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Recap of Buff Bagwell on "Insight with Chris Van Vliet"

Posted: Jan 21st 2026 By: Interview Recaps

Buff Bagwell sat down with Chris Van Vliet at the DDP Yoga Performance Center in Atlanta, Georgia to discuss what led to his leg needing to be amputated and why he let Maven document the surgery, his battles with addiction and what led to him getting sober, possibly competing in one more match, how DDP helped him turn his life around, having one of the best physiques in wrestling, inventing the Blockbuster, and more!

For people who don’t know what happened with your leg, that car accident was kind of what started this?

“Absolutely. So in 2020, I had a car wreck where I was under the influence of pills and alcohol, and I drove through a bus station, it’s a bus station bathroom, men’s and women’s and nobody was in it, thank God. In that car wreck, my right knee cap exploded. So with it exploding, 40 surgeries over the next 3 or 4 years trying to fix it. Infections in and out. Knee replacement, I think it was 41 surgeries total. Then I was just going to deal with this leg that didn’t bend anymore, and it got infected again. And the doctor goes, ‘Let’s cut it off.’ And I went, ‘Whoa, wait a minute, brother, we did 40 something surgeries. Let’s try to fix it one more time. I can’t just cut my leg off.’ So I went to that appointment to see what it was like to save my leg. In that appointment is where I stopped the doctor, as he was explaining, he was talking about pulling a skin graft off of this shoulder to close it up. I said, Whoa, what? So it was so devastating what I was hearing. I said, ‘What’s the percentages of all that working?’ And he said, about 20%. I said, ‘Let’s cut it off.’”

Were you able to come to peace with that decision?

“No, not at all. I was devastated. I did not, and you cannot see this. I tried to see it, but I just don’t think you have the eyes to see this part of it. The truth is, I should have done this two years earlier. I really believe if it would
have been proposed to me two years ago, I would have thought they were crazy. I’d have said no, no, no, like I did this time. But if I would have done it, I’d have been two years ahead. So this has been with my situation of the leg I had, this is unbelievably good what happened to me, but you just don’t see that when you’re going through it.”

I’ve heard you say you want to wrestle again?

“I know I could wrestle again, another match or two, but if I can’t do it, I’m not going to do it. And I’m not sure that’s possible. I don’t want to be ugly. If it’s ugly at all, I’m not going to do it. So, for example, this $135,000 leg. Because of this, there’s no way to make [using the ring] steps look good. So that will be the first thing you got to conquer, is getting in [the ring] or sliding in and getting up fast. But again, if I can’t do those things without them being I’m not going to do it, but I think I can. I think I can do it where it’s not ugly. I just don’t know yet, so we’re definitely going to, in the next couple of months, I’m going to get in the ring and just see what I can do. But I really do think no matter what I will do one match just because that’s one of my goals.”

It seems like you’ve been able to now make the distinction between Marcus and Buff, and for a long time, you were just Buff:

“That’s a perfect, perfect analogy. It’s funny you say that I remember the boys, Disco Inferno in particular, we would be talking, and he’d be like, ‘Is that Buff or is that Marcus?’ We would laugh and joke about it because it was funny. After all, back then, there was a Buff and a Marcus, and then somewhere in there, those lines get cloudy, they get not so clear. That happens, you live the gimmick. I didn’t think I was doing that, but obviously I was, but I do believe that comes with also the alcohol and the pills just really clouded it up. It’s not just, you know, Macho Man lived his character. I could care less about living my character. I just believe that your character ain’t far from who you are anyway. Buff, when you saw Marcus Alexander Bagwell in the wrestling ring, Buff’s there too. I’m just a babyface. I’m a good guy. But when you’re Buff, you got to turn it up. It’s just turned up a little. But I think that gets confused even more with alcohol and pills.”

Supplemental Information

Spotlight in History

1982 The Spoiler def. Frank Dusek for the WCCW Television Title
2009 El Latino became the NWA-OK Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
2021 Brawler Morrison def. Blade [2nd] for the UWO Heavyweight Title

