Both former WCW star Buff Bagwell and former TNA Digital Media Champion Crazzy Steve made surprise appearances on Thursday’s TNA Impact.
From our Joseph Collins:
“Gia Miller interviewed Buff Bagwell in front of the live crowd. Buff thanked God for being with him every step of the way on his journey, which has included getting his leg amputated last year. Bagwell apologized for his behavior over the last twenty years, and promised that if the fans get behind him, he would walk to the ring and wrestle for TNA one more time.
Frankie Kazarian came out to mock Bagwell “walking” to the ring. Kazarian said Buff was “half the man he used to be” while Kazarian was “twice the man he ever was.” Elijah appeared to chase Kazarian off, and offered to walk down to the ring with Bagwell.”
Bagwell wrestled four times for TNA back in 2002, even appearing on their very first show.
The clip of Bagwell’s return can be viewed below.
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Crazzy Steve’s return came during a filmed segment with Rosemary and Allie, seen below. It’s unknown if he has re-signed with TNA or if this was a one-off appearance.
Steve hadn’t appeared in TNA since April 2024, but has remained active on the indies since then in addition to a brief NWA run. He made his AEW debut in a January 2025 dark match, but never appeared in the company again.
Having one more match remains a goal for Buff Bagwell six months into his post-amputation life.
The former WCW star underwent a right leg amputation last July due to injuries stemming from a 2020 car accident. While losing a leg is devastating, the operation has improved Bagwell’s quality of life. He was miserable for years prior to the amputation because not having the ability to bend his knee made everything so difficult.
After his amputation, Bagwell stated that one of his goals was to get back into the ring for at least one more match. That is still something Bagwell wants to cross off his bucket list, but he isn’t going to force it. He’ll only wrestle again if he’s able to do so in a way that does not look “ugly.”
“I know I could wrestle again — another match or two,” Bagwell said on Insight with Chris Van Vliet. “But if I can’t do it where it’s [not] ugly, I’m not going to do it. And I’m not sure that’s possible. I don’t want it to be ugly. If it’s ugly at all, I’m not going to do it.”
One of the biggest hurdles for Bagwell would be climbing the steps to get into the ring. There’s no way for him to make that look good even with his $135,000 prosthetic leg. Still, Bagwell does hope to have another match and is going to start exploring the possibility in the next couple of months.
“That will be the first thing you got to conquer, is getting in, or sliding in and getting up fast. But again, if I can’t do those things without them being [ugly], I’m not going to do it. But I think I can. I think I can do it where it’s not ugly,” Bagwell said. “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.”
Because Bagwell’s amputation was above the knee, he is more limited than he would have been otherwise. His prosthetic leg is unable to move in the same way that a human knee would.
Bagwell is now more than three years and five months sober. Through that sobriety journey, he feels like he’s found himself again and is back to being a good person. He credits his faith and his wife Stacy for making that transformation possible.
The 56-year-old Bagwell is planning a documentary titled “Still Buff” focused on his amputation recovery. He’s also documented his journey through videos on his YouTube channel. The latest milestone that Bagwell hit was being able to walk without the assistance of a cane.
Wrestling Observer Live with Bryan Alvarez and Lance Storm returns for FUN FRIDAY! We’ve got a look at all the shows this coming weekend, Slammiversary, Buff Bagwell getting a leg amputated, ratings, a LIVE Q&A WITH LANCE, and tons more! A fun show as always so check it out~!
After a five-year battle trying to save his right leg, Buff Bagwell (Marcus Alexander Bagwell) has undergone an amputation and is hopeful that it will improve his quality of life going forward.
The former WCW wrestler underwent an above-the-knee amputation this week due to injuries stemming from a 2020 car accident. He did everything he could to save his leg after the wreck, but Bagwell was ultimately faced with a decision where he could undergo three more surgeries over the next year and have countless hours of physical therapy — only for a 20 percent chance of the leg being saved. And even then, he would need to have a steel rod in his leg for the rest of his life.
