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Val Venis was one of WWE's most memorable superstars during the Attitude Era. In a recent interview, the former Intercontinental Champion recalled how Ahmed Johnson once had an issue about their practice match against each other.
Before joining WWE in 1998, Venis attended a two-week training camp at a television studio in New York. Legendary coach Dory Funk Jr. wanted Venis to beat Johnson in an untelevised match lasting roughly six minutes in front of other wrestlers.
On Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw, Venis said Johnson complained after being told to lose:
"I didn't find out until a little while after. Ahmed pulled Dory Funk aside and was saying, 'You really think I should lose to this cat?' And it's a workout! I was shaking my head, just going, 'This can't be real. Am I in the twilight zone right now?' It was a pretty easy match. From what I can remember, he had a little bit of a two-left feet problem." [44:34 – 45:07]
Johnson wrestled for WWE between 1995 and 1998. The highlight of his career came in 1996 when he defeated Goldust to become the first African American Intercontinental Champion.
Val Venis' honest opinion on Ahmed Johnson as a wrestler
Nicknamed The Pearl River Powerhouse, Ahmed Johnson boasted one of the most impressive physiques in the wrestling business in the 1990s. However, he was not known for his in-ring ability.
Val Venis witnessed Johnson's lack of wrestling skills first-hand when his former co-worker launched him against the ropes:
"I was like, 'Dude, you don't gotta really whip me, man. I mean, I'll run.' My personal opinion on Ahmed is he wasn't that great of a worker at all, and I think that's being nice." [45:22 – 45:35]
Johnson recently claimed that WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon erased him from history after his exit from the company in 1998.
Do you have any favorite Val Venis memories? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Stories with Brisco and Bradshaw and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
