How Arnold Schwarzenegger Pranking Jesse Ventura On The Set Of Predator Cost The Wrestler A Bottle Of Champagne

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Jesse Ventura and Arnold Schwarzenegger were both incredibly muscular, especially during the 1980s. They famously appeared together in the 1987 film Predator (available on Hulu), and it’s not surprising that these two strong personalities were quite competitive with each other.

Schwarzenegger playfully tricked Ventura, knowing his competitive nature. He convinced Ventura for a short time that his arms were larger than Schwarzenegger’s, a prank that ended with Ventura owing him a bottle of champagne – and perhaps a bruised ego.

Schwarzenegger Set The Prank Up With The Wardrobe Department

Apparently, the future governor of California suspected the future governor of Minnesota would double-check the costume sizes during his fitting. And he was right. Nearly 40 years ago, in an interview connected to the film’s release, Ventura explained:

The most exciting moment for me was seeing the measurements on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s wardrobe tape. When my arms measured just one inch smaller than his – the same as Mr. Olympia’s – it was a really satisfying feeling for me, and made Jesse Ventura proud.

He also had a habit of talking about himself using ‘he,’ which he believed was a mark of a truly exceptional wrestler. This set the stage for Schwarzenegger to respond with:

That’s great news, because it means my joke landed! I asked the costume department to give him the information, so I can win a bet with him and treat him to champagne when he’s at the gym.

It seems everything Schwarzenegger planned was working. Next came the gym.

Can You Imagine The Gym On The Set Of Predator?

Okay, so the cast of Predator was incredible – you had Ventura, Schwarzenegger, and Carl Weathers. Talk about a powerhouse of muscle and testosterone! Apparently, Schwarzenegger was anticipating a little playful rivalry. He figured Ventura, being the showman he was, would inevitably start flexing and comparing arm sizes, and Arnold was totally ready to bet on it. He even told people he was waiting for it!

Two days later, he showed up at the gym and challenged me, Arnold, to an arm-measuring contest to see who had the bigger muscles. I immediately agreed and suggested we make it a bet – the winner would get a bottle of champagne.

The trap was laid, and all that was left was the tale of the tape. Schwarzenegger explained:

We compared arms, and mine was three inches larger than his. He ended up losing a bet – a bottle of champagne, actually. It just goes to show, those mental games work on anyone, even really strong athletes like bodybuilders and wrestlers. It’s effective.

Ventura didn’t say how expensive the champagne was that he used to settle the bet, but considering his movie was a huge success in the summer of 1987—and started a popular franchise that continues today with the recent film, Predator: Badlands, which did very well in 2025—it’s likely he splurged on a high-end bottle.

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2025-12-05 22:08