Jesse Ventura sounds off on WWE for "a violation of the law," comments on whether there was any tension between him and Vince McMahon at last week's Raw

Jesse Ventura was critical of Vince McMahon and WWE during an interview with Kevin Eck of the Baltimore Sun. "It’s a violation of law," Ventura said. "How can [Vince] McMahon get away with calling wrestlers independent contractors when they can only work for him, he has them under an exclusive contract, he tells them when they’ll wrestle, where they’ll wrestle and whether they’ll win or lose. That’s not employment? The government don’t care because they get their money either way, whether the wrestler’s paying it or whether Vince has to pay into Social Security. They probably just figure, 'Oh well, it’s just wrestling. Who gives a damn?'"

Ventura was asked whether there was any tension between him and McMahon at last week's Raw. "Not a bit," he said. "When it comes time to perform, we’re both performers. It’s much like professional athletes say: In the summer it’s a baseball game; in the winter it’s business. It’s the same thing. When we’re performing, it’s performing. Now when we’re negotiating, that’s business. But when we get on the camera, business is left aside. It’s called being professional." To read the full interview, visit Eck's Ringside Blog.

Powell's POV: I agree with Jesse regarding the independent contractor issue, but it's hypocritical for him to make appearances on WWE programming whenever he has something to promote. He's all smiles on the show, yet he's been ripping the company ever since in interviews. Does he ever address these issues face-to-face with McMahon? Did he attempt to make any changes in the wrestling industry while he was governor of Minnesota?