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The Story Of Buff Bagwell's WWE Firing Is One Of The Weirdest In Wrestling History

Posted: Jun 3rd 2023 By: Hamza Ali - TheSportster.com

Buff Bagwell was one of WCW's bigger stars, but it only took one bad Raw match for him to be gone from WWE.

Buff Bagwell had one of the shortest runs out of any WWE superstar that came out of World Championship Wrestling when it went out of business in 2001. Although Buff Bagwell was probably not going to be the biggest superstar in a roster featuring The Rock and Steve Austin, judging by WWE's initial plans to revive WCW as a separate brand, it's no surprise that the company went out of its way to sign Buff Bagwell a contract. He made his WWE debut on a July 2001 episode of Raw is War, where he unsuccessfully challenged Booker T for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship. As the match was critically panned, thus ruining WWE's plans to revive WCW, Buff Bagwell was fired by WWE the very next week.

WWE's Initial Plans To Revive World Championship Wrestling

With two decades passing since the demise of World Championship Wrestling in March 2001, many have wondered what could've happened if WWE saved the company moving forward. Although WCW never saw the day of light since its final programming aired in March 2001, aside from the Invasion storyline on WWE TV, there were plans to revive the company as a separate brand from WWE.

For those who don't know, the original plan of WWE's idea of a brand extension was to have WCW be an independent brand rather than the current concept of Raw and SmackDown as separate brands. In fact, WCW programming was initially supposed to replace Monday Night Raw, as it showcased the seriousness of WWE going out of its way to bring back WCW. The fact that WWE was willing to replace its flagship show with WCW showed its commitment to making WCW prominent again.

Buff Bagwell Signs With WWE & Challenges Booker T for WCW Championship

Around the time WWE began the Invasion storyline, as a test run to see how a potential WCW revival would do, WWE decided to book a WCW World Heavyweight Championship match with a WCW-like atmosphere on Monday Night Raw. On a July 2001 episode of Raw is War, reigning WCW World Heavyweight Champion and Alliance member Booker T defended his belt against Buff Bagwell in the main event, the same night Bagwell made his WWE debut.

Although he was never the biggest star in WCW,Bagwell was a known name in that organization, so it made sense for WWE to promote him as a top prospect for a potential WCW revival. Someone who was in that organization since 1991 and a former five-time WCW Tag Team Champion, Buff Bagwell had a WCW-like vibe that made him appealing for a WCW relaunch.

However, WWE's plans for a WCW revival went downhill after Bagwell's match with Booker T was universally panned, as the bout only lasted a few minutes before Steve Austin and Kurt Angle stormed the ring. Buff Bagwell's WWE debut would be his final appearance on WWE TV, with him last seen getting beaten by Austin and Angle.

Buff Bagwell Gets Fired By WWE After One Match

The following week after his WWE debut, Buff Bagwell was notified that WWE fired him when arriving at next week's Monday Night Raw tapings. In one of the strangest firings in WWE history, many reports discussed why Bagwell got fired from WWE. From his backstage fight with Shane Helms to allegedly faking an injury when taking a powerbomb spot from the Acolytes Protection Agency, Bagwell didn't have the best reputation. There were also reports that Buff Bagwell's mother called WWE officials about wanting time off for her son because of injuries.

Jim Ross gave his side of the story regarding Bagwell's release on his Grilling JR podcast, stating that the reason behind his sudden departure was his partying habits relating to drinking. He also explained that Vince McMahon didn't see much value in Buff Bagwell.

Over the years, as Jim Ross was in charge of Talent Relations, Buff Bagwell has expressed his displeasure with Jim Ross because of how he got fired from WWE. But despite this, Bagwell continued his professional wrestling career, mainly in the independent scene since WCW's demis,e while taking steps to clean up his drinking habits in recent years.