WWE apparently took the Val Venis character pretty damn seriously during the Attitude Era — because Vince Russo says there was a point when the company actually wanted Venis to take Viagra while filming a pre-tape.
Russo dropped the wild story during The Coach and Bro Show while the conversation turned to BlueChew and the early days of erectile dysfunction medication becoming part of pop culture. That immediately brought back a very specific WWE memory for Russo involving Venis and the famous little blue pill. Russo said they were shooting pre-taped material during the Attitude Era when the idea came up for Venis to actually take one.
“Bro, I will never forget this is how I remember Viagra, BlueChew first being a thing. Here’s how I remember it, Coach. We’re doing pre-tapes during the Attitude Era. We wanted Val Venis to take one.”
According to Russo, Venis wanted absolutely no part of that plan at first. He said Venis had heard the horror stories about Viagra lasting for hours and was legitimately worried about what might happen after taking it.
“And bro, here’s how I remember so vividly. He was so scared to death to take it because like, Coach, you hear horror stories of you take that and like, bro, for the next 12 hours like you can’t leave your house, bro.”
That concern apparently didn’t stop the people around him from pushing the idea. Russo recalled them telling Venis he needed to go through with it for the pre-tape. Russo said there was no mystery about what they were giving Venis either. He remembered it being the recognizable little blue pill, which only made Venis more nervous.
“And we’re like, ‘No, Val, you got to take it. You got to take it.’ He was so scared.”
“And bro, it was the little blue pill, like you know what it was. He was scared to death.”
Venis ultimately found a compromise. Instead of taking the entire pill, Russo said he broke it down and took half. That opened the door for Russo to crack a joke about how Venis had apparently cut the potential problem in half along with the pill.
“He wound up taking half of one, bro.”
“I’m like, ‘Okay, bro. So, you’ll only be good for six hours now. Yeah, no problem, bro. Take half of it.’ I’ll never forget that, bro.”
The story is another reminder of just how far WWE was willing to take some of its Attitude Era characters behind the scenes. Val Venis’ entire gimmick revolved around adult humor and sexual innuendo, and based on Russo’s memory, WWE was willing to push that concept well beyond what fans simply saw on television.
Venis eventually taking only half the pill may have calmed his nerves, but the fact that WWE wanted him taking Viagra for a pre-tape in the first place is the kind of Attitude Era story that sounds almost impossible until someone who was actually there starts telling it.
What do you make of WWE wanting Val Venis to actually take Viagra for an Attitude Era pre-tape? Do you think that crossed a line, or was it just another example of how wild things were backstage at the time? Let us know what you think in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
