Among the more notable sea of characters that the WWE's Attitude Era produced in the 1990s was Val Venis. Then again, it's easy to stand out when one has Venis' persona, which was that of a former porn star turned wrestler who did strip teases, had notable relationships with Ryan Shamrock and Mrs. Yamaguchi-San, and almost got castrated by Mrs. Yamaguchi-San's vengeful husband. And yet, despite all the shenanigans that ensued around him, Venis also had plenty of in-ring success, including winning the Intercontinental and European Championships, while showing off in-ring acumen he had first developed while working for CMLL in Mexico under the name Steele.
Like many aspects of the 90s, however, Venis' time eventually came and went as the 2000s moved on. He would put on a suit and tie as a member of the Right To Censor, started going by his real name, Sean Morley, when he got the role of Eric Bischoff's Chief of Staff, tried to recapture his old Val Venis ways with limited success, and made the jump to TNA in 2010 that lasted only a few months. Ultimately, Venis' career became like a lot of other wrestlers; it never truly ended, with him working the occasional indie date here and there, but it might as well have long before Venis' last recorded match in 2023. Unlike most wrestlers, while Venis disappeared from the ring, he never quite disappeared from the limelight, making it easy to explain just what the hell happened to the man formerly known as "The Big Valbowski."
For the first half of Venis' post-wrestling career, it appeared that he was going to be best known for his love of marijuana. Originally anti-pot, Venis turned to marijuana during the twilight of his WWE career in 2008 after using various "pharmaceuticals," as Venis described them, to treat ailments for years. Venis would later credit the failure of these drugs to help him, and the death of former co-worker, Andrew "Test" Martin," from an oxycodone overdose one year later, for helping him stick to pot for good. He would later credit his marijuana use for helping to save his life.
Venis' love of marijuana had led to it becoming his new full time career. Since the mid-2010s, Venis has reportedly been associated with several marijuana dispensaries in the Phoenix, Arizona area, including opening his own medical marijuana businesses, such as Purple Haze and Health 4 Life. During this time, Venis even undertook a new persona to sell cannabis, going by the name Kaptain Kanabis. His involvement in both cannabis and wrestling eventually led to questions about WWE's Wellness Policy and its stance on marijuana, which Venis criticized for being too harsh.
Unfortunately, in recent years, Venis has become less known for his cannabis use and WWE tenure, and instead become controversial due to his views on conspiracy theories and, most notably, transgender wrestlers. This began in early 2020, when Venis was among the most vocal critics towards AEW crowning transgender Nyla Rose AEW Women's World Championship. Though his rhetoric garnered plenty of ridicule, including from Rose's co-workers Cody and Dustin Rhodes, it didn't dissuade Venis, who has only continued to up the ante on his viewpoints since.
Venis' anti-trans views gained focus again in early 2024, when he took issue with WWE star Cody Rhodes posing with a fan holding up a transgender flag. In a post on X, Venis stated, among other things, that Rhodes was "affirming evil in the minds of the fans that pay for your paycheck." Venis' remarks received widespread condemnation, and also led to him earning the ire of wrestling podcaster Mat Koon. Only days later, Koon would by the domain valvenis.com, using it to forward people to the National Center of Transgender Equality website. This would lead to a prolonged back and forth between Venis and Koon, with Venis warning Koon and other wrestling journalists months later to stop using the Val Venis name, with Venis claiming he owned the rights. So far, Venis' threats have not worked, as the site still features information on how to support the LGBTQ+ community and causes.
