Could Val Venis have been more?

[MisterRob]

I'm not talking the gimmick, I'm talking the actual wrestler behind the gimmick, Sean Morley. Like many eras of wrestling, there is always wrestlers who some believe could have been much more prominent stars and could've have had greater success if they hadn't been stuck on a roster full of talent and greater stars who got the spotlight. During Hulk Hogan's era there are guys like Ted Dibiase, Mr. Perfect, Jake "the Snake" Roberts, etc.

During the Attitude Era and beyond Steve Austin and The Rock dominated the scene, and then you had a packed roster with guys like Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Big Show, and later Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, etc all vying for spot higher on the roster.

But what about someone like Val Venis? He had a great look, he had great ability in the ring, and during his prime he was certainly over with the crowd. He also had charisma and was even good on the mic. I, personally, think that he had all the tools to have one day been World Champion and if he had been given the chance, and booked successfully, he could've done just that. If not in the Attitude Era itself, which was obviously overflowing with talent and dominated by two of the biggest stars in the business in Austin and the Rock, I think he definitely could've been groomed later on when those two stars left and he was still a great talent with more experience and a "name".

If his character had evolved diferently then being thrown into things such as Right to Censor, etc, and the company had really gotten behind him. Or what if he had evolved into a character like the "Rated R Superstar", which would have gone along with his previous gimmick history, before Edge had ever done that?

Your thoughts on Val Venis - Sean Morely?
And what superstar who never got to great heights do you think could have been a lot more if the stars had alligned for him? And try to give someone who isn't an obvious choice, or one whose always thrown out there.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Yes, it was the gimmick that limited him. It was a blessing at first as it gave him a unique gimmick that fit in well with the Era. But after a while the only role for him was being an opening act comedy character. By the time he changed, it was too late.

I don't think he would've gone one to share similar succes to that of Edge & Jeff Hardy, but he definately could've got himself a sympathy WHC reign like Christian did.

 

[Pedigree1]

Sean Morley was decent in the ring,had a great look about him. But in actuality,he went as far as he could have hoped for.. He was never going to win the main strap,he was just a solid mid-card guy.. I dont think,that switching his character would have done any good..

Plus he had the likes of SCSA,The Rock,and Trips,and Mick Foley.. Those are some of the biggest names ever to compete in the WWE.. Sean Morley while solid in the ring,just was not main event material IMO!

 

[Catacomb]

val venis couldve been a main event star, at one point val was scheduled to face austin but the feud was scrapped when val didnt want to be a main eventer and val was moved to dark matches and used as the measuring stick of the wwe, a la 123 kid

 

[wrestler36]

val venis couldve been a main event star, at one point val was scheduled to face austin but the feud was scrapped when val didnt want to be a main eventer and val was moved to dark matches and used as the measuring stick of the wwe, a la 123 kid

do you have a reference for this? I know I've heard from other wrestlers that Val wasn't one to 'politic' his position but to actively choose not to be a main eventer sounds foolish to me.

I think Val definitely had the potential to be a main eventer, but with so much talent during the attitude era, only so many can be put into a few spots. Val has shown he could mold himself into foolish gimmicks and be perfectly comfortable (porn star, RTC, commisioner). His wrestling ability transcended the limiting gimmicks. He had the charisma, the size and wrestling ability to get that big push, but like I said, with so many talented wrestler's at the time, there's only so many opportunities to get to the main event.

Was Val balding? He looked fine with long hair and the flat top, but once he shaved his head bald, he looked goofy to me

 

[Broski_of_the_week]

Forgive me if im wrong, I wasn't watching WWE post Invasion (too busy being an angsty teenager and all that), but didn't he have a run around 2002-04ish as Commissioner Morley or something like that? So it wasn't just the gimmick that would have held him back as he tried another gimmick (and a third as a member of Right-To-Censor), but the fact he'd been around too long and lost to too many credible opponents to ever have been considered a main eventer?

Talent-wise I think he possibly could have gone quite far but not as far as championship material. He would have been a suitable Upper-Midcard guy who had the occasional filler feud with the champ, ala Dolph Ziggler today. I just don't think overall the stars were aligned for him and by the time it reached a point where the roster was thin enough for him to get a real push, he was too stale to invest the time and energy to build back up. Shame though, the Val Venis gimmick was one of the reasons I began really getting drawn into wrestling, as a ten year old or so the idea of being a porn star who gets all the girls was the perfect role model haha.

