Madusa (Alundra Blaze) is recognized as a pioneering figure in women’s wrestling, emerging from the traditional era of the industry.
The WWE Hall of Famer achieved success in both WWE and WCW, where she held the women’s championships. Madusa famously discarded the WWE Women’s Title in a trash can on WCW Nitro after joining the promotion.
On a recent edition of her “Paving the Way” podcast, Madusa, who has previously appeared on AEW television, recalled her presence at AEW training sessions for women.
Madusa observed a shortage of talent among the participants and later discovered that Dustin Rhodes conducted the sessions, which were voluntary. She said,
“I don’t know if the girls train at AEW. I know when I was there that first time. I was there for a couple of days, and they had open training because they had a ring there, and that’s when Dustin [Rhodes] was training the girls, and he’s like, Oh my God, I’m so glad you’re here. Do you want to come to practice? I’m like, yeah, yeah, and I’m like, okay, I said I’ll just, you know, I’ll just sit out here, and he goes. Yeah, he goes. Do you want to help train the girls? I said, I’m honored.
But you know, I’m ready to come in and start throwing my weight, but I don’t think it’s cool. I said, your leading this, so if you want me to talk to the girls and let them know that I’m open, that they want to come over for any suggestions and stuff like that absolutely I said I think the best thing is that you know the kids are here and the ones that aren’t in the ring training that the best way to learn is actually to sit outside the ring and watch and listen right and he’s like of you know of course he gets it, and so we were getting ready to start, and I’m like where’s everybody, and he’s like well it’s voluntary, and I’m like so it’s f**king free you got Dustin f**king Rhodes training the girls where are they why aren’t they here and I was a little baffled, and he’s like….it’s the kids you know. What am I going to say? It’s the kids, the new kids of today, and I’m like, well, okay.”
Madusa continued, “That was respectfully said. I get it, but what you know I said, isn’t it mandatory? I mean there, half more of them are under contracts, and they’re getting paid. Shouldn’t they just be here to show up to? I’m like, because back then the girls work sucked, you know, it was a s**t show, man, and they were all basically learning and what no bad things to them. They just was no direction, so right, and I’m like, who wouldn’t take advantage of that? So anyway I went, and I was talking, and then the next day I saw some girls, and they walked out. I’m like, oh my God, hi, how are you? They’re like, oh hi, nice to meet you, Madusa. I said great, I said we had practice yesterday, we have it now I said are you coming. She turned to me and said practice. I don’t have to go I said what do you mean you don’t have to go to school? I’m on the injured list, and I looked at her, and she had her makeup all done. She’s walking just fine. Everything’s fine, but sometimes, internally, you just don’t know.
She goes, Yeah, I have a doctor, I don’t need to go, I don’t have to practice, and I say, Well, you look great to me. I said, Why can’t you sit outside the ring and learn something? She goes; it’s voluntary, and I don’t need to show. I’m not saying this person’s name for a reason because I’ll mention it probably later in another episode, but it really opened my eyes to what and how the women—I’m not going to say to all of them how they may look at this business as a meal ticket is money only or do they really respect it. Are they that much of a c**t? You know what I’m saying? Well, I’m just saying I didn’t know we were visiting the vagina monologues tonight, and anybody that’s seen that play will get that joke. Um, okay, [I’m] last thinking you, you arrogant little b**ch, my God anyway.”