Having the amputation is a decision that Bagwell called a “no-brainer.” Losing a leg is tough, but he’s optimistic that his quality of life will dramatically improve with a prosthetic.
“I’m trying to be excited about it, and I think it’s going to be a wonderful thing. So I’m trying to make a bad situation good again, like I’ve done a lot of times in my life,” Bagwell said. “But I really do think this is the right call. And I’m really thinking that I’m going to have a better quality of life.”
Bagwell’s life was previously in a dark place with alcohol addiction, but he’ll officially be three years sober next month. Bagwell said these past three years have been some of the best of his life due to his relationship with God, his fiancee Stacy, and focusing on himself.
“I’d rather be sober right now with this situation than Buff Bagwell on WCW making money and in the funk I was in,” he said. “I’d much rather have this life.”
The 55-year-old Bagwell isn’t closing the book on his in-ring career, saying he hopes to have another match to prove you can still live a great life after amputation.
“I want to get back in the ring, hit the ropes, have a match,” Bagwell said. “It’ll show that I’ve came out of the darkness with this thing and I’ve turned it around all the way to being back in the ring as Buff Bagwell. You don’t have to give up with something like this. This is something that I am taking by the horns, man. And I’m going to show the world that you can have just as good of a life with or without a leg.”
Figure Four Daily with Lance Storm is back with tons to talk about including advice to Tony Khan about promoting in Canada, the Buff Bagwell Dark Side of the Ring, and a complete dissection of the Tuesday NXT show. A fun time as always so check it out~!
TMZ reported the son of Hulk Hogan was arrested around 4 am on Saturday in Clearwater, Florida for suspicion of driving under the influence, a misdemeanor. Hogan allegedly refused to submit to a sobriety test before being arrested.
It was noted in TMZ’s report that Hogan was arrested in the same city back in 2007 for reckless driving involving serious bodily injury. The passenger in that car accident, John Graziano, suffered a serious brain injury as a result of the accident. Hogan served eight months in jail following felony charges. The Graziano family sued the Hogan family as a result of the accident, which was settled out of court.
Along with his father, mother, and sister Brooke, Hogan starred in the reality show Hogan Knows Best from 2005 through 2007.
According to the Georgia Gazette, Former WCW star Buff Bagwell was arrested on November 16 for speeding and driving under the influence of drugs. Both are misdemeanors. Bagwell was previously arrested in May of 2021 in Cobb County, Georgia for charges that included speeding, hit and run, and giving a false name, address, or birthdate to law enforcement officers.
Buff Bagwell was arrested in Cobb County, Georgia recently.
The 53-year-old has been charged with Driving Under the Influence of Drugs (misdemeanor) and Speeding (misdemeanor). He was arrested at 1:30 p.m. local time on July 13 and spent two days in custody before being released.
However, Bagwell released a statement on Wednesday saying the offense is from years ago and he only received a sanction recently because he failed to document a trip out of state properly.
Bagwell wrote:
“Just wanted to clarify to everyone that I am 11 months sober (tomorrow). I see there is news out that I had to spend time in jail for a DUI but this was from the original offense years ago. I did get a recent sanction because I didn’t document a recent trip out of state properly”
Just wanted to clarify to everyone that I am 11 months sober (tomorrow). I see there is news out that I had to spend time in jail for a DUI but this was from the original offense years ago. I did get a recent sanction because I didn’t document a recent trip out of state properly
This is the third offense Bagwell has on his arrest record in the county for DUI. He was arrested and charged with various offenses including DUI of Drugs on August 16, 2020. He was also charged with DUI of Drugs, Following Too Closely, and Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle in 2005 as well.
Additionally, Bagwell was arrested on various driving related charges on May 22, 2021, although he was not charged with DUI in that case.
Bagwell has been living with Diamond Dallas Page since May 2022 in an attempt to tackle his substance abuse issues. He posted to Twitter in December that he was 117 days sober.
