000! And you only have to play three years to qualify. Jesse said he gets paid over $50,000 a year for SAG retirement! Muraco could be getting a check in these ranges but he's finding all kinds of reasons to not want it! I don't get these guys. I'm in a union and I'm glad to have a team that has my back, negotiates for me, etc.

[@juanbotello1]

The NFL union was formed before players started getting big contracts and money. In wrestling, the top guys were getting paid big money, so they didn’t need nor wanted a union. You have to also understand that wrestling isn’t a sport, so how would they classify themselves as? The lower card guys sure want a union and would benefit from it. But the top guys wouldn’t want nor need one.

[@michaelzoran]

Jesse Ventura is definitely correct. The moment a decent number of high-quality wrestlers joined the union, the owners would be forced to start providing health benefits to everyone. Jesse said almost everybody was on board with the union. But Hulk Hogan only cared about Hulk Hogan. Hogan was selfish and betrayed all the other wrestlers by telling Vince McMahon about the union. This is why Hogan was paid more as an individual at Wrestlemania 3 than ALL the other wrestlers COMBINED at Wrestlemania 3!

[@TheHannibalTV]

You'd have a company full of stale wrestlerS with a union. There is like 100-200 WWE jobs in the world and it's already hard enough to get in with how political it is. You need turn over in wrestling.

[@michaelzoran]

@@TheHannibalTV You get turn over in wrestling. Bobby Heenan turned over the wrong way in a match in the early 80s and did NOT have ANY health insurance from an employer until the mid 90s when he worked for WCW. It was only then while working for WCW that Heenan was finally able to get some medical treatment for his neck injury. Ted Turner indisputably proved health insurance and all those other nice benefits can successfully be provided to wrestlers in the ways the selfish McMahon family always refused to provide to employees.

[@TheHannibalTV]

@@michaelzoran WWE has been paying for talent injuries for decades now. Early 80's was 40 years ago. If you want the same 200 wrestlers in a league for 25 years good for you. Boring as hell and unfair to others.

[@michaelzoran]

@@TheHannibalTV The reason WWE does that now is because the competition from WCW almost put WWE out of business. And one of the reasons WCW had superior talent was because of the superior health benefits of WCW. Employees want to work for a superior Employer.

[@juanbotello1]

Aren’t you selfish? You don’t think Stone Cold was selfish? Rock? Warrior? They’re all millionaires. They got paid very, very well and don’t need a union. The only ones that wanted a union are the midcarders. The top guys don’t want nor need one. Look at Shawn Michaels. When he got injured in 1998 he was getting insurance money. Fast forward, he retired still a millionaire. Oh yeah, but fuck Hogan, right? Like it or not, Vince and Hogan made the business bigger than ever and a lot of guys have benefited from it.

[@liublanka3925]

I know nepo baby mysterio needs to be in a union. These modern day wrestlers get overpaid and have .2% charisma and body of the other gen of wrestlers

[@mikehenry1698]

😮

[@bulldogbrower6732]

Too many chair shots. Actors move from studio to studio and maintain a 401 K and medical. There is no reason a billionaire can’t make payments into a health and retirement plan for the workers.

[@JamesSmith-sw3nk]

I am surprised Don would say that. I belonged to an international trade union. I worked for multiple companies, my benefits/pension were already agreed upon. The same could have been done in wrestling territories.

[@TheNinthHeart]

Do you consume paint chips??

[@JamesSmith-sw3nk]

@@TheNinthHeart No but I bet you've eaten many knuckle sandwiches!

[@richardgergen4427]

You guys don't know how a Union works A portion of your pay would go towards your health care and pension and your employer/ territory would pay a portion The more money you make the bigger the payment. And I love the comment, I have free Medical in Canada.

[@normanred9212]

lmao nothing is free dude, and your system over there is EXTREMELY broken and communist, you have death panels

[@mr.joedirt8583]

You also have no free speech or right to protest in Canada. Trudeau has went full CCP.

[@McRedneck]

I wish people wouldnstop saying it's free. It's not. If you work, you are forced to lay money for everyone else's healthcare.i live in the UK and it's the same and the healthcare fucing sucks. We dint even have the option to stop paying into it !

[@TheHannibalTV]

It's not free and it's incredibly slow most of the time to get anything treated. Hospitals are so over crowded here in Ottawa I have insurance and I was still stuck in a room with 2 other people all of my recent hospital stays. That is highly unpleasant depending on who you're stuck with.

[@mr.joedirt8583]

@TheHannibalTV I think you would like living in the southern Appalachians. You have more freedoms down here. Canada has become like China.