Ranking Every Major Monday Night Wars Jump From WORST To BEST

12. Madusa

X Pac WWE Debut
WWE.com

Remembered as iconic more for the fallout than the moment itself, Madusa’s transgression has developed a weird mythology in the years since.

Presented as evidence that Vince McMahon couldn’t allow Bret Hart to leave the WWF as Heavyweight Champion in fear of a repeat humiliation, that is bullsh*t: a legal impossibility, WCW would have been f*cked faster than it f*cked itself, had Eric Bischoff dared. But this baseless speculation—“this is why Vince screwed Bret” has 271 likes on the pirated YouTube video—has informed the legacy of the angle, which is in itself…not great.

Madusa’s promo was shaky and repetitive when it badly needed to be confident, and really, it didn’t resonate beyond gossipy insider circles. The WWF had binned the title before Madusa did. It wasn’t a sacrosanct piece of Titan iconography. The stint helped build WCW’s perception as the cool, contrarian promotion, if nothing else.

Mildly humiliating, audacious, a nice checkpoint in the Monday Night Wars saga—but not much else.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!