I’m so Proud my brother Mr. Bagwell💥 Marcus really has come along way. I wanna Thank all our friends/fans for supporting him on this journey.Thanks everybody! DDP. https://t.co/TyImHkYvew
Bagwell has wrestled just a couple of matches in 2021 and 2022 according to Cagematch, but maintained a fairly regular independent schedule up until 2020. His last high-profile bout was on a TNA show in 2003.
Janela also announced that “Early Morning” Guy Steel will be making his GCW debut as a Clusterf*ck entrant.
Thirteen participants are now official for the battle royal. The show, which begins at 11:59 p.m. Central time on Friday, April 1, will stream live on FITE TV. The event is taking place at Fair Park in Dallas as part of The Collective.
Here is the announced lineup:
Minoru Suzuki vs. Effy
Biff Busick vs. Tony Deppen
PCO vs. Mike Bailey
Matt Cardona (w/Chelsea Green) vs. Chris Dickinson (w/Missy Hyatt)
A lawsuit filed by Marcus “Buff” Bagwell and Scott “Raven” Levy against WWE attempting to open the door for wrestlers to get royalties for appearances on the WWE Network was dropped officially yesterday in an agreement between the lawyers for both sides.
WWE had filed a lawsuit against Levy claiming he had made false statements about a prior lawsuit, where Levy and several other former wrestlers had sued to attempt to get employee status for wrestlers claiming they were not independent contractors. In that case, it was
thrown out due to the statute of limitations from when the deals were in place to when the lawsuit was filed having expired. Levy, on a Chris Jericho podcast, had apparently said that Vince McMahon had paid off a judge.
The agreement was made between lawyers that both lawsuits were to be dropped. However, in the settlement agreement, WWE retained the rights to refile the lawsuit against Levy if he were to ever sue WWE again on any contractual matters.
After recent depositions by WWE of Bagwell and Levy, their lawyers opened up settlement talks regarding dropping of the case.
Levy and Bagwell were represented by Klint Bruno and Matthew Peterson of Chicago and William H. Clendenen Jr. of New Haven. The WWE was represented by Jerry McDevitt of Pittsburgh, Jeffrey Mueller of Hartford, and Jonathan Tropp of Stamford.
When Rene Dupree’s lawsuit against WWE over WWE Network royalties was quickly dropped a few months ago, the question coming out of it was not if there would be another such lawsuit, but when and with whom as the next plaintiff would be.
The answers? August 9th and Marcus “Buff” Bagwell.
The same lawyers that represented Dupree are representing Bagwell in the lawsuit, but this time, they appear to have done a bit more due diligence. The Dupree case was dismissed within days because he had not told his lawyers that, in 2011, he had signed some kind of agreement that gave up the rights to future claims against WWE.
On top of that, while he did sign the WWE booking contract that included language about video royalties for “other technology, including technology not yet created,” that language was rendered moot in his next contract. WWE contracts supersede/merge into each other, so when WWE junked the language in 2004, it meant that anyone who re-signed the newly-worded deals effective had never agreed to the “other technology language.” Those later contracts also exclude royalties from internet subscription feeds and video on demand.
So in finding the perfect plaintiff, the lawyers needed to find someone who:
1. Signed with WWE between approximately 1999 and 2003.
2. Did not ever re-sign after 2003.
3. Did not ever sign a legends deal or any other agreement with WWE that gives up certain rights to future claims.
4. Was sure enough that he or she would never be back in WWE that they were willing to sue.
Bagwell fits that bill. He was signed in 2001 for the planned original brand extension to go along with the WCW invasion, only to be released within weeks for a myriad of reasons. WWE did not inherit his Time Warner contract because it happened to expire the week of the sale, so he signed a deal with WCW Inc. (the intended umbrella within WWE for the “new” WCW) that was virtually identical to a WWE contract from that period. Bagwell’s lawyers paid special attention to this section:
“WCW shall maintain books of account related to the payment of royalties hereunder at its principal place of business. Wrestler or Wrestler’s designated independent certified public accountant who is a member in good standing of the AICPA, may at Wrestler’s sole expense examine WCW’s books insofar as they pertain to this Agreement for the purpose of verifying the accuracy thereof, during WCW’s normal business hours and upon reasonable notice.
