 Bagwell in 2006 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | Marcus Alexander Bagwell (1970-01-10)January 10, 1970 (age 55)[1][2] |
Spouses | |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Buff Bagwell[1] Fabulous Fabian[1] The Handsome Stranger[1][2] Marcus Alexander Bagwell[1][2] Marcus Bagwell[1] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)[1][2] |
| Billed weight | 245 lb (111 kg)[2] |
| Billed from | Marietta, Georgia[2] |
| Trained by | Dusty Rhodes[3] Mike Graham[3] Steve Lawler[1][3] |
| Debut | 1990[1][2] |
| Retired | 2020 |
Marcus Alexander Bagwell (born January 10, 1970) is an American retiredprofessional wrestler better known by hisring name,Buff Bagwell.[5] He is best known for his appearances withWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) from 1991 to 2001, where he was afive-timeWorld Tag Team Champion.[4]
Missy Hyatt helped Bagwell break into the wrestling business.[6] Growing up, Bagwell was a standout baseball player during his tenure inSprayberry High School, and worked for his family's lumber company. Upon graduating from high school, he started an amateur boxing career.[2][4][7] When the lumber company went bankrupt, Bagwell became a certified massage therapist before deciding to become a wrestler.[2]
He trained underSteve Lawler and debuted in 1990, working for North Georgia Wrestling as Fabulous Fabian. In 1991, he began wrestling with theGlobal Wrestling Federation (GWF) as The Handsome Stranger, a gimmick suggested byDemolition Ax that saw Bagwell don aLone Ranger-style mask, and hand out roses to the female fans.[8]
In 1991, Bagwell was hired byWorld Championship Wrestling, where he wrestled under his full name. Bagwell made his WCW debut on November 5 in anon-televised match, losing toMike Graham.[2][8][9] He would then wrestle a tryout match on November 11 and made his televised debut as afan favorite atClash of the Champions XVII, where he was interviewed byMissy Hyatt. He made his televised in-ring debut by defeatingRip Rogers on the December 14 episode ofWorld Championship Wrestling. Bagwell made his pay-per-view debut atStarrcade, where he was paired withJimmy Garvin againstMichael Hayes andTracy Smothers in a Lethal Lottery match, which he and Garvin won after Bagwell hit Smothers with the fisherman suplex to qualify for the Battlebowl battle royal later in the night, whichSting won. Bagwell received his first title shot on the January 11, 1992 episode ofWorld Championship Wrestling againstSteve Austin for theWorld Television Championship, but failed to win the title as the match ended in a ten-minute time limit draw. Bagwell would then begin feuding with theTerry Taylor, which led to a match between the two atSuperBrawl II, which Bagwell won.
Bagwell formed a tag team withTom Zenk on the February 15 episode ofWorld Championship Wrestling, to feud with Taylor and his partnerGreg Valentine over theUnited States Tag Team Championship and received several title shots, but failed to win the titles. Bagwell would then lose a match toScotty Flamingo atWrestleWar. The duo would participate in a tournament for the newly createdNWA World Tag Team Championship, where they would lose toRick Rude and Steve Austin in the first round atClash of the Champions XIX. Bagwell would then face Greg Valentine in a losing effort atBeach Blast. Bagwell and Zenk would fail in several title shots and after limited success as a team, they split up quietly and focused on their singles careers. He would then form a short-lived tag team withBrad Armstrong for the remainder of the year until the two split up in early 1993.
Bagwell participated in a tournament for the vacant World Television Championship on the February 20, 1993 episode ofWorldwide, where he lost toMaxx Payne in the first round. On the February 20 episode ofSaturday Night, Bagwell teamed with2 Cold Scorpio and Steve Regal to defeat Scotty Flamingo,Tex Slazenger and Shanghai Pierce in a six-man tag team match. This would lead to the formation of a tag team of Bagwell and Scorpio. During this time, Bagwell began a feud withthe Hollywood Blonds (Brian Pillman and Steve Austin), which led to Bagwell teaming withErik Watts to take on The Hollywood Blonds in a tag team match atSuperBrawl III, which Bagwell's team lost.[10] Bagwell resumed teaming with Scorpio and the team gained success unlike Bagwell's previous teams as they defeated various teams includingBobby Eaton andChris Benoit atSlamboree, Tex Slazenger and Shanghai Pierce atBeach Blast andThe Equalizer andPaul Orndorff atFall Brawl. As a result of their success in the tag team division, they quickly became contenders for theWorld Tag Team Championship. On the October 23 episode ofSaturday Night, Bagwell and Scorpio defeatedthe Nasty Boys to win the World Tag Team Championship, thus marking Bagwell's first title win in WCW. They lost the titles back to The Nasty Boys atHalloween Havoc.
