Mark Madden: The culture of wrestling is magnetic ... so I'm back

Vice TV produced a four-part documentary series: “Who Killed WCW?”

I was never mentioned.

But, judging by social media reaction to me doing color commentary on TNA Wrestling’s TV taping this Friday at Robert Morris’ UPMC Events Center, you’d think that I was most responsible for putting World Championship Wrestling out of business in 2001.

“Mark Madden showed up to your promotion, you know it’s the end lol” — X post.

And that was one of the nicer ones. By far.

I have no delusions of grandeur.

I’m 64. Never did look the part. It’s just a match or two, to be broadcast later on AXS TV. TNA has a great announce team in Tom Hannifan and Matthew Rehwoldt. They’ll carry me. I’m there to add local hype.

But while I’ve not done color commentary for wrestling since I concluded my eight years at WCW in 2000, I’ve been talking into a microphone professionally ever since and for almost 30 years total.

Maybe I wasn’t the best on Nitro back when. But I was OK.

It was tough to follow the legendary Bobby “The Brain” Heenan in my role, and WCW’s product was, charitably speaking, all over the place at that time.

If I did this regularly again, there’s zero doubt that within a few months I’d be better than almost everyone doing it now. (That’s partly because the state of the art isn’t so great currently.)

The unhinged minority that says on social media how bad I suck are just mad because I got to do it, and they didn’t.

Now, 25 years later, I get to do it again, and they’re still marks.

I’m looking forward to Friday. I’ll be careful to not put myself over at the expense of the action. That was a problem in WCW when I wasn’t impressed with said action. Hey, I was just a kid. (OK, I was 39.)

Actually, I’ve done that in this column. Made myself the story. Like Pat McAfee and Stephen A. Smith with the NBA Finals.

So, without further delay: I like TNA Wrestling. It’s an honest, organic type of promotion that leans toward being old-school without feeling outdated.

The Hardy Boyz are there. Matt and Jeff. Arguably the greatest tag team ever. Matt is 50, Jeff 47, but they’re still near the top of their game.

TNA is doing cross-promotion with NXT, WWE’s developmental arm. NXT’s Trick Williams won the TNA world title, which feeds the rivalry and creates backstage tension. TNA’s Nic Nemeth, who had a great run in WWE as Dolph Ziggler, is upset with Joe Hendry for letting the belt leave TNA hands. But I believe in Joe Hendry.

Plum grad Elijah is in TNA. Formerly Elias in WWE. Great, earthy gimmick. Who wants to walk with Elijah? (I could use the exercise.)

Hardcore icon Tommy Dreamer is part of TNA’s creative process. He’d still absorb a chair shot if you asked nicely.

TNA also tapes TV on Saturday at UPMC Events Center. I’m presuming they’ll be sick of me by then.

But I’ll never get sick of wrestling.

It paid for my house.

I made lots of friendships. Some lasted, some didn’t.

I don’t watch wrestling like I used to. Too many recycled old guys, not enough air time for up-and-coming stars. That applies everywhere. It might be working, but I’m not necessarily interested. (Anything involving Paul Heyman in WWE is compelling. I like the John Cena heel turn. A great young talent, Ace Austin, just left TNA. Curious to see where he shows up next.)

But there’s something about the culture of wrestling that remains magnetic.

I’m looking forward to experiencing that again, albeit briefly.

It’s a family, however dysfunctional. It’s a society, but not as secret or barbaric as it was. It’s a bond not easily broken. (Except it often is. If you worked in wrestling, you know.)

I really loved wrestling as a kid. Then I became a dirt-sheet geek. Then I worked for WCW. Then I drifted away from wrestling.

Now I’m back. One night only.

Good thing I didn’t throw out my Hawaiian shirts. Beats wearing a suit. (Vince Russo, one of my creative directors in WCW, said it reminded him of John Candy in “Summer Rental.”)