Such audit shall be conducted in a manner that will not unreasonably interfere with WCW’s normal business operations. Wrestler shall not audit WCW’s books and records more than twice during any calendar year and no such audit shall be conducted later than one (1) year after the last statement of royalties is given, delivered or sent to Wrestler. Each audit is limited to seven (7) days in duration. Statements of royalties may be changed from time to time to reflect year-end adjustments, to correct clerical errors and for similar purposes.”
According to the complaint, Bagwell did indeed retain the services of an accountant, who “contacted WWE officials around June 23, 2016 to schedule a time to examine WWE’s books and was told the last week of July 2016 or the first week of August 2016 would be possible times to conduct an audit.”
However, on August 5th, they got a letter from K&L Gates (Jerry McDevitt’s law firm), which accused Bagwell and company of “assert[ing] a pretextual and invalid audit request to attempt to stealthily obtain that information (WWE network royalty audit).” The letter goes on to state that “neither [Plaintiff’s accountant] nor any other purported representative of Mr. Bagwell will be permitted to audit WWE accounting records. . . Because your client is not paid any such royalties (WWE Network), there is nothing to audit.”
As we noted with the Dupree case, the general idea of someone suing over a breach of the 1999-2004 WWE Talent Booking Contract does appear to have a superficially stronger case than the other wrestlers who have sued for royalties in the last few years. Those were all suits from wrestlers with contractual ties to no WWE (or ESPN, in the cases where they were also sued over ESPN Classic programming) based on various intellectual property claims. It doesn’t mean they’d win, but it’s fairly easy to understand the logic behind the suit.
However, Bagwell’s claim isn’t exactly what was being tried with Dupree, for reasons specific to his own case. He didn’t appear on any pay-per-views, leaving his lone Monday Night Raw appearances as the only match from his WWE contract on the WWE Network. They do have his WCW career up, though, so the argument is that because of the merger clause, the WWE royalty terms apply to his WCW work (“…all prior understandings, negotiations and agreements are merged into this Agreement. There are no other agreements, representations, or warranties not set forth herein with respect to the subject matter hereof…”
There are various problems with that argument, the first of which is that while he had signed with two different companies named WCW, WWE only bought WCW’s assets and not the company outright. There was no previous contract to merge. On top of that, Bagwell “assigned his intellectual property rights to WCW in consideration for other benefits, not for WCW Video Products royalties,” Here’s the relevant portion of the merchandising agreement Bagwell signed with the original WCW in 1998:
“Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, Wrestler expressly acknowledges and agrees that in no event shall Wrestler receive or be entitled to any share of any revenue derived by WCW from the sale or other exploitation of any of the Intellectual Property in connection with (i) any wrestling magazine published and distributed by WCW (or its licensees), or (ii) the sale or licensing in any medium, market or form of videocassettes of any wrestling matches or other events sponsored by WCW, or (iii) any telephone call-in lines (such as 800, 900, 511, or 976), or (iv) any pay-per-view wrestling matches or events.”
When reached for comment, Jerry McDevitt specifically pointed out that Bagwell was never promised royalties for videos of his WCW work. For what he *was* eligible for royalties on, Bagwell’s WWE royalty statement for the first quarter of 2016 has him getting $64.40.
When Rene Dupree’s lawsuit against WWE over WWE Network royalties was quickly dropped a few months ago, the question coming out of it was not if there would be another such lawsuit, but when and with whom as the next plaintiff would be. The answers? August 9th and Marcus “Buff” Bagwell.
