Buff Bagwell, the former WWE and WCW pro wrestler, was in a bad car accident and is in an intensive care unit at an Atlanta-based hospital. This is according to the gossip site TMZ.com. The article goes on to state that the 42-year-old former pro wrestler was traveling in his Jeep late Monday when he lost control of his vehicle. Reports suggest he may have suffered a seizure. Buff Bagwell is reported to have a broken neck, as well as several other bones.
Although Bagwell never reached the super stardom of men like John Cena and The Rock, he was still a huge part of the 90s wrestling boom. Bagwell started wrestling for WCW in the early 90s as Marcus Alexander Bagwell. The young rookie was a solid babyface character until the mid-90s. When Hulk Hogan and the New World Order turned pro wrestling into a hot rating bonanza, Marcus Alexander Bagwell went from young rookie to cocky heel. With his signature catchphrase "Buff is the stuff," Bagwell teamed with Scott Steiner and ran rough shots in the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling.
During his tenure in WCW, Buff Bagwell suffered a broken neck at the hands of his opponent Rick Steiner. The accident happened on live television. Steiner grabbed Bagwell for a wrestling maneuver called "the Bulldog." As Bagwell and Steiner were landing, Bagwell's head slipped out of position and landed awkwardly on Steiner's hip. Bagwell eventually recovered from the serious neck injury.
After WCW went out of business, Buff Bagwell was picked up by World Wrestling Entertainment. However, Bagwell, who was well known for his bad attitude and low morale, was quickly demoted and then fired. The pinnacle of Bagwell's short run with WWE was on an episode of Monday Night Raw. Buff Bagwell competed against Booker T in the main event of the episode. The match was widely panned and did nothing to further the Invasion storyline.
Despite his rise and fall in pro wrestling, whether he was a genuinely nice guy or a cocky conceited diva, at the end of the day Marcus "Buff" Bagwell is still a human being. He deserves our good wishes, far and wide. I hope Bagwell recovers fully from this tragic turn of events.