Bagwell would be paired with Tex Slazenger against Rick Rude and Shanghai Pierce in a Battlebowl qualifying match at theBattlebowl pay-per-view on November 20, which Bagwell's team lost. Bagwell and Scorpio would then begin feuding with the newly formed teamPretty Wonderful, which led to a match atStarrcade, which Pretty Wonderful won. Bagwell and Scorpio defeated Pretty Wonderful in a rematch atClash of the Champions XXVI to earn a title shot for the World Tag Team Championship against The Nasty Boys on the January 29, 1994 episode ofSaturday Night, but failed in regaining the titles. Bagwell received his firstworld championship title shot on the final episode ofPower Hour on March 5 againstRick Rude for theInternational World Heavyweight Championship, which he lost. Shortly after, Scorpio was released by WCW, thus dissolving Bagwell and Scorpio's tag team.
On the May 28 episode ofWorldwide, Bagwell formed a new tag team withThe Patriot calledStars and Stripes as they defeatedDick Slater and Chris Sullivan in their first match as a team. They were quickly put in contention for the World Tag Team Championship and entered a feud with the championsPretty Wonderful over the titles. After losing to Pretty Wonderful in a title shot atFall Brawl, Stars and Stripes defeated them in a rematch on the September 25 episode ofMain Event to win the World Tag Team Championship, thus marking Bagwell's second reign with the title. They lost the titles back to Pretty Wonderful atHalloween Havoc but won the titles a second time atClash of the Champions XXIX. They lost the titles toHarlem Heat on December 8, which aired on the January 14, 1995 episode ofSaturday Night. Stars and Stripes failed in regaining the titles from Harlem Heat in rematches atClash of the Champions XXX, the February 11 episode ofSaturday Night and the March 5 episode ofWorldWide.
Bagwell would enter a tournament for the vacantWCW United States Heavyweight Championship, losing toMeng in the opening round on the April 29 episode ofSaturday Night. The Patriot left WCW in May and Bagwell resumed to singles competition while making makeshift tag teams withJim Duggan,Johnny B. Badd andAlex Wright to regain the World Tag Team Championship but could not regain the titles.
On the September 16 episode ofSaturday Night, Bagwell formed a tag team withScotty Riggs called theAmerican Males as they defeated State Patrol in their debut match. The newly formed team defeated Harlem Heat to win the World Tag Team Championship on the September 18 episode ofMonday Nitro. They lost the titles back to Harlem Heat on the October 28 episode ofSaturday Night. Bagwell participated in the first-everWorld War 3 battle royal at thenamesake event for the vacantWCW World Heavyweight Championship, which was won byRandy Savage. The American Males received a rematch for the tag team titles against Harlem Heat on the December 4 episode ofNitro, which they failed to win. The team would find no success afterwards and would lose most of their matches throughout 1996. During this time, Bagwell made only two pay-per-view appearances; the first atThe Great American Bash, where he lost toDiamond Dallas Page and the second atWorld War 3, where he participated in the namesake match with the winner earning a title shot for the World Heavyweight Championship, but failed to win the match.