Week of Sun 06-07 to Sat: 06-13

06-07 1969 Jose Lothario def. Johnny Valentine for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Title
06-07 2008 Ky-ote Johammed def. Dane Griffin for the 3DW Violent Division Title
06-07 2008 Mo'Body Gillespie def. Ky-ote Johammed for the 3DW Violent Division Title
06-07 2013 Bobby Starr def. Steven Sterling for the ComPro Showtime Title
06-07 2013 Ignition def. Super Skunk Ape, Jr. for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
06-07 2013 The Canadian Red Devil def. Michael York for the ComPro Heavyweight Title
06-07 2014 Steven Sterling def. Sam Stackhouse for the ComPro Showtime Title
06-07 2014 Jake O'Brien def. The Canadian Red Devil for the ComPro Heavyweight Title
06-07 2014 Terry Montana def. Ignition for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
06-07 2014 Havoc def. Buster Cherry for the SWCW All-American Title
06-07 2014 Rick Russo def. David Kyzer for the SWCW Luchadore Title
06-07 2014 Kevin James Sanchez def. Kareem Sadat for the SWCW Hardcore Title
06-07 2014 Kareem Sadat def. Kevin James Sanchez for the SWCW Hardcore Title
06-07 2014 Terry Pantera became the BPPW Junior Heavyweight Champion
06-07 2025 Frankie Lee def. K. J. Gold for the RDW Iron Man Title
06-08 1959 Frankie Kovacs & Jerry Miller def. Pretty Boy Collins & Duke Scarbo for the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Titles
06-08 2013 L. J. McDaniels became the SWCW Hardcore Champion
06-08 2013 Hurricane Ross def. Billy Ray for the NAW Heavyweight Title
06-08 2019 Michael Duplanti def. Anarchy [2nd] for the NAW Lightweight Title
06-08 2019 Big Smooth def. Hurricane Ross for the NAW Heavyweight Title
06-08 2024 Billie the Kiid became the NAW Indigenous Land Champion
06-08 2024 Daniel Aaron Michalles def. Pastor Brent for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
06-08 2024 Eddie LeVaughn def. Romeo Reese for the WAH Heavyweight Title
06-08 2024 Michael Duplanti became the NAW Openweight Champion
06-08 2024 Speeding Bullet (Mike Gunnz & Stephen Nitro) def. The Texas Outlaws (Bobby Burns & Manico) for the NAW Tag Team Titles
06-09 1959 The Golden Giant became the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
06-09 1966 Johnny Valentine def. Fritz Von Erich for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
06-09 1980 The Fabulous Freebirds (Terry Gordy & Buddy Roberts) def. Junkyard Dog & Buck Robley for the MSW Mid-South Tag Team Titles
06-09 1989 Jeff Jarrett & Mil Mascaras def. Super Zodiac & Cactus Jack for the WCCW World Tag Team Titles
06-09 2017 The Rising (Matt Durden & Riker) def. Team Dean Machine (Christopher Dean & Jerry Dean) for the BPPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
06-09 2023 Koko became the CPW Heavyweight Champion
06-09 2023 The Regime (Derek James & Logan Knight & Merc & Skylar Slice/Sgt. Slice) def. The Roll Modelz (Malik Mayfield & Olivier Vegos) for the CPW Tag Team Titles
06-09 2023 Mr. Nasty def. Mascara Purpura for the CPW 918 Title
06-09 2023 Red James def. Mr. Nasty for the CPW 918 Title
06-10 1979 Bruiser Brody def. Mark Lewin for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
06-10 1985 Tim Brooks def. Scott Casey for the WCCW Television Title
06-10 2006 Dexter Hardaway became the AACW Mid-American Light Heavyweight Champion
06-10 2023 MLP became the XDWF New GenX Champion
06-11 1984 Chris Adams became the WCCW Television Champion
06-11 2009 Sage became the SWCW Art of War Champion
06-11 2011 Jake O'Brien def. Robbie Awesome for the MERC Patriot Title
06-11 2011 The Ring Intruders (Jon Cross & Fuel) became the SRPW Tag Team Champions
06-11 2011 Jake O'Brien became the SRPW Patriot Champion
06-11 2011 Kareem Sadat def. Rick Russo for the SWCW Hardcore Title
06-11 2011 Tim Storm def. Michael Faith for the NWA-OK Oklahoma Heavyweight Title
06-11 2022 Pastor Brent & Andrew Fenix def. The Rejecs LM (Elijah Sparks & Dr. Corvus) for the WAH Tag Team Titles
06-11 2022 Connor Smith def. Romeo Reese for the WAH Spotlight Title
06-11 2022 Umbra def. Koko for the WAH Living Hope Title
06-11 2022 Dan Webber def. Paul Puertorico for the WAH Heavyweight Title
06-12 1982 The Spoiler def. Frank Dusek for the WCCW Television Title
06-12 2009 El Latino became the NWA-OK Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
06-12 2021 Brawler Morrison def. Blade [2nd] for the UWO Heavyweight Title
06-13 1960 Tony Borne def. Bull Curry for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
06-13 1969 Chuck Karbo became the TSW North American Champion
06-13 1978 Karl Krupp became the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
06-13 1998 The Bad Boys (Splash Jackson & Bull Schmitt) def. The Texas Outlaws (Dan Wilder & Bernard Funk) for the OPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
06-13 2008 Brent Albright def. Slam Shady for the NWA-OK Oklahoma Heavyweight Title
06-13 2008 High Society (Al Farat & Thomas Trump) became the NWA-OK Oklahoma Tag Team Champions
06-13 2008 Josh Michaels became the ACW Heavyweight Champion
06-13 2009 The Canadian Red Devil became the ComPro Showtime Champion
06-13 2015 Seth Angel & Adrian Dell def. Nemesis (Bobby Starr & Damien Morte) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
06-13 2015 Killista def. Paul Puertorico for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
06-13 2015 Rolling Thunder def. Michael Duplanti for the NAW Heavyweight Title
06-13 2015 Paige Turner def. Erica for the IZW Queens Title
06-13 2015 Michael Wolf def. Jake O'Brien for the ComPro Heavyweight Title
06-13 2015 Jake O'Brien def. Michael Wolf for the ComPro Heavyweight Title

06-12

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1982 The Spoiler def. Frank Dusek for the WCCW Television Title
2009 El Latino became the NWA-OK Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
2021 Brawler Morrison def. Blade [2nd] for the UWO Heavyweight Title

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