Why WWE Legend Jesse Ventura Says Cyndi Lauper Will Always Have A Place In His Heart

Jesse Ventura recently shared that he was close to signing a WWE Legends deal, a huge step in repairing relations between the former Minnesota governor and the company where his booming voice was so prominent throughout the '80s. Ventura, who was on the ground floor as WWE expanded nationally, said he owed a debt of gratitude to Cyndi Lauper. Before "The Body" proved himself behind the mic, Lauper filmed a simple segment with him that showcased a new talent he could bring to the company after his in-ring career had ended.

"The night before I was supposed to wrestle Hogan for the world title... I get pulmonary emboli, blood clots in my lungs," Ventura recalled on "Insight" with Chris Van Vliet. "Well, guess what I faced then? 'What do I do now?' You can come back to Minnesota, and you can go up to General Mills, and say what to them? 'Hire me, I'm an old pro wrestler?' What do you do? So I was faced with what will confront every athlete at some point in their time: what do you do when it's over?"

Ventura said a friend suggested he try his hand at sports broadcasting, after which he was given an opportunity with a local Minneapolis news station to "go film something." Ventura said he called Lauper, who was in town for concert, and that she offered to help Ventura by shooting an entertaining segment together.

"We decided that she would dye my hair multiple colors and we'd do it on film. So here I am, sitting in the chair, with Cyndi Lauper, my hairdresser... so I will always have a place in my heart for Cyndi Lauper. She didn't have to do that."

In June Lauper revealed on "The Drew Barrymore Show" that there's been growing support for a WWE Hall of Fame induction, due to her association with the "Rock n' Wrestling" popularity boom.