Buff Bagwell recently spoke to the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast about the night he broke his neck, joining the NWO and more. You can check out a clip above, listen to the full episode here, and read a few highlights below.
Were the American Males more of an 80s style gimmick:
I think it was perfectly timed and here is why. I couldn’t get WCW to realize it was time for a baby face to have a goatee and have earrings. I convinced them that this was the 90s and it was different. That allowed us to be a cutting edge baby face that had earrings and chokers and the look at us attitude but we are baby faces and what did they do? That cheesy-ass horrible song which if you ever hear that song without the words it’s actually pretty f*cking good but with the words it is horrendous so I really believe what the American Males represented was what was coming and that was goatees and long hair and that they were going to be cool and not bad guys anymore and that is what happened. The nWo wore black and had goatees and tatoos and were the bad guys but what happened? We became over.
Becoming Buff Bagwell in 1996 & joining the nWo:
“It was the absolute best. It was like saying hey man you finally made it. It was in Salisbury, Maryland and believe it or not me and Eric (Bischoff) were not that tight as a matter of fact Eric didn’t like me at all. I worked for him and he was my boss but I could tell just by talking to him that he didn’t like me. So it was Kevin Nash that came to me and since me and Kev go way back to our days in Atlanta and clubbing when he was a bouncer at the Cheetah he said that they want to bring me into the nWo. He said Bischoff wasn’t big on me but he told Eric that I was great and have great charisma and will fit right in to this thing. On the flight home we started to think of a name and all of a sudden it was Nick Patrick, the referee (who is one of the best referee’s in the world) from like the back corner of first class in the darkest area says “what about Buff?” Everyone just stopped and not another name was assumed and everyone said that’s it, Buff Bagwell is perfect. I got straight home and air-brushed everything “Buff Bagwell”.”
The controversial nWo parody of Arn Anderson’s Retirement:
“You’ve got to realize being me in that controversial moment. Here is Marcus “Buff” Bagwell. I am in Pensacola, Florida at Monday Nitro and I am way down the totem pole in the nWo and just thankful to be there. All of a sudden I walk in a room and I see Kevin (Nash) dressed up like Arn Anderson and I said what in the hell is going on. I asked if Arn knew about this and when they said no I said oh my god and they handed me the pony tail and I was going to be Curt Hennig and of all things and I swear to this and there is only one witness and he will tell you but Kevin Nash had a Styrofoam cooler in his hands and where do you think that cooler came from? That came out of the back of my car and guess who got in trouble for it? Me. The cooler got the most f*cking heat and of course it came out of Bagwell’s car. Of all things and X-pac who I love to death, isn’t the greatest interview in the world he goes out and just steals the f*cking show acting like Flair and crying everywhere and yelling woo and doing the dance. It really was one of the best things in the history of the business ever.”
Being featured by WWE in a video game and the WWE Network:
“Oh my god. Ironically I was sent over a clip of me on their 2015 video game. Why in the hell would you put Buff Bagwell on your video game and not hire him? If you care enough about me or like me enough to put me on your video game, why in the hell not give me a job? Not only that you are going to put me on and not give me money for it? Now the problem is that I probably singed my life over when I signed to Vince and I am guessing I probably did but I don’t know that and I am having a lawyer check on it as we speak.
I think a lot of guys got screwed on that and I am one of them of course but I think we were in a position where we had no leverage and Vince could have been a very nice guy and say hey if I use you, I’ll pay you but I think we basically just signed our lives away and he owns all the rights is what I am probably going to hear from my lawyer but I don’t know and am at least going to check it out.”