On November 25, 1996, Bagwell joined theNew World Order (nWo) after turning on his partner Scotty Riggs. He soon renamed himself to Buff Bagwell. To go along with his name change he developed the habits of flexing his muscles and would talk to the camera insulting his opponents while complimenting himself. Bagwell began feuding with Riggs, defeating him in a match atSouled Out. Bagwell then represented nWo against Diamond Dallas Page atSuperBrawl VII, which he lost via disqualification after nWo members interfered in the match. Following the event, Bagwell resumed his feud with Riggs, which culminated in astrap match between the two atUncensored, which Bagwell won. Shortly after, Bagwell formed a tag team with nWo teammateScott Norton calledVicious and Delicious. The team feuded with established teams likeHarlem Heat andSteiner Brothers including a loss to Harlem Heat atRoad Wild. While with the nWo, he also competed forNew Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) as a part of nWo Japan, the NJPW version of the nWo. When he returned to America, he began afeud withLex Luger, which later saw Bagwell defeat him, with the assistance of nWo, atStarrcade.[9][11]
On the April 22, 1998 edition ofThunder, Bagwell wrestled a tag team match withScott Norton (representing the nWo) againstRick Steiner and Lex Luger which they won whenScott Steiner interfered on his behalf.[2] Just before that, Rick attempted hisdiving bulldog finishing move, which was not executed correctly and resulted in Bagwell's head striking Steiner's back, jamming his neck and severely injuring him. Bagwell was diagnosed with several damaged vertebrae and developedspinal shock, leading him to use a wheelchair and neck brace for months. He returned for an interview only to be ridiculed byHollywood Hogan and shoved to the entryway floor.[9] On July 6, after recently having neck surgery, the wheelchair-ridden Bagwell returned to WCW in his home state ofGeorgia. Bagwell seemed to have a new attitude and even called out Rick Steiner to offer him his forgiveness. Bagwell restrained Rick while fellow nWo member Scott Steiner assaulted him with a steel chair, reaffirming his loyalty to Hogan and the nWo. Bagwell then rose from his wheelchair and helped Scott beat down Rick. Later that same year, on the October 19 edition ofNitro, Bagwell claimed to be done with the nWo after saving Rick during an attack by Scott in the ring. This led to Bagwell convincing Rick to team up together atHalloween Havoc against Scott (stepping in for Scott Hall) andThe Giant, who were defending the tag team championships per "nWo (Freebird) rules". During the match, Bagwell once again turned on Rick to again reaffirm his loyalty to the nWo, but their tactics were unsuccessful as Rick would find a way to win the match (and the tag team championships) by himself. In January 1999, the nWo factions reunited, leading Bagwell and Steiner to side with the nWo Wolfpac. Their alliance ended atUncensored when Bagwell accidentally hit Steiner with a chair, costing him theWorld Television Championship.[9]
In June 1999, Bagwell engaged in a rivalry with WCW PresidentRic Flair and Vice PresidentRoddy Piper after claiming he was being held back. This led to a three-round boxing match with Piper atBash at the Beach, which saw Bagwell victorious. In September 1999, he feuded withBerlyn when Berlyn issued a challenge to Bagwell, but at Fall Brawl, Bagwell was late coming to the arena and "Hacksaw"Jim Duggan replaced him. The next night onNitro, Bagwell lost to Berlyn after the interference of his bodyguard,The Wall. In November, he defeated veteranCurt Hennig in aretirement match. Bagwell then feuded withDiamond Dallas Page after he made allegations about Page's wifeKimberly. Having spent much of 1999 feuding with older wrestlers, Bagwell was one of the first to joinEric Bischoff'sNew Blood alliance, forming a tag team withShane Douglas while both were members. Bagwell and Douglas eventually won the World Tag Team Championship from Ric Flair and Lex Luger, giving Bagwell his fifth World Tag Team Title reign and rekindling his feud with Luger from two years earlier. AtSlamboree, Luger defeated Bagwell via submission with theTorture Rack.[9]
On May 9, 2000 following aThunder taping inSpringfield, Illinois, Bagwell punched and yelled racial slurs at WCW crew member Darrell Miller after he and Bagwell began arguing when Miller attempted to carry equipment through a doorway in which Bagwell was standing. Six days later, Bagwell was charged with battery by theSangamon County, IllinoisState's Attorney's office. In response, WCW suspended Bagwell for thirty days and stripped him of his half of the World Tag Team Championship.[12][13]
