In the late 70's, Ventura joined the American Wrestling Association, and began teaming with Adrian Adonis as the "East-West Connection" in 1979.
The duo won the promotion's World Tag Team Championship on July 20, 1980, on a forfeit when Verne Gagne, one-half of the tag team champions along with Mad Dog Vachon, failed to show up for a title defense in Denver, Colorado. The duo held the belts for nearly a year, losing to "The High Flyers" (Greg Gagne and Jim Brunzell).
Shortly after losing the belts, the duo moved on to the World Wrestling Federation where they were managed by Freddie Blassie. Although the duo was unable to capture the WWF Tag Team Championship, both Adonis and Ventura became singles title contenders, each earning several title shots at World Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund.
Ventura continued to wrestle until September 1984 after three back-to-back losses to World Champion Hulk Hogan, when blood clots in his lungs effectively ended his in-ring career. Ventura returned to the ring in 1985, forming a tag-team with Randy Savage and Savage's manager Miss Elizabeth. Often after their televised matches, Ventura would taunt and challenge fellow commentator Bruno Sammartino, but nothing ever came of this.
Ventura participated in a six-man tag team match in December 1985 when he, Roddy Piper, and Bob Orton defeated Hillbilly Jim, Uncle Elmer, and Cousin Luke in a match which was broadcast on Saturday Night's Main Event IV. The tag match against the Hillbillies came about after Piper and Orton interrupted Elmer's wedding ceremony on the previous edition of the show; Ventura insulted Elmer and his wife during commentary of what was a real wedding ceremony at the Meadowlands Arena, by proclaiming when they kissed: "It looks like two carp in the middle of the Mississippi River going after the same piece of corn."
After a failed comeback bid, Ventura hosted his own talk segment on the WWF's Superstars of Wrestling called "The Body Shop", in much the same heel style as "Piper's Pit", though the setting was a mock gym (when Ventura was unavailable, "The Body Shop" was often hosted by Don Muraco). He began to do color commentary on television for All-Star Wrestling, replacing Angelo Mosca, and later Superstars of Wrestling, initially alongside Vince McMahon and the semi-retired Bruno Sammartino, and then just with McMahon after Sammartino's departure from the WWF in early 1988. Ventura most notably co-hosted Saturday Night's Main Event with McMahon, the first six WrestleManias (five of which were alongside Gorilla Monsoon), and most of the WWF's pay-per-views at the time with Monsoon, with the lone exception for Ventura being the first SummerSlam, in which Ventura served as the guest referee during the main event.
In February 1992 at SuperBrawl II, Ventura joined World Championship Wrestling as a commentator. Ventura was ultimately released by WCW President Eric Bischoff not long after.
In mid-1999, Ventura reappeared on WWF television, acting as the special guest referee for main event of SummerSlam held in Minneapolis. On the June 4, 2001 episode of Raw which aired live from Minnesota, Ventura appeared to overrule Vince McMahon's authority and approve a WWF Championship match between then-champion Stone Cold Steve Austin and Chris Jericho.
On the March 20, 2003 episode of SmackDown!, Ventura appeared in a taped interview to talk about the match between McMahon and Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania XIX. Less than a year later, he would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2004 on March 13, 2004 and the following night at WrestleMania XX, he approached the ring to interview Donald Trump, who had a front row seat at the event.
On the June 11, 2007 episode of Raw, Ventura appeared to give comments about McMahon. Ventura was guest host on the November 23, 2009 episode of Raw, during which he retained his heel persona by siding with the number one contender Sheamus over WWE Champion John Cena. This happened while he confronted Cena about how it was unfair that Cena always got a title shot in the WWE, while Ventura never did during his WWE career. After that, Sheamus attacked Cena and put him through a table. Ventura then made the match a tables match at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs. During the show, for the first time in nearly 20 years, McMahon joined Ventura at ringside to provide match commentary together.
After 40 years, on December 14, 2024, Ventura made his return to the returning Saturday Night's Main Event. Ventura commentated with Joe Tessitore throughout the show, then called the final match between Cody Rhodes and Kevin Owens, with Michael Cole and Pat McAfee.