By James Caldwell, PWTorch.com assistant editor

Former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura says he would have investigated WWE if he ran for and won a Senate seat in the latest election. Ventura says WWE's classification of pro wrestlers as "independent contractors" defies the legal intent.

"If I would run for the senate I was going to do a senatorial investigation on the WWE," Ventura told Chris Yandek in a recent interview. "And you know for concerning what? What’s even a bigger importance is the fact that today they are still called independent contractors by the government which is absurd."

Ventura says Vince McMahon treats the wrestlers like employees and is their boss just as much as any other corporate boss in an employee-employer relationship. He contends an investigation is necessary to change the culture in favor of pro wrestlers.

"They tell you when you wrestle. They tell you who you wrestle. They tell whether you win or lose. They tell you where you’re going to wrestle," Ventura said. "They are your boss as much as any job in the universe."

Ventura's relationship with Vince McMahon is strictly business at this stage, which implies he could be bought for a price like playing the role of a special referee at Summerslam 1999 while governor of Minnesota.

He says there is no personal relationship between himself and McMahon, but he has great respect for McMahon as the "P.T. Barnum of this generation."

"There is no personal with him for the most part. I’ve had a good and bad relationship with Vince," Ventura said. "Vince is like any powerful…powerful mogul who runs something. The business itself, he’s married to that and nothing’s gonna deter him from that."

Link: Jesse Ventura interview.

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