I actually, for the most part, enjoy Mark Madden. We share the same opinion as it relates to Ric Flair and his place in wrestling (that is, to say, the greatest of all time). I thought his color commentary on the dying days of Nitro was not only passable, but above average. He's obviously intelligent and knows how to convey his point in a clear, succinct manner. I wouldn't expect less knowing his history behind a microphone and his passion for journalism.
Still, I can where Harthan is coming from. Madden has taken to making disparaging comments concerning most talent (with the exception of CM Punk and Paul Heyman) and the product. And while I agree that many facets of the business aren't what they were back in the 80's and early 90's, this is a business that necessitates augmentation; it's required to evolve. Vince McMahon, while certainly exploitative of talent at times, it's a forward-thinking businessman. His job is to see around the curve and he does it remarkably well. Don't like the constant social media references? Well, for someone who has 13,948 tweets under his belt (I know, I follow him), sounds to me like ol' Mark can be touch hypocritical. From a business perspective, WWE is one of the most adept I've seen at maximizing exposure and aggregating revenue streams. Madden, much like the book "ChokeHold" by Jim Wilson, continues to focus on only the negative aspects of wrestling. I would think that Madden, having been a fan for as long as he has, would appreciate the cyclical nature of this business. It's during this time that WWE is trying to secure it's fanbase for the next 20 years, just as we did in the 80's, thus assuring itself an audience in the future.
While everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, Madden's vitriolic commentary gets old after a while. Still, I guess he's done what he set out to do, and that's get us talking and keep us reading.
