Although he’s now most associated with his namesake video game series, John Madden is also among the most celebrated commentators in pro football history, as well as a successful head coach. According to former executive Eric Bischoff, there was a pro wrestling equivalent to Madden in WCW during the company’s 1990s heyday, as he revealed on his podcast, “83 Weeks.” Not only that, but the individual had their own important connection to football. It was former Chicago Bears player Steve “Mongo” McMichael.

“I was looking for my John Madden,” said Bischoff. “I was looking for that guy. Not so much from a wrestling knowledge perspective, but that sense of humor. That spontaneity, and ability to take a situation and have fun with it. That’s why I was excited about Steve and he fit that so well.”

Bischoff stated that WCW color commentator Mark Madden fulfilled a similar role, and both he and McMichael did it exceptionally. Then-President of Turner Sports Harvey Schiller was the one who initially brought McMichael into the company, but Bischoff was very familiar with McMichael in the NFL and was eager to work with him.

“I miss Mongo’s sense of humor,” Bischoff stated. “He would say the corniest s**t, and sometimes he’d say it [and] you wouldn’t quite get it because his sense of humor was so dry sometimes. And it would hit you like a minute later.”

McMichael worked in WCW from 1995 until 1999 as both a commentator and a wrestler. Sadly, in 2021, McMichael revealed that he’d been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. A former defensive tackle and member of The Four Horsemen, McMichael died on April 23, 2025, at the age of 67.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “83 Weeks” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.