Mark Madden isn’t your typical sports commentator. He’s known for his loud voice, strong opinions, and no-filter remarks. He made a name for himself in professional wrestling before shifting gears to radio and journalism.
Interestingly, Madden has always been at the center of controversy, whether he’s calling out local athletes or clashing with Ric Flair. Here, we’ll tell you everything we know about Mark Madden, his career, and his feuds with fellow colleagues.
A Biography of Mark Madden
Mark Madden was born on the 29th of December, 1960, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He’s the host of a popular sports talk show and a renowned commentator for World Championship Wrestling. On top of that, he hosts an afternoon show on the radio and writes for TribLive as a part-timer.
Though his sports career isn’t related to football, he’s an avid fan of Liverpool F.C. and frequently mentions it during his show. Additionally, he’s interested in ice hockey and is a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Mark Madden grew up alone with his single mother since he didn’t have any siblings. He also doesn’t know his father and isn’t interested in tracking him, so he was only close to his mother throughout his life.
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Unfortunately, Madden’s mother died in 2006. She was a speech teacher at North Hills High School and was mostly leading a quiet life.
Madden graduated from Duquesne University in 1982, and he was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon International Fraternity during his time there. After graduating, he pursued a career in sports journalism, landing a spot at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
At the time, he’d been covering high school sports, and he stayed with the Gazette for 15 years.
How Mark Madden’s Career in Wrestling Started
Mark Madden was brought closer to his dream job when he started writing for Pro Wrestling Torch in 1991. Though he only stayed on the job for three years, he managed to do an interview with Hank Aaron, the baseball legend.
Naturally, the interview gave him national attention, and he worked hard until WCW hired him in two roles: TV color commentator and magazine writer. Not only that, but he also ran the WCW service hotline with Gene Okerlund.
Naturally, his career in sports got him close to some of his childhood idols, like Ric Flair. Madden stated more than once that he used to watch Flair on Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and idolized him. He met him somewhere during his time with WCW, and they remained close friends for a long time.
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By the early 2000s, Madden had started to appear regularly on WCW television as a commentator. He also hosted some pay-per-view events.
Unfortunately, Madden’s time with WCW came to an end in December 2000. He was fired for making negative remarks about the company and leaking some information about the sale that happened shortly after.
Post-WCW Mark Madden: Show Host and Columnist
After getting fired from WCW, Madden spent plenty of years working as a columnist for Pro Wrestling Torch. He also returned to the Pittsburgh media, hosting a weekday afternoon sports talk show on the radio.
In 2021, Madden started co-hosting The Best Wrestling Show podcast alongside Mike Mansury. However, the show only ran for a brief time before going on hiatus.
Madden later co-hosted another podcast called Wooooo Nation Uncensored, but this time, it was alongside his long-time friend and childhood idol Ric Flair.
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Unfortunately, the friendship didn’t last for long after that, ending after a series of public disagreements that resulted from Madden leaving the show.
Till this day, Madden still runs his radio show on 105.9 The X and writes sports columns for TribLive.
Mark Madden: A History of Feuds
Mark Madden’s feud with Ric Flair wasn’t the only one. He had running feuds with plenty of other colleagues. Here’s a rundown:
Diamond Dallas Page
Page and Madden have a long feud that resulted in Madden referring to the former as Leatherface during a broadcast. Naturally, Page considered it a personal insult, and he called Madden in a heated phone call that didn’t end well.
The tension grew between the two after that, and their disagreement was allegedly one of the reasons Madden got fired from WCW.
Devlin ‘Duck’ Hodges
In 2022, Madden started a feud with Hodges, the former quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, on Twitter. He made fun of Hodges’ podcast about hunting ducks and wrote in a tweet that Hodges was the worst athlete in the history of Pittsburgh sports.
Duck Hodges. https://t.co/6y3kgr04FW
— Mark Madden (@MarkMaddenX) September 2, 2022
The two of them kept exchanging insults publicly after that, and Madden called Hodges ‘the worst QB to ever start for the Steelers.’
In the last tweet directed at Hodges, Madden wished him luck in his ‘amateur-hour pretend-celebrity drivel.’
Gene Okerlund
In 2000, Madden and Okerlund got in an on-screen feud, and Okerlund challenged Madden to a wrestling match, or in their worlds, a ‘Kamloops street fight.’ The fight came after Gene Okerlund and Buff Bagwell defeated Madden and Chris Kanyon in a tag team match.
Bruno Sammartino
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Mark Madden had a brief feud with Bruno Sammartino that almost ended in a lawsuit. While doing his commentary, Madden threw an inappropriate joke, saying that David Arquette’s WCW Championship win would make Sammartino turn over in his grave.
Needless to say, Sammartino was still alive at the time, so he got insulted by Madden’s comment.
He threatened legal action against the commentator, and WCW obligated him to issue a public apology on air.
Ric Flair
Ric Flair and Mark Madden stayed friends for decades, but unfortunately, the friendship didn’t last. In 2022, they got into a dispute that ended both their podcast partnership and friendship.
When Madden announced his departure from the podcast due to schedule conflicts, Flair countered on Twitter, saying that he had fired Madden.
Madden then took it upon himself to reply, saying that Flair didn’t inform him directly that he was fired and that they’d lost their deal with Podcast One. After that, they didn’t return to being friends, and they never communicated publicly again.
Mark Madden’s Career Timeline
From commentary to radio shows and podcasts, Madden has had quite a career. Here are the major milestones in his decades-long career.
- 1991 to 1994: Wrote for Pro Wrestling Torch, gaining national attention.
- Mid-1990s: Joined WCW as a magazine writer and co-hosted the hotline with Gene Okerlund.
- 2000: Became a regular commentator on WCW, and later got fired for bad remarks about the company.
- 2021 to 2022: Co-hosted The Best Wrestling Show briefly, and then co-hosted Wooooo Nation Uncensored with Ric Flair.
- Present: Hosts his radio show on 105.9 The X and writes columns for TribLive.
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Final Thoughts
Mark Madden has always refused to hold back, whether while commentating or while expressing his personal opinions on Twitter. His personality has often gotten him in trouble, ending friendships that lasted for decades.
However, whether you love him or hate him, Mark Madden is still one of Pittsburgh’s most recognizable voices in sports media. Chances are, he would’ve been working with WCW to the moment if he’d been a tad more diplomatic.
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