Mad #366

Mad's "Pro Wrestling Crushed!" issue arrives in February 1998 with a cover by Mort Drucker and John Caldwell that pulls no punches: a glowering, long-haired wrestler in a black hat and coat — clearly a caricature of The Undertaker — palms a very squeezed, dopey-grinned Alfred E. Neuman in one hand while dangling a flimsy boutonnière flower in the other, with WWF, WCW, and nWo logos plastered across the yellow background. The surrounding border is packed with tiny black-and-white wrestling gags, making the whole cover a gleefully chaotic tribute to late-'90s pro wrestling mania. Inside, Desmond Devlin and Mort Drucker bring that same satirical energy to "Pro Wrestling by the Numbers," promising a sharp send-up of sports entertainment at its cultural peak.