BY WADE KELLER

Mark Madden, a former PWTorch columnist in the early 1990s and sports writer with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, went on to work for WCW as a cohost of Nitro. The same bombastic, controversial, fearless style that led to him getting the job as a commentator on Nitro also led to an incident that triggered his firing. Ten years ago I wrote about the controversial firing of Madden and that story, from PWTorch Newsletter #634 (cover-dated December 30, 2000)...

END NOTES EDITORIAL BY WADE KELLER

Mark Madden getting fired isn't going to solve anything other than show people it's not a good idea to disrespect a powerful star. Madden showed up Dallas Page in front of other wrestlers last week. Madden gets fired this week. Had Madden accepted Page's offer of a handshake, Madden would probably still be collecting his two or three thousand dollar a week paycheck.

The rules violations apparently cited to Madden as the reason he was fired don't add up to a suspension, much less being fired. Even considering that it was his "second offense" in recent weeks, and that he just came off a one-week suspension as a result of the first offense, talking about Scott Hall was a case of him following the lead of millionaire top stars - including, ironically enough, Dallas Page. Unless WCW fired Madden for other reasons than those Madden has talked about, WCW appears to be applying different rules to different folks.

The firing of Madden could be acceptable if (a) there was good reason to do it; and (b) it would scare the troops into respecting management. That begs one question though: Is there any management in WCW worth respecting?

Now there are rumblings that Kevin Nash, WCW's laziest, most spoiled, yet smartest contractor, is feeling a bit "singled out" since WCW seems to be going after his friends. First Scott Hall, and now Mark Madden (and that's not even counting his ol' buddy Sean "Syxx" Waltman). Nash continues to be a huge reason WCW is in the sorry state it is. Nash talked about Hall on the air, and for political reasons he continues to kiss up to Page. Page may be one of the hardest workers in WCW at times, but he is as thin-skinned as it gets. And perhaps vengeful, too. Nash has the authority and wit to put people in their places and lead by example. Time after time, though, he acts like the bully in the back of the classroom picking on the substitute teacher.

In high schools everywhere the loud-mouthed bully runs the ship and the substitute teacher is just around to collect a paycheck and make it through the day. That's Nash's relationship with the revolving door management in WCW.

Madden and Nash were friends. Madden felt safe talking about Hall if Nash was. Nash led by example. Madden followed.

If Madden was fired simply as a way for Dallas Page to prove his clout, then there's no further point to be made. Page proved his point.

If Madden being fired is meant to set an example to the rest of the WCW locker room, well, don't count on it working. Madden is about as low as it gets on the totem pole. Even though he is co-host of Nitro, that didn't mean anything to Bobby Heenan or Larry Zbyszko. That chair is not known as a prestigious place with job security. Madden being fired isn't going to scare anyone above him in the hierarchy to shape up.

Maybe Stevie Ray is going to watch what he says more carefully - both on the air and to Dallas Page. But it's not as if Nash or Scott Steiner are the least bit concerned about what happened to Madden. Madden's firing is another poorly handled move by WCW's incompetent management team.

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