Upon his return, Bagwell attempted to win the World Tag Team Title with Douglas once more, but was unsuccessful. Bagwell, now withTorrie Wilson by his side, wrestled Douglas atBash at the Beach, but lost when Wilson distracted him and sided with Douglas. Bagwell then began a feud withChris Kanyon, who began stalking him and harassing Bagwell's mother Judy as a psychological tactic. Bagwell eventually defeated Kanyon in amatch where Judy was suspended from a forklift. He rescued his mother despite the surprise interference of actorDavid Arquette.[8][9] In August 2000,David Flair'sstoryline girlfriendMiss Hancock mysteriously became pregnant. Flair quickly accused thewomanizing Bagwell, which led to afirst blood match atHalloween Havoc, with Flair hoping to obtain a sample of Bagwell's blood to prove he was the father of Hancock's child. Although Bagwell was victorious, Flair managed to get his blood sample when Bagwell's nemesis Lex Luger attacked him after the match. Bagwell was then revealed as not being the father, and the entire pregnancy was eventually found to have been a fabrication.[9]
AtStarrcade, Bagwell, who at the time had returned as a backstage interviewer, betrayedGoldberg by trying to cost him his match with Lex Luger. Bagwell's efforts were unsuccessful, but he managed to hit Goldberg with a steel chair after he had pinned Luger. Despite feuding in the past, Bagwell and Luger united and became known as Totally Buff. Totally Buff would go on to defeat Goldberg atSin after afanmaced Goldberg, allowing Bagwell to pin him. Due to a stipulation in the match, Goldberg was,in storyline, fired. In early 2001, Totally Buff joinedRic Flair'sMagnificent Seven stable, and remained with them until WCW's closure. Bagwell went to the WWF and Luger refused.[9]
Shortly after WCW was purchased by theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) in March 2001, Bagwell was one of the firstAOL Time Warner contracted wrestlers to accept the offered buy-out on his contract and sign with the WWF. On July 1, 2001, Bagwell facedBooker T at ahouse show and he made his WWF televised debut on the July 2 episode ofRaw is War, facing Booker T for theWCW Championship. The match went to a no-contest after interference fromStone Cold Steve Austin andKurt Angle.[1] Sports journalistMichael Landsberg reported that many have called the bout "the worst match ever", and remarked that Bagwell is "not a great wrestler".[14] When Bagwell arrived to theRaw tapings on July 9 in Atlanta, Georgia, he was informed he was being released from his contract due to complaints about his attitude and an altercation with fellow WCW alumnusShane Helms. There were also accusations that Bagwell faked an injury at the July 3SmackDown! tapings after receiving anaided powerbomb from theAcolytes Protection Agency. The accusations also claimed his mother Judy was calling WWF offices to request that her son get time off to heal from an injury supposedly inflicted to Bagwell from the aided powerbomb and to complain about her son's travel arrangements.[8][9] Bagwell himself claims that he never understood why he was fired from the WWF.[15]
In October 2001, Bagwell joined the upstartWorld Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) promotion for its tour of Australia, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. At its inauguralpay-per-view, The Inception, Bagwell competed in a tournament to crown the firstWWA World Heavyweight Champion. He won abattle royal to progress past the first round, but lost toJeff Jarrett in the semi-finals. The tour ended in December 2001.
Bagwell returned to Australia for a second tour with WWA in April 2002, then made a third tour, this one in Dublin and the United Kingdom followed, where he mostly facedStevie Ray and defeated him in several matches. He continued with the WWA into 2002, where in April, he took part in the Eruption pay-per-view. This time, he teamed up with his WWA rival Stevie Ray in an unsuccessful effort againstBrian Christopher andErnest Miller. In the autumn of 2002, he toured the UK and took part in the Retribution pay-per-view. During this tour, he often took part in the main event as a tag team match also involvingSting,Lex Luger andNathan Jones. At the pay-per-view, he teamed up withJohnny Swinger to faceNorman Smiley andMalice in a losing effort.
Bagwell made his TNA debut on June 19, 2002, NWA-TNA where he participated in theGauntlet for the Gold for theNWA World Heavyweight Championship but failed to win the title. On the July 3 NWA-TNA, Bagwell andApolo lost to The Rainbow Express. On the September 18 NWA-TNA, Bagwell andB.G. James competed in a Tag Team Battle Royal Gauntlet For The Gold Match but failed to win the match. On the May 7, 2003 NWA-TNA, Bagwell competed in the Anarchy in the Asylum battle royal which was won byGlenn Gilbertti.
