The term “trailblazer” gets thrown around quite a bit when it comes to the world of professional Wrestling. It’s a word bandied about perhaps now more than ever and even a little too loosely on occasion given the nostalgic wrestling programs that air almost weekly on multiple cable television outlets. 

But there’s one woman who clearly defines the description. An innovator of the highest caliber who broke down barriers to help women’s wrestling enjoy the platform and success it has today. 

Enter Madusa. 

Debra Miceli, also known as Alundra Blayze to fans of the WWF/WWE, is a near-four decades veteran of professional wrestling, a three-time WWE champion and a WWE Hall of Famer. Miceli has lived more lives than a cat, and despite numerous ups and downs along the way, always seems to find a way to land on her feet. She details her wild ride in professional wrestling, monster trucks and beyond in her new Book, “The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story.” 

“When I got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and I met Vince (McMahon) for the first time after all those years, and the incident that I talk about in the book, he was just so cordial,” Miceli said. “He said, ‘What we want to do and what our vision is, is exactly what I had in you when we brought you in. You are the prototype of where we’re going.’”

Miceli went into the WWE Hall in 2015.  

“So I knew right then and there that things were gonna change,” she said. “The Divas were on their way out, the women’s belt was coming back, and oh my gosh, look where we’re at. The women are thriving.”

The “incident” Miceli is referring to is the time she famously threw the WWE Women’s Championship belt in the trash on an episode of WCW Monday Nitro. It was one of the most iconic moments in not only the Monday Night Wars but also in wrestling history. 

“I feel that where we’re at today is exactly my style,” Miceli said. “I was so ahead of my time. I’m glad for that, because I set a standard.”

Miceli currently works as an agent/producer for Billy Corgan’s National Wrestling Alliance. She also pops up every so often on WWE programming, and she talked all about her book, working with “Sensational” Sherri Martel and Luna, the NWA, the state of women’s wrestling and more in this Web Is Jericho exclusive. 

When did you get the idea to do the book? “Writing this book has been like 40 years in the making. When I first started in this business, I knew that I wanted it to be a movie. I wanted to write a book. This was 40 years ago, and I even trademarked my name back then. There was one time I actually sat down and started putting it together. And then later I sat down with Vince Russo when I was in WWF. And you know those little tapes back in the day? I spoke to him and we made all of these tapes, and we were gonna write a book back then. But then that never came to fruition. Then there was a third time, and it still never came to fruition.”

“Finally, what else do you do during a pandemic besides have lots of sex with your spouse and write a book? So I did both and finally put it all together. ECW press was very interested. But I needed it to be put together like I am and how I speak. I wanted people when they read the book to feel like I was talking to them. It’s all over the place, but it keeps you engaged. There’s so much activity. You’re reading one chapter, and you’re like, ‘Wow I want to know more.’ Then you get to chapter 10, and there’s the rest of it. That’s basically how my life has went. I got together with Greg Oliver, and he implemented all of that very well. I thought it was very well done. Now, can I take some of those chapters and write another book out of like 10 of them? Hell yeah! (Laughs)” 

You’re very vulnerable in much of the book. What were some of the biggest challenges to putting it together? “Once we talk about it and put it out there, it’s out there. I’ve always been very supported. I’m kind of an introvert, even in my business. When you look back to my interviews in the past, I’ve said the same stories but changed up the words some. I knew if I gave too much away, it would be giving my story away. So I knew when I was writing this it was like peeling back an onion and re-living some of these moments. I was asking myself, ‘Are you sure you want to write this?’ And I was like, ‘Yes. This is what I want to do. This is what I want to say and what needs to be said.’ And I needed to do it in a way that was eloquently done but in my words and to set a message to be motivating and inspiring — and to tell the truth, damnit! There’s so much more in addition to this book, and a lot of it, I will take to the grave with me, because it’s nobody’s business. But there’s some things out there that still need to be said and learned by people where it probably could help them in a few things.” 

You certainly were a trailblazer in the wrestling industry. When you look at the product today, is there anyone out there you see a lot of yourself in? “I do get that question. A lot of people say they want to see matches with me and a couple girls, and the names get repeated. I do see little bit of me in a few of them. There are some girls that are so great on their promos, and I never reached that level in my time, because we just didn’t have that time. We did get some opportunities. However, I really love the promos that are hitting from these women. Now if we can see some more storylines and content, like maybe 5 storylines within the women, it would be great. Or even more. And not just a month or a month and a half or two months. It would be great to see more storylines, something that is built like they did with the Bloodline.”

