Buff Bagwell Talks Being Fired By WWE, Disputes Rumors About His Mother, WWF Buying WCW, More
Buff Bagwell was recently interviewed by The Two Man Power Trip Of Wrestling Podcast. You can check out highlights below and the full, extensive interview at this link. Credit to Chad & John for the transcript:
Being one of the most identifiable names when reflecting on WCW:
"People who have really heard me do any podcasts or interviews or anything in the past including having met me before, the people that really know "Marc Bagwell" know that really truly I am a humble guy. The internet can tell a lie. They can say he is egotistical and he's all this stuff but for the first time in a long time and when you just said everything you said in the intro, I was listening and it made me feel good to hear what you said that it was true and I haven't been announced like that in a long time and it's true. The humble part of me says for eleven years there was only two guys that stayed in WCW the entire ride and that was Sting and myself. So that is a pretty big deal and when you say one of the most identifable names with WCW that's very true because I was there for the whole ride."
The night of the WCW purchase and Vince McMahon bringing up Buff's name on Monday Night RAW:
"Here's Vince McMahon that says my name on the very first breaking news of this and that he mentions five guys names and I am one of the five and if you really remember I got the second biggest pop. If you listen to it back it's probably Goldberg that gets the biggest and keep in mind I was blown away that I was in the top five and can't believe he even mentioned my name. But if you listen to that back and I get the second biggest pop, I'm sitting at home and almost crying."
"All my star friends like Lex Luger and Sting and Goldberg all those guys say well Bagwell, Vince mentioned your name so you are good to go brother. Obviously that wasn't the case (laughing) but it was an awful good feeling at the time to know that I'm going to be okay but I was the first to jump ship and the reason I did was only because I had to. Vince McMahon buys my company that I work for and my contract is up in a month. I've got a month and zero leverage and one company is gone and one company is left and you on the internet have a ton of heat. What do you do? I called Vince and said instead of sitting at home and letting me collect another seventy-five grand that you guys owe me, just take the seventy-five and you don't owe me a dime and I'll come in right now with myself and that contract and show you that I'm a team player. My camp thought it was a great move and two weeks later I was fired."
What was it like the day at RAW in Tacoma, Washington preparing for his match vs. Booker T:
"It was extremely surreal and as you are announcing it the feelings in my body are so incredibly deep. I want everybody to know and you guys probably know this but a lot of guys don't know but as Booker T and Buff Bagwell being at RAW when you get told you are going to be the main event of the night well Booker T and myself at the time with a card like WCW that wouldn't really be a main event match. To Booker T, to me and to the world that is really not a main event. Was and is Booker T a main eventer? Absolutely. Is that match a main event match? Very possibly. But yet? No. We smelled sh*t as soon as we saw it. We were like what the f*ck this ain't good. But you can't act like that because your bosses and everybody are acting like they've given you a main event you should be happy.
"Here is the main thing I want to tell you that a lot of people don't know. If you are Vince McMahon and you own WCW and WWF and you are going to put the very first match of the Invasion on would you want to do it in Tacoma, Washington or wait one week and do it in Atlanta, Georgia? We knew next week was Atlanta and we thought what happened in Tacoma was going to happen in Atlanta but all of a sudden it's happening in Tacoma and we smell sh*t. Why not do it in Ted Turner's backyard and why not wait? A lot of people want to say stuff like it was a bad match and they fired Buff Bagwell. You don't get fired after being a twelve year veteran and five time former tag team champion after one bad match."
What shocking news was he given post match:
"For some reason the chemistry was off that night. Could it be the 30,000 booing fans? Could it be that Shane McMahon right before I go out says don't look in the camera. I said don't look in the camera? That's all I do. I pose, do a dance and wear a top hat and look in the camera. He said "we don't do that up here". He tells me that while my music is on, so if you ever watch that back I am not myself at all from jump. Then I get booed, then Booker gets booed, Stacey Keibler gets booed. After the match is over and we have a sh*tty-ass match and get to the back believe it or not Booker tries to blame me and I said wait a minute lets not start pointing fingers because you weren't exactly helping us out either and Johnny Ace says for starters it's OUR fault. Nobody knows this part except for them and us and that is Pat (Patterson) does that main events for WWF and I did not know this until this moment when he says "hey kid, I do the main events up here and Johnny thought I was going to your finish and tell you what to do and I thought Johnny was going to do it and he thought I was going to do it because he was your boss before." So nobody talked to you and you did the best you could do but you kind of did a WCW kind of match and that is not how we do it up here and it's not your fault and just let it go. We felt better after that because at least they knew that nobody did come to us and nobody gave us a finish."
Other rumors and stories that led to his exit and the aftermath that followed:
"The other rumor that stuck like glue, is who in the hell gets their mother to call in sick or whatever they said my mother did when you are trying to fit in to the WWF. Come on man, I wrestled with twenty stitches in my head that Shane Helms gave me and didn't tell them about it and then I wait a week and call in sick? Why didn't I call in sick the first week when I was hurt? When I wrestled in Tacoma, Washington in that match I had twenty stitches in my head. The night before I wrestled in Seatle I had twenty stitches in my head in a House Show match against Booker T. Why didn't I complain about it then? Because it's a lie and Jim Ross he thought of it and it stuck like glue. Even to the point where I called up my Mom one day and said I'm not going to be mad at you but did you call and I didn't know about it or something. Even I broke down and said just tell me because there is no way that it could stick this hard. Long story short, NO my mother didn't call and two: why would I do that? and to bring it back to that day at RAW, it wasn't a happy to be in the main event on RAW day. It was a worrisome and nervous what is going on day."