Val Venis’ return already had wrestling fans arguing online. Now Perry Saturn has weighed in—and he didn’t hold back.
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Saturn admitted the footage of Venis’ recent return genuinely bothered him. Not because he thinks Venis was a bad wrestler, but because he believes the Val Venis character was built around looking a certain way, and returning without that same presentation risks changing how fans remember him.
“Like if I was him, I wouldn’t want to show the fans less than that to take away from the hard work I did then, you know? It was really important that the fans believed my s was real and believed that I was capable of doing the things. That’s why I always worked out… I would never get in the ring not be able to present that package.”
Saturn wasn’t taking shots at Venis’ ability. In fact, after the host pointed out how much of the Val Venis gimmick depended on his physique, Saturn quickly reminded everyone that Venis could actually wrestle. The problem, in Saturn’s eyes, was that the character and the physique always went hand in hand.
“Val’s a decent worker, too. Same. He did the whole routine, too. The towel and every…”
That’s where the conversation took a much more uncomfortable turn. Saturn admitted he hasn’t spoken to Venis in decades and repeatedly stressed that he has no idea what Venis’ current situation is. Even so, he speculated that someone would have to be in a desperate position to accept that booking.
“I haven’t talked to Val in decades, so I have no idea what’s going on with him, but… you have to be desperate to go out there, I think. That’s s**** that he’s that desperate… he’s a good guy, easy to work with. But if you need money that bad…I just… I feel horrible for him. You know what I mean? I don’t know. It’s really bad. It really is bad.”
After the host pointed out that independent wrestling bookings usually don’t pay very much, Saturn doubled down—but again made it clear he was speculating rather than stating it as fact.
“Which makes it even worse. This is just an assumption… he’s that desperate that he would embarrass himself for even a small amount of money. That makes it even fing worse. If you got ten grand, then you could go, ‘Well, we got ten grand.’ No, I guarantee that.”
For Saturn, the biggest issue wasn’t even the match itself. He admitted that after seeing the footage, the comeback had replaced the image of the Val Venis he remembered during his WWE run, and he wondered how many fans would feel the same way.
“Now that’s the image that comes to my mind when I think of Venis. How many fans are going to have that?”
Whether people agree with Saturn or not, one thing is clear: while Ryback saw a 55-year-old stepping back into the ring and praised the crowd for supporting him, Saturn saw something completely different—a return he believes may have changed how some fans remember Val Venis forever.
What do you think of Perry Saturn’s comments on Val Venis’ comeback? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
