Despite recent speculation that his run with WWE had ended, Jesse “The Body” Ventura is now expected to be in Washington, D.C. this weekend for John Cena’s final match at Saturday Night’s Main Event. The update comes from WrestleVotes, who reported Ventura’s status earlier today.
“After not appearing at the last Saturday Night’s Main Event, Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura is set for Washington, D.C. this weekend as the big John Cena send-off show approaches,” WrestleVotes tweeted.
The news is surprising given reports that Ventura was believed to be done with WWE following his absence from the November 1 Saturday Night’s Main Event special. According to Dave Meltzer in the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Ventura’s contract was thought to have expired, as he was originally brought back on a nostalgia deal for the specials beginning in late 2024.
Meltzer noted that Ventura’s absence wasn’t heavily discussed backstage, but the assumption was that WWE had quietly moved on.
“The other notable thing on the show was no Jesse Ventura, who was brought back for the nostalgia aspect. Nothing has been officially said. We were under the impression he had signed a one-year deal for these shows, and that deal would have run out with the last show,” Meltzer wrote.
The turning point in Ventura’s WWE status reportedly stemmed from an incident during the May 25, 2025 Saturday Night’s Main Event broadcast. Ventura, calling the Steel Cage Match between Drew McIntyre and Damian Priest, reacted negatively to the match finish — a standard cage-door escape — and voiced his frustration live on commentary.
“Wait a minute! … what kind of BS is that?” Ventura said on the air.
His comments were later edited from WWE’s official YouTube upload of the match. According to Meltzer, that moment significantly hurt Ventura’s standing with the company.
“After the cage match fiasco performance in the McIntyre vs. Damian Priest match, we were told the die was cast as far as using him going forward,” Meltzer reported. “He was downplayed on the next show while still under contract and not on this show, nor ever referenced.”
Ventura had previously claimed he was contracted to call all four Saturday Night’s Main Event specials in 2025. Despite the fallout from the May broadcast, it now appears WWE will indeed bring him back for one more assignment — calling John Cena’s historic final match against Gunther this Saturday at the Capital One Arena.
