For those that grew up with professional wrestling in our lives, the voices behind the moments that shaped our lives are just as important as the entertainers in the squared circle. As much as Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant mean to us, so do Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock will live forever in our memories, but so will the calls of Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.
They are some of the highlights of WWE, but WCW had its own rich history, made most popular in the late 90s. When the nWo vs. Sting ruled their programming, we had the likes of Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan making the great calls. As WCW began to fall, however, a new commentator came in named Mark Madden. His personality made him one of the worst announcers wrestling has ever seen.
Mark Madden’s Early Days In WCW
In the early 1990s, Mark Madden worked as a writer for Pro Wrestling Torch. The Pittsburgh native achieved a level of fame with the former Atlanta Braves legend, Hank Aaron. As WCW was also located in Atlanta, both being owned by Ted Turner, Madden once let Aaron know about the racist comments WCW President Bill Watts had made about Black and gay people. Hank Aaron spoke out against Bill Watts, and in no time, the head of WCW was out.
When Eric Bischoff took over as the President of WCW, he brought in Mark Madden. Madden did a variety of jobs, from working in various roles off camera, writing for the promotion’s magazine, and running the WCW hotline. In the days before the internet, if you wanted WCW wrestling news immediately, you had to get on your phone and listen to Mark Madden and “Mean” Gene Okerlund.
Mark Madden Took Over Commentary From Bobby Heenan
By 2000, Madden was also a prominent shock jock sports radio host in Pittsburgh. You know the type. Every day they’re on the radio screaming and ranting about how much they hate whichever team and its players. They come across as the most negative and angry people in the world, but many manage to find a big audience by drawing in fans with similar opinions.
In 2000, WCW was in very bad shape. The Monday Night Wars with WWE had long been lost, and the promotion was dying financially and creatively. Long time commentator Bobby “The Brain” Heenan was not in great shape, and with a promotion now run by Vince Russo looking to save money, the decision was made to replace the living legend with Mark Madden, a guy most fans had never heard of. It was a disaster.
Mark Madden’s Heel Persona Was Unbearable
Shock jocks might work in sports and politics, and while heelish commentators have worked well in wrestling, no one wants to turn into a wrestling show to have an angry person scream at them for two or three hours. That was Madden’s style though. His commentary was so grating, and at many times offensive, that it took away from the action in the ring. Rather than supporting the show, Madden tried to be the show.
No one liked Mark Madden behind the scenes either it seems. Sid Vicious once screamed at him backstage for comments Madden made. A still very alive Bruno Sammartino threatened to sue him when Madden said Sammartino had to be rolling over in his grave after David Arquette’s infamous WCW Championship win.
Mark Madden’s undoing in WCW came at the hands of one of wrestling’s nicest and most loved stars, Diamond Dallas Page. On a December 10, 2000 episode of Nitro, Madden referred to Page as “Leatherface,” mocking the future Hall of Famer’s looks. The comments, while awful, aren’t shocking in a world where heel commentators regularly insult wrestlers, but it was the last straw for Madden, who wasn’t seen as a character, but a naturally mean person who meant what he said.
Mark Madden Was Fired By WCW
DDP blew up at Madden and the commentator was suspended for a week. DDP, being the nice guy that he is, later tried to apologize to Madden and shake his hand, but Madden refused. He had no problem making fun of everyone, but when they stuck up for themselves and fought back, he couldn’t handle the consequences.
With it looking like DDP’s close friend Eric Bischoff was going to run WCW again (it never came to be), WCW made the preemptive strike of firing Mark Madden. He would be involved in more controversies on his way out the door, but would thankfully never be a wrestling commentator again. His radio show in Pittsburgh still continues to this day, but the controversies haven’t ended. He had a short-lived podcast with Ric Flair before the Nature Boy fired him.
Maybe Mark Madden is a good person behind the scenes. He did speak out against racism afterall at the risk of his career and should be commended for it. He was very close with his mother. And when he contracted COVID, he spoke up in his support for vaccines. While his gimmick might work for radio, however, in WCW, it only helped to turn fans away even more.
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