The latest episode of the WWE Network show, Legends With JBL, saw an appearance from WWE Hall of Famer Madusa, who is also known as Alundra Blayze. On the show, she spoke about being the first pro-wrestler to work with Playboy magazine, how Vince McMahon paid off her IRS debt and living on the streets prior to being hired by the WWE.among other things.
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Madusa revealed that she had posed for Playboy much before she joined the WWE but did not allow the pictures to get released because she was in talks with a Japanese wrestling promotion at the time and felt that it might affect her image adversely. She also joked with JBL that she had brought a picture for him but admitted that she still has them with her.
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Here’s what Blayze had to say about her Playboy stint:
“I did Playboy before it was even big in WWE. I did not release the pictures, or, yeah, correct, I did not sign the release because that was the time I was negotiating and wanting to go to Japan and I did not want to be looked at that way. I was serious. So yeah, they're floating around there. I've got a picture for [JBL]. Just kidding. I have the pictures.”
The former 3-time WWF women’s champion opened up about how she was not willing to have the WWE use the name ‘Madusa’ while signing up despite Vince McMahon’s liking for the name. She remembered being surprised when Vince told her that they will figure out a different name for her. Alundra was quoted as saying this:
“I was speaking to Vince on the phone. He liked the name 'Madusa,' but I wasn't able to give it up. I didn't want to and I'm telling him and realizing that on the phone. I'm like, covering [the telephone transmitter], I'm like, 'oh my God! I'm getting fired even before I'm even hired!' I just told him, 'no, you can't use my name!'
But right away, he said, 'that's alright. We'll come up with another one.' He was so awesome. Vince was amazing to me. Vince was so good to me through my whole career in the WWE and I couldn't say anything bad.”
The legendary women’s wrestler also told JBL about how she was forced to live on the streets before she got an offer from the WWE. According to Madusa, McMahon had asked if he could do anything for her on the day she received the contract and she has asked her to pay off her IRS debts which amounted to $80,000.
She claimed that the WWE boss cleared the bill on the very next day through a cheque, much to her amazement. This is what the former WCW Cruiserweight Champion said:
“I lived in my car. My car got repossessed and I was on the streets. People don't know that I've lived on the streets for awhile and I rose above that and I got a call. And so when I finally got my contract, I was going into WWE, he says, 'is there anything I can do for you?' Anything this or that? And I said, 'yeah, you can pay off my IRS bill!'
And he goes, 'how much do you owe?' I said, 'I paid everything off. I could have filed for bankruptcy, but I never did, sir.' He said, 'alright.' The next day, he sent a check and paid my IRS bill. He was amazing.”
Alundra Blayze was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the year 2015 by current WWE women’s superstar Natalya.