You talk in the book about many wrestlers you learned from and worked with over the years, but there are two in particular I wanted to get your thoughts on. The first being “Sensational” Sherri Martel. What are the first things that come to mind when you think of Sherri? “I was scared sh*tless of Sherri at first, because she was very hard school and very kayfabe. Kayfabe was very strong in our day. So not only did we not talk or speak to each other, we did not ride with one another or anything. She believed in that so much. I was still learning about kayfabe. But no one ever schooled me in on it, and I had to learn the hard way. There are incidents when she wouldn’t talk to me about the match, and she wouldn’t do anything until the day of and she would just call it out there, and it was the best learning session of my life. She really made me listen, watch, learn and hone into my craft. She was a brawler. She wasn’t a technical wrestler, but she brought it. Her timing and psychology was impeccable in this business. Impeccable. So to get to work with her was incredible. And she was a good seller. If she thought you did something wrong, she would tell you in many ways. There’s a match her and I had, I did a German suplex, and it looked like I knocked her out. And I took her head and shook it. And everyone was like, ‘Oh my God, she killed her.’ I’ll never forget after, Sherri said, ‘That was some good sh*t!’ When I see that video clip, and people make negative comments, I just giggle. You can’t help but laugh, cause people just don’t know.”

Talk a little about working with Luna Vachon. She was amazing in the business but also quite a complex individual. “Luna was a very nice and kind person. She was very giving. I’ve never met a person that lived, breathed, ate and slept everything in this business more than she did as a woman. She loved this business so much, and she gave her heart and soul and basically died for this business. She gave so much to wrestling and wrestling gave little back to her. There were moments when she had highs, and it was great. I remember her telling me, ‘You f*cking bitch, you’re the one that turned down the deal with WWE. You were supposed to go to WWE and do this Sable bullsh*t, and they called me to do it, and I had to do it.’ I was like, ‘Oh my God (Laughs),’ but she was very thankful of having that.”

What did it mean for you to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame? “When I retired in 2001, I was done with wrestling, I never watched it, never listened. I was done. Fast forward 15 years, I get this call when I was in a driver’s meeting. I drove monster trucks for 20 years, and we would meet about the races. My phone went off, and it said, ‘Please call WWE.’ I was like, ‘Sh*t, a fan got my number.’ And then it happened again, ‘Please we’d like to speak with you.’ Then I said, OK, maybe they just need my address for tax reasons. I was scared to death, but I finally got (to the induction ceremony), and my husband didn’t live anything through my wrestling, just through the 20 years of monster trucks. So he was like, ‘What is this all about?’ So I had to educate him all about wrestling. And I said to him, ‘For the first time, I’m nervous as hell. I don’t know what to expect.’ All I knew was the old style wrestling and how I was treated and the people, and I was like, ‘God, I’m walking back into this. I don’t know if I want this.’ But then I got there, and I’ll tell you, it was the most amazing experience I ever had in wrestling. They treated me like gold, and it was so nice and accommodating. And I’ll tell you something about Nattie, Natalya Neidhart. This woman is so beautiful. She is so nice. If it wasn’t for her intro speech to my speech, it never would’ve built the platform. She’s incredible and kind, and she’s a tough cookie. She’s just an incredible soul. It was my best experience in wrestling.”

What has it been like working with the NWA and Billy Corgan? “When I first was asked to go to NWA, I was shocked. I thought, ‘Wow thank you so much.’ It gave me the opportunity to go there and show what I was about. Then a year or two later, I got a call back from Pat Kenney, and he said ‘You’re missing your calling. Would you like to be a producer or an agent?’ I’ve helped kids out through my whole career in monster trunks and wrestling, and I get DMs all the time asking for advice. Especially on character building. What I like about the NWA is it is old school. And when I was asked, I was floored and said, ‘Hell yeah I want to do this!’ So I did, and it’s been two years. The old school and old TV feel and the history in it is awesome. Billy Corgan, his mind is incredible. It’s like ‘How do you know this?’ But he’s loved wrestling his entire life, and now here he is as the owner of the NWA. To actually bring back the history and the gold and the whole respect of the NWA, I like that. I like how it’s different than the rest. In all the other federations, we’re very Hollywood, and we’re very showy. This is something different, and I love the whole storytelling aspect of everything. And there is more than a handful of kids here who are incredibly talented, and I would love to see them grow and do their thing.” 

What’s the next year look like for you? Any special plans? “I feel that as a woman in this business, if you have your mind and your body and you can contribute to help the business grow and expand and help the other talent, I feel that everyone has a place. I know that our society has looked upon older women that they don’t belong. I see a lot of that still in our business. Knowing that I have that ‘trailblazer’ headline, I feel like if I can continue to do what I do and be active and give hope to women that are 20, 30, 40, 50 — if I’m still active in a business I enjoy, and I’m still capable and can take care of myself, other women can, too. If you are lucky enough to become my age of 60 years old and do the things that I do, than I’m fighting for you. So when you’re my age, you’re gonna be fighting for the same damn things. And I’m doing that for you. But not just for you, for me, too.”

To purchase “The Woman Who Would Be King: The MADUSA Story,” visit ECWPress.com. Follow Madusa on Twitter @madusa_rocks and check out her YouTube channel.