VAL VENIS

Who would have thought that a guy with the aspiration to be a helicopter pilot would become a professional wrestler? Toronto area-born Sean Morley wanted to do just that, and was set to go to Colorado State university to study aeronautical science. Morley had been trained by Canadian great Dewey Robertson (best known as The Missing Link) at the age of 20 in Hamilton, Ontario. The summer before university was to begin he travelled to England. It was here that he got involved with the British Wrestling Federation (BWF), and under the name Scott Borders, he won the BWF title. After a stint with Ozarks Mountain Wrestling, Morley went on to Puerto Rico, where he wrestled for five years. Said Sean to SLAM! Sports:

"Puerto Rico kind of became my home base. I'd take four weeks off from Puerto Rico, and I'd work for All Japan Pro Wrestling company. And then I would return to Puerto Rico, and then spend four or five months in Mexico, and then return to Puerto Rico. I just kept bouncing back and forth. I was really fortunate that I wasn't stuck on the independents too much. I worked mostly all small territories."

Sean primarily wrestled in tag action at this time with long-time friend "The Canadian Glamour Boy" Shane Sewell. The two had first gone to England together, and wrestled as a team in Puerto Rico until Sewell left. Morley stuck around and went singles.

While in Mexico, Sean donned a mask and took on the name Steel. He says:

"I had a really cool mask, a really unique mask in Mexico. It actually looked like steel, the mask looked like steel, like I had metal on my face. It was totally unique, especially to Mexican standards. It got over really, really big in Mexico."

While in Mexico, Sean captured the CMLL heavyweight championship. Then came the WWF. In the summer of 1997, Sean got his first WWF tryout in Des Moines, Iowa. He went back to Mexico after the tryout, but Titan called him again that November. Sean took part in the WWF's "Funking Dojo" training camp in January of 1998, and worked several Raw dark matches under his real name. He also teamed up on occasion with fellow Toronto-area native Adam "Edge" Copeland. After several weeks of training and dark matches, Morley was offered a WWF contract. Sean admitted later on that he'd tried out with WCW as well:

"I had a tryout with the WCW a week before my tryout with the WWF. They presented me with an offer, but it is totally different down there. It's hard to put a finger on it, but I did not feel comfortable down there at all. I don't know what they had in mind. If Vince McMahon is going to invest in somebody, he is going to push him. I like that idea."

WWF owner Vince McMahon along with WWF Magazine columnist Vince Russo (aka Vic Venom) came up with the idea of an adult film star gimmick. They felt that Morley fit the role perfectly, and as a result Val Venis was born. After several weeks of video vignettes on WWF television that saw Morley speaking from the "set" of an adult movie (not to mention a vignette of Morley and XXX star Jenna Jameson), Venis made his WWF on-camera debut in the early summer of 1998 on Raw against Scorpio. The crowd took to him immediately, so much so that the planned heel role turned into a face role.

Since entering the WWF, Val Venis has developed the reputation of a true ladies' man. From his ring introduction (during which he comes out wearing a towel and gyrates his hips), to his series of adult film vignettes, to his association with various women in the WWF. Venis has specifically enjoyed stealing women from other WWF talent, including Terri Runnels (from Dustin Runnels), Mrs. Yamaguchi San (from Kaientai's Mr. Yamaguchi San) and Ryan Shamrock (sister of Ken Shamrock) among others. Venis has also experienced success in the ring against a vast array of competition, both faces and heels. This success has included a stint as WWF Intercontinental Champion after defeating Ken Shamrock in February, 1999 at the St. Valentine's Day Massacre.

The music, the intro, the ring attire, the hip gyration, the controversial mic spots; there's only one Val Venis. 

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