In 1998 Ventura was ready to fight the power more than he was his fellow wrestler, and made a long-shot bid for the governorship of Minnesota (even more importantly, he changed his nickname). To the surprise of almost everyone—except, perhaps, the Minnesota electorate that joked, ate, and hung out with him on the campaign trail—Ventura took his opponents to the mat, knocking them out and taking home the political champion’s belt, plus the keys to the governor’s mansion.