 

[Catacomb]

do you have a reference for this? I know I've heard from other wrestlers that Val wasn't one to 'politic' his position but to actively choose not to be a main eventer sounds foolish to me.

I think Val definitely had the potential to be a main eventer, but with so much talent during the attitude era, only so many can be put into a few spots. Val has shown he could mold himself into foolish gimmicks and be perfectly comfortable (porn star, RTC, commisioner). His wrestling ability transcended the limiting gimmicks. He had the charisma, the size and wrestling ability to get that big push, but like I said, with so many talented wrestler's at the time, there's only so many opportunities to get to the main event.

Was Val balding? He looked fine with long hair and the flat top, but once he shaved his head bald, he looked goofy to me

i dont have an official source, but from what ive heard from friends in the business val didnt want the schedule of a main eventer, if you go thru jr's posts he talks about guys being content on where they are, venis was one of the guys jr referred to. as you said val wasnt much of a political type, and to be a main eventer politics are a must. granted rumors get started that arnt necessarily true, but i have no reason not to believe this

 

[whoopin' ass]

I don't know if he could have ever been the champ but he could have been a high mid card guy for sure who occasionally makes main event appearances. Val Venus was a blessing and a curse - it got him noticed but soon, he was stuck with that gimmick. Look at Golddust - from the moment it caught on, he was Golddust or nothing. With Val, they didn't find anything to replace the gimmick that caught on and even if you change the look and name, people remember(or at least used to). I think he couldn't escape the character once it wasn't useable anymore and wwe did what they do best and just dropped him instead of trying to find another gimmick for him. He isn't the first, won't be the last.

 

[Softcore Holly]

i dont have an official source, but from what ive heard from friends in the business val didnt want the schedule of a main eventer, if you go thru jr's posts he talks about guys being content on where they are, venis was one of the guys jr referred to. as you said val wasnt much of a political type, and to be a main eventer politics are a must. granted rumors get started that arnt necessarily true, but i have no reason not to believe this

I'm sure there are plenty of guys that don't fight/use politics for top spots, and Moley was probably one of them. But I don't think he would've outright said no to a Main Event spot if offered, the money alone would've been more than worth a temporary harder schedule, and I would imagine that a guy that's been in the mid-card his entire career would jump at the chance to prove what he's worth at the big stage.

Of course money and fame isn't everything to everyone, but it's just hard to imagine someone that has no problems with being part of a jobber group(ROC) yet wouldn't take a chance for something huge if offered.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

No. If you need a smut gimmick to get over, you're not very good. Much like the majority of the Attitdue Era mid card, he's just an average worker with a "car crash" gimmick (you watch because it's so outrageous you can't not watch, you're only reacting).

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

The gimmick helped him a lot, but make no mistake - Val Venis played it very well and his shtick after the matches was something I was looking forward too and so was the crowd. He suffered however with what many guys before and after him still suffer - a gimmick. A gimmick can only take you so far, specially ones that aren't considered serious so you must do whatever you can to evolve it into a more real character. I always thought he had a great look to him, he was very physical and a good athlete for his size but he lacked good storylines for him to go further.

Him and Shamrock showed some confidence from the company but ended up going nowhere. Unless he turned into a more serious character with real emotions instead of being horny all the time he could have had a shot. He had all the tools but the company and the worker didn't really work together past some time and he went down. Still, he had a good career and if you hear his shoots you can see that the guy has a great mind for the business as a whole. He must have made some good money and must have some good stories to one day tell in a book and what not, if he decides to promote something or whatever.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Sometimes a guy comes along with the right character at the right time. When it came to Val Venis, his character added a raunchy element that was at home in the Attitude Era. However, when I look back on, I tend to see Val Venis as being something akin to a comedy mid-carder of his day. I sorta put him on the same level as Al Snow as someone who had a unique gimmick, but one that was ultimately too goofy to take seriously. Rather than being a loveable, somewhat dimwitted guy like Santino Marella or a goofy Elvis impersonator like the Honky Tonk Man, the guy was a bit of a perverted sleaze who was so over the top with turning everything into a sexual innuendo that he became almost a parody of himself at times. When you compare him with Austin, Rock, Taker, Triple H and Foley, he just didn't really stand a chance.

 

[Mac]

He went as far as he could go. He was a great mid card act, he could wrestle, he had charisma and was solid on the mic. I don't think he could've been a sustainable main eventer. Maybe at best he could've been a guy they insert in a spot here and there to provide a fresh opponent for someone.