Highlights
- Buff Bagwell battled addiction and near-fatal accidents, but reconciled with his father after shooting him in the wrist during a heated confrontation.
- Dark Side of the Ring delves into Bagwell's wild life, including reconnecting with former tag team partner Scotty Riggs and overcoming personal demons.
- Despite the shocking incident, Bagwell's father eventually apologized and they became best friends, showcasing a remarkable turnaround in their relationship.
Former WCW (and very briefly WWE) wrestler Buff Bagwell has lived a wild life. In the late 90s, he was a member of WCW's nWo faction, but after being fired from WWE after just one match against Booker T in 2001, Bagwell turned to drugs, sending his life in a life spiral which he was thankfully helped out of by Diamond Dallas Page. The latest episode of VICE TV's Dark Side of the Ring details the struggles of Marcus "Buff" Bagwell, but the craziest story he himself tells happened before he was ever famous, when he shot his own father.
Buff Bagwell grew up rich due to his father, Steve's, job, with his dad buying him a brand new Corvette when he was in high school, but also supplying Marcus and his friends with cocaine. When Buff Bagwell was just 18, his father and mother, Judy Bagwell (who was in some crazy WCW storylines), got into a heated argument. When Judy ran out to the garage to leave, her husband wouldn't let her, saying he'd shoot her tire. Judy called out for help, and out came teenage Marcus Bagwell carrying a gun, ready to protect his mom. When his father saw a gun in his son's hand, he ran to grab his own gun, leading to father and son pointing guns at each other. It's then that Marcus shot fives times, aiming at his dad's chest. Buff Bagwell said:
"My plan was to kill my father."
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One bullet got him, but luckily for Steve Bagwell, he raised his arm just in time, resulting in the bullet hitting him in the wrist instead of his heart. A chunk of bone exploded from his wrist and had to be repaired with a bone graph from his hip.
Though a heartbreaking story, after a few months, Steve called Marcus to apologize. Buff told Dark Side of the Ring:
"Dad called me and he goes, 'I just want you to know you're 100% right on what you did, you did nothing wrong, you're protecting your mom and yourself.' We had a rough couple years, but we've been best friends ever since."
Thankfully, Buff Bagwell overcame his demons, and Dark Side of the Ring shows him now living life to the fullest, including reconnecting with his former American Males tag team partner, Scotty Riggs, who was helped by DDP as well. Still, the episode is filled with crazy stories, and shooting his dad might not even be the most bizarre one. There's also a tale told by a former WCW friend who walked in on Marcus in the bathroom bent over with his pants down while his mother, Judy, stood behind him shaving his nether regions. What a family.
