During her professional wrestling career, the woman best known as Madusa helped legitimize women’s wrestling in the American Wrestling Association, World Wrestling Federation (now WWE), All Japan Women’s Pro Wrestling and World Championship Wrestling. She held the Women’s Championship in pretty much every organization she worked for and was the first and only woman to ever hold the WCW Cruiserweight Championship (just one of many firsts for the woman also known as Alundra Blayze). Having put her wrestling career behind her, Madusa is now a successful Monster Jam truck driver (driving the Madusa truck, of course), having won the World Finals Championship in both freestyle and racing. As she readies for this Saturday’s Monster Jam event at the Georgia Dome, Madusa spoke with Georgia Wrestling History‘s  Georgia Wrestling Now on Jan. 9. Here are the highlights from the interview, conducted by Wrestling with Pop Culture, Nemesis, Matt Hankins and Harold Jay Taylor.

You’ve been driving monster trucks for several years now. Did you go directly from wrestling to monster trucks?

I had my first show [of the year] last weekend in Tulsa, Oklahoma and just slapped the snot out of the boys. I love it. Altogether I’ve been driving about 10-12 years. But we only drive three months a year, so actually only maybe two-and-a-half, three years. I’ve won two championships and it has not come easy, I’ll tell you that.

I was still wrestling when I went into monster trucks. Monster Jam approached me because they wanted a cross promotion and wanted a name to get more little girls in seats and that’s exactly what they’ve accomplished.

Do you make more money driving trucks than you did in wrestling?

Oh, hell no. I made more money in wrestling. However, I’ve been frugal and smart and have other businesses and things going on. So I can enjoy what I do and I’ve been blessed. Monster trucks are sort of how wrestling was 20 years ago, so I think it’s going to take another ten years or so before the pay is the same. I remember the days when I had to drive 300 miles and I made five bucks. But you’ve got to love what you do. If you don’t love what you do it will show. Little boys have dreams of being in the spot I’m in and I just fell into it. I had never been to a monster truck show, never really seen one and never could really give a hoot, so I’m lucky.

When you first started driving a monster truck there were several other wrestling-themed trucks. None of those are around these days, but you’re still here. Why do you think you’ve outlasted the other wrestling trucks? Are you just that damn good?

Yes, I am that damn good. However, they had a contract with WCW for some of the names in WCW. I was the only talent that actually drove their own truck. Goldberg, NWO and all of them, they licensed their names over to Monster Jam. None of them drove their trucks. Goldberg’s quote was, “There’s no way in hell I’m getting in that truck. You are crazy, girl.” I’m an adrenaline junkie. I love it and it was a great marriage. It was perfect. And for 10, 12 years I’ve just been jamming it, kicking it to the top, winning two championships.

It has not been easy being a woman in a man’s world – not just once, but twice – and have to prove yourself from the bottom up all over again. When I finally did win a championship, that’s when I earned the guys’ respect.

How many female monster truck drivers are there?

There’s not enough. I think there are about five of us now. Being the First Lady of Monster Jam and opening the doors for others, it’s a great feeling to see the change and possibilities. We have some great female drivers, so it just feels so good to see them rising through the ranks. I hope one of them gets a championship here soon because it would be good to have another woman on board to feel this great feeling. When I won the championship, I won it in racing. It was against Dennis Anderson [and] Grave Digger, so when you have man against woman, student against teacher, Ford against Chevy and icon against icon, I almost couldn’t breathe! When I’m sitting at that starting line and that light is red, waiting to turn green to go, I was as calm as could be right then and there. The only thing I could think of is, “Oh my gosh! This is like ‘Big Daddy’ Don Garlits and Shirley Muldowney, and I’m gonna kick his ass.” And I did. It was awesome and it was the best feeling ever.

Have you ever thought of branching out into other types of racing?

Honey, if I was 20 years younger I probably would. I’ve always been a motorhead. I’ve been riding Harleys for over 20 years and dirt bikes and four wheelers and I love to hunt. I’m a girlie girl inside at times and I love to put on makeup and jump in the high heels. In my earlier years I was always ahead of my time. From wrestling to boxing to going to Japan to whatever, it just feels so good to have been able to pave a lot of avenues for what it is today. I really wish I would have thought of NASCAR 20 years ago or so. I would’ve been good.

You’re good, but you’re also a character that people want to go see. It seems like drag racing and other sports could use someone like that.

Madusa isn’t just a name or a character any more; it’s a brand. It has taken many years to do that, but it’s a brand. But talking about top people? Oh, honey. You look at them Force girls. I wish I could be one of them. One of the Force girls said, “I dig that Madusa chick in her monster truck.” Well, little does she know I dig her and her racing. She’s got a great push, a great name and some great talent, so she’ll be able to go a long way in her sport and carry it along for other women.

Which do you think is more physically dangerous, wrestling or driving a monster truck?

I get hurt more in this truck than I did in wrestling. After 18 years of pro wrestling, broken bones, blown knees and whatnot, you can imagine what 10,000 pounds of g-force in mid air will do to your body. You’ve got to take precautions either way. But anything is dangerous. Walking out of the house is dangerous. You’ve just got to think smart and be smart. They take 100% safety precautions in any arena they’re at, so it is what it is.

You’ll always be remembered in wrestling for taking the WWF Women’s Championship to WCW and throwing it in a garbage can on Monday Nitro. You obviously accomplished a lot in wrestling aside from that, but if there’s anything you’d like to be remembered for in wrestling what would it be?

I was under contract and I was told to do that by Eric Bischoff or “there’s the door.” But there’s a lot of things to be memorable for. Opening the doors for the new Divas division, opening the doors for women to be who they are today, changing up women’s wrestling, making it legit wrestling, bringing Japanese wrestling into women’s wrestling. Do we actually throw in winning championships? I don’t know. You tell me.

Do you keep up with what’s currently going on in wrestling?

I don’t make a point to watch it. If it’s on TV and I’m surfing and see it, I will [watch it]. Lately I’ve been catching Beth Phoenix on there and I thought, “Dang. It’s about time we got some girls on there that can kinda wrestle, look good, have some knowledge. Every time she wrestles someone, she’s the one that’s carrying the opponent. And she has to always set herself back to make the other person look good. You know what that reminds me of? It reminds me of when I was there and it pisses me off. I feel like they’re stiffling her a little bit because [they] don’t have somebody of her caliber. So what do you do? There’s other girls coming up the ranks that are starting to be as good as her, but she’s untouchable right now in WWE.

You still have the title belt you took to Monday Nitro and you recently issued an opportunity to Beth Phoenix to challenge you for it. Do you think you have a chance of that happening?

Well, let’s get something straight. If you’re referring to the YouTube video I posted a few days ago, I was merely talking about my merchandise and the questions I’m being asked. So I was just answering a question. That is not throwing it out there and saying, “I want to come back.” What happened is that video went viral, so I was like, “Why is my merchandise so crazy? Wow, great. More T-shirts sold. That’s awesome.”

To hear the full interview, go to www.blogtalkradio.com/psp. For more information, go to www.madusa.com or www.monsterjam.com.