Bagwell returned to TNA on the April 27, 2006 episode ofImpact! as the first ofSting's possible tag team partners forSacrifice on May 14. Bagwell also appeared on the September 28 episode ofImpact! in several segments, including a press conference, a video package, and a live segment where he briefly brawled withJeff Jarrett. Bagwell also competed in two live events in TNA on December 15, 2006, Bagwell andRon Killings defeatedDavid Young andElix Skipper and the next night Bagwell andRhino defeated David Young and Elix Skipper. At a 2008live event in Florida, Bagwell expressed that he would have liked to work a deal with TNA because it reminded him of his days in WCW.[16]
After his final appearance in TNA, Bagwell had resumed wrestling on theindependent circuit, most prominently for theNational Wrestling Alliance (NWA) territory Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and Universal Championship Wrestling.[7] After recovering from his injuries, Bagwell resumed his wrestling career and, in early March 2013, he won American Premier Wrestling's Heavyweight Championship after defeating "Cowboy" Jeremy Young at APW's Brawl VI event.[17] On May 24, 2014, Bagwell competed in the JT Lightning Invitational Tournament held by Absolute Intense Wrestling, where he won his first round match against Jock Samson before losing to Ethan Page in the quarterfinals.[18]In September 2018, under the management of Colton Menzel and Zach Salaam, Bagwell competed unsuccessfully in a UCW Heavyweight Title match against former WWE starRob Conway at UCW's "A Tribute fit for a King" event. This was the first time Bagwell and Conway had ever faced each other.[19] On November 23, 2024, Bagwell served as the special enforcer forEvan Golden vsHeath Slater for theBeside the Ring Championship inElizabethton, Tennessee. Bagwell was blinded byE.Z. Money, allowing Golden to knock out Slater and retain the title.[20]
In July 2025, Bagwell, who has claimed to be suffering from lingering injuries which have resulted from a car crash which occurred in 2020, would have one of his legs mostly amputated.[21][22][23] Nevertheless, Bagwell has stated that he still hopes to get back in the ring.[21]
On April 23, 2012, 14 years after he suffered his neck injury onThunder, Bagwell was seriously injured in a car crash, suffering broken bones in his neck, face and jaw.[7] According to theWoodstock police report, Bagwell had called his wife to tell her that he was about to suffer aseizure while driving.[7] He was subsequently taken toWellStar Kennestone Hospital in his hometown of Marietta, where he was placed in the intensive care unit.[7] On April 24, fellow WCW alumnus and former tag team partnerScott Norton released a statement viaTwitter to confirm that Bagwell was going to be all right.[24] On April 25, Universal Championship Wrestling performer and Bagwell's brother John released a statement to confirm that Bagwell's condition was improving, but that he still required breathing and feeding tubes and would undergo surgery once the swelling in his face and neck subsided.[25] On April 28, Bagwell's mother Judy revealed toTMZ that he had been taken off the breathing tube, was able to eat solid foods, and was able to talk.[26] On May 3, Universal Championship Wrestling announced via Twitter that Bagwell was able to walk again, but still had a tingling sensation in his arms and hands.[27] UCW also stated that he had four plates surgically inserted in his face and that his jaw waswired shut after surgery.[27]
Bagwell was involved in another car crash on August 16, 2020, suffering broken ribs, a broken right hip, a broken left socket bone, a broken nose, and a torn right groin muscle.[28] According toCobb County police, Bagwell had been driving impaired due to prescription medication.[29] As a result of the accident, Bagwell suffered lingering injuries and ultimately underwent an above-the-knee amputation of most of his right leg on July 10, 2025.[21][30][23][31]
Following his wrestling career, Bagwell became a male escort in order to pay medical bills.[32][33]
On August 9, 2016, Bagwell filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court of Connecticut against WWE for royalties from material he is featured in on theWWE Network.[34] The suit was dismissed in December 2017.[35]
On May 22, 2021, Bagwell was arrested in Cobb County on multiple charges including speeding, hit and run, and giving false information to law enforcement officers.[28][36][21]
1This Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, while currently operating out of the same region of the United States and having revised some of the championships used by the original Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, is not the same promotion that was once owned by Jim Crockett, Jr. and subsequently sold to Ted Turner in 1988. It is a separate NWA-affiliated promotion.
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