Featured Article: Buff Bagwell

This article was taken from WCW Magazine and should be credited to Tony Schiavone. 

Shooting with Schiavone

"The Stuff Dreams Are Made of..."

     One of the catch-phrases in WCW right now is "Buff is the Stuff." I believe this statement to be true, but not for the reasons you might imagine. Let me explain. Buff broke into pro-wrestling in 1990 and made his WCW debut at Starrcade '91. We all knew he looked good. He had a great physique and a broad, magazine cover smile. But I had seen many handsome wrestlers come and go. Bagwell first achieved notoriety in WCW's tag team division. His first taste of success was teaming with 2 Cold Scorpio to win the WCW World Tag Team Title in October 1993. He went on to win the World Tag Team title with two other partners: The Patriot and Scotty Riggs. 

 

Three world championships with three different partners-that's an Arn Anderson-type record. Even though he's a multi-champion, that's really not the stuff that makes Buff. His stuff became apparent after April 22, 1998. That was the night, live on Thunder, when Buff Bagwell's career nearly came to an end. A Bulldog maneuver by Rick Steiner damaged two vertebrae in Buff's neck. As he lay in a heap on the mat, I remember thinking that he was done, that there was no way a wrestler could walk away from such damage. The next 20 to 30 minutes were full of panic for WCW.

 

The time it took to remove Bagwell took the steam out of an exciting TV show and left a dark cloud over WCW for more than a week. Reports from the hospital made matters worse. Three surgeries in six days. Near suffocation during one procedure. Food poisoning. A blood clot. Bagwell most surely was done. I couldn't bear to go see him, a decision I regret. I don't handle tragedy too well, especially one that I thought might end a potentially brilliant career. From the injury to the complications, I couldn't bear to look at a man who I knew had a chance to be a  superstar in wrestling. 

 

Lo and behold, 10 months later he was back on WCW television. The first couple of months were filled with confusion for Buff.  Prior to the accident, Buff had made a decision to join the nWo. He was greatly influenced by Scott Steiner, and after the accident he still felt his true friends were in the nWo. As the weeks went by, Bagwell remained aligned with Steiner. Personally, I was upset. Buff and I share a common bond. He grew up in East Cobb, Georgia. I live and raise my kids in East Cobb. Knowing Bagwell had the benefit of growing up and gaining his education in such a fine area, I was upset that he was showing poor judgment in following the footsteps of Big Poppa Pump.

 

It was this disappointment that prompted me to refer to Bagwell as Steiner's flunky during a Nitro event. Buff heard this and confronted me about it. I could understand his anger. Hell, I was angry too. A man I respected and admired had

gone down the wrong road. Bagwell's return to the ring and subsequent separation from Steiner has been the best move of his career. No, I don't think my comment had anything to do with it. I think that a combination of many factors influenced his choice.

 

For Bagwell, the sky is the limit. He forged his name in the record book prior to his back injury and overcame what could have been a destructive association with Scott Steiner to get where he is today. He battled and conquered an injury that almost cost him his career-and his life. Bagwell never will need to be measured by the number of titles he wins. His measure is one of perseverance. And that is the true stuff of which Buff is made.

 

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