For nearly a decade, Debra Miceli has reinvented the Madusa name she built in pro wrestling and parlayed it into a successful career in the once male dominated world of monster trucks.

``I've opened many doors where you're seeing more and more women in the business,'' said Miceli, who started in 1999 under Dennis Anderson, the man behind Grave Digger. ``It's phenomenal. I feel fortunate and lucky to be able to do that.

``Being a role model brings tears to your eyes sometimes. Seeing the kids standing in line for hours, I'm very lucky in what I do.''

Much like she did during her 18 years inside the wrestling ring, Miceli has earned the respect of her peers. The blonde bombshell's hard work paid off as she began winning a number of competitions and championships in monster trucks.

Despite retiring from her former line of work in 2001, Miceli is still remembered for her impact on the wrestling business.

``I never get bothered when people ask me what I do, where I've been or what I think about wrestling because it triggers memories,'' Miceli said. ``I've done so much and had so many chairs over the head that I may have forgotten a few things, but when someone asks me a question from way back when, I think in my head, `Oh my gosh. Did I do that?'

``Ric Flair and I just did a huge stint in Tennessee last weekend. It was so good to see Ric. Ric Flair and I were talking about the good old times, and it was amazing. We just talked about the business and how it has changed. It was a great time to reminisce.''

She draws some parallels from her two worlds.

``Pro wrestling is pure entertainment,'' she said. ``As years progress, there is a lot of entertainment in the monster truck business as well and to be able to succeed and hit the pinnacle of your career in both.''

Miceli enjoys kids.

``There are far more children in the monster truck business because it's more family oriented,'' she said. ``That's what I really enjoy. After 18 years of wrestling, I saw pro wrestling slowly depleting of children and becoming a more front row, hip gyrating sport. With the monster trucks and all the kids, I thought that this was me, and I had to reinvent Madusa. I needed to change, and that is what I keep doing.''

Miceli has been on her own since she was 14 and is used to adapting to her environment. Her first job at an Arby's restaurant.

``That's when you had to be 16 or 18, at the time, to slice the roast beef on the slicer, and it was real hunks of roast beef back then,'' she recalled. ``It was just crazy. When I started, minimum wage was a buck thirty.''

Miceli made a name for herself and better than minimum wage in pro wrestling.

``You never forget where you come from,'' she said. ``Pro wrestling was a huge part of my life. It has developed me and put me where I am today. It's given me opportunities. I would have maybe never been able to be a nurse or a dog groomer. I don't mean that as bad because I've done both.''

She began training to become a wrestler in the United States and Japan. The determined performer worked a number of promotions including the American Wrestling Association and All Japan Women's Pro Wrestling.

In the early 1990s, Madusa joined World Championship Wrestling and had a memorable feud with Paul E. Dangerously (Paul Heyman). World Wrestling Entertainment took notice, signed her to a contract in 1993 and repackaged her as Alundra Blayze.

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