Buff Bagwell was a polarizing star for WCW. He had a sensational physique and big personality, but could be the subject of criticism for his ring work, suggestions that he let his mom handle his business for him in inappropriate ways, other outlandish backstage stories, and those fans who more generally found him to be an obnoxious personality. His perception from fans has been up and down since, including briefly becoming a Twitter darling in retirement, before the revelation he wasn’t actually writing most of his social media content. There may never have been more organic fan support behind Bagwell, though, than in 1998 when a spot gone wrong put him in a wheelchair for a period of months.
The Rise Of Buff Bagwell In WCW
Marcus Alexander Bagwell was a mainstay of the WCW tag team division for years, with a career that included winning the tag titles teamed with 2 Cold Scorpio, with The Patriot as Stars and Stripes, and with Scotty Riggs as American Males. The emergence of the New World Order shifted the aesthetic of the company, however, and Bagwell shifted with them.
Rebranded as Buff Bagwell, the young star became one of WCW’s most annoying heel characters. He was a frequent sidekick to Scott Steiner in his Big Poppa Pump persona, in addition to teaming with Scott Norton as Vicious and Delicious.
Buff Bagwell Suffered A Real Neck Injury In a Bulldog Spot With Rick Steiner
A spring 1998 match pitting Buff Bagwell and Scott Norton against Rick Steiner and Lex Luger took a dark turn when Steiner hit his signature diving bulldog off the top rope, only for Bagwell’s head to slip out of the headlock position and get jammed against Steiner’s back on impact. The effects became clear shortly afterward when Bagwell wasn’t able to physically pin Steiner for the planned finish and remained motionless in the ring for minutes to follow the end of the match.
So it was that Bagwell joined the unenviable list of wrestlers to suffer serious neck injuries in the ring. He discussed the incident in a visit to Steve Austin’s podcast (h/t 411Mania)--that he was worried he was paralyzed for life, but the diagnosis was a bruised spinal cord, and he was able to recover and get back to the ring.
WCW Planted The Seeds Of Buff Bagwell Turning Babyface
When it was clear Buff Bagwell would be able to return to the ring, WCW set to work laying a foundation for a comeback angle. The story included nWo heels like Scott Steiner badmouthing their former partner in crime, and Hollywood Hogan shoving Bagwell. The stage seemed set for Bagwell to have a major face turn.
More than simply turning, the inspirational story of Bagwell coming back from his very public injury felt like an opportunity to elevate him. WCW wasn’t always very good at elevating their own, homegrown talents, but it felt like these unfortunate circumstances might offer an organic opportunity to push him to a new level.
Buff Bagwell Turned Heel Upon His Return To The WCW Ring
When Buff Bagwell returned in the summer, he made waves about forgiving Rick Steiner for hurting him, further suggesting his big face turn. However, when he appeared in his home state of Georgia in front of a raucous crowd, he didn’t ally with The Dog-Faced Gremlin, but rather held him to allow Scott Steiner and his nWo teammates to beat him down.
So it was that, while Bagwell might have changed the trajectory of his career in the moment—and perhaps even the larger legacy he left behind on the wrestling business, he instead resumed his old position as a supporting player in the nWo. There's a real case to be made that this was not only the wrong decision for Bagwell's career, but one of the worst ways of ending a story that WCW ever arrived at. Bagwell remained employed by WCW right up to the end and was featured in the first WCW match promoted in WWE, but never again meaningfully broached breakout star status.
Even those fans who have actively rooted against Buff Bagwell for his entire career couldn’t take any pleasure in seeing him suffer a neck injury on live television. Fortunately, he wasn’t hurt in the long term, but did face the follow-up disappointment of a mismanaged return to the ring. Despite the real life calamity and creative failure to follow, Bagwell’s injury remains one of the more memorable and talked about sequences of events in WCW history.
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