• Marcus Alexander Bagwell is a professional wrestler and actor known as Buff Bagwell
• He is a former WCW and WWF wrestler, and was a member of the nWo
• Bagwell won 18 championships, including two North American titles and six world titles
• He has appeared in several films and TV shows, and recently started a podcast in 2021 called “Rebuilding Buff”
• His estimated net worth is around $500,000 in 2023
Buff Bagwell is the ring name of the American professional wrestler and actor, Marcus Alexander Bagwell, who is perhaps best known for wrestling for World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
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Age, Early Life, and Education Background
Marcus Alexander Bagwell was born under the Capricorn zodiac sign on 10 January 1970, in Marietta, Georgia USA, which makes him 53 years old as of 2023. He’s the son of Judy Bagwell, who was a former WCW personality, but hasn’t revealed the name of his father. Marcus grew up with his brother named John Bagwell – their mother suffered from dementia before she passed away on 5 November 2021, aged 78.
Bagwell went to the public Sprayberry High School in Marietta. He was a very skilled baseball player, and played for his school’s team. He began his amateur wrestling career after he matriculated from high school, but helped his parents run their lumber company. After it went bankrupt, he went to work as a massage therapist before he began his professional wrestling career.
Wrestling Career Beginnings
Bagwell trained under the late American wrestler and trainer Steve ‘The Brawler’ Lawler, and made his career debut working for North Georgia Wrestling under the name Fabulous Fabian in 1990. In the year that followed, he joined the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF) under the name The Handsome Stranger, given the nickname by the retired professional wrestler Bill Eddie, because he was fond of giving his female fans flowers before his matches, and used to wrestle with a Lone Ranger-style face mask.
World Championship Wrestling
In 1991, Bagwell switched to WCW under his full name. He played his first non-televised match against Mike Graham on 5 November 1991. He emerged victorious in his first televised match against Rip Rodgers on 14 December 1991, and thereafter began participating in World Tag Team Championships, teamed up with Charles Scaggs, professionally known as 1 Cold Scorpio. The duo defeated the tag team The Nasty Team, comprising of Jerry Sags and Brian Knobbs, on the 23 October episode of “Saturday Night” – this marked his first title win in the WCW. Buff lost many matches before his American Males team defeated the State Patrol tag team on 16 September 1995.
New World Order (nWo) and World Wrestling Federation
In 1996, Bagwell joined the nWo, and formed the tag team Vicious and Delicious with Scott Norton; he participated in New Japan Pro-Wrestling while he was with nWo. While wrestling in a tag team match against Lex Luger and Rick Steiner in April 1998, Rick executed his diving bulldog move and injured Buff severely. He was diagnosed with damaged vertebrae and suffered spinal shock, which saw him in a wheelchair for months.
Several months after recovering, Buff joined World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 2001 and his first televised match was against Booker T in an episode of “Raw is War” on 1 July. However, the match was interfered with by Kurt Angle and Stone-Cold Steve Austin, which saw it go to a no-contest. According to the sportscaster Michael Landsberg, many termed the bout ‘the worst match ever’ and remarked that Buff was ‘not a great wrestler.’ Many wrestlers, officials, and fans complained about Buff’s attitude, which saw him released from his contract in July 2001.
After being fired from the WWF, Buff made appearances with World Wrestling All-Stars (WWA) promotion and NWA: Total Nonstop Action from 2002 to 2006. He also wrestled for X Wrestling Federation, and went on to participate in many independent circuits including National Wrestling Alliance (NWA).
Much later in 2013, he emerged victorious in Heavyweight Championship by American Premier Wrestling after he defeated Jeremy Young, aka Cowboy in the Brawl VI event. He was also involved with Absolute Intense Wrestling, and won the first round of the JT Lighting Invitational Tournament in May 2014.
In 2017, Bagwell wrestled for Ultimate Championship Wrestling (UCW) show, “Sole Survivor” where his tag team defeated the Southern Wrecking Crew. Subsequently, he wrestled in UCW Heavyweight Title and Glory Pro Wrestling in 2018.
Acting Career
Buff has appeared in several films such as “Day of The Warrior” in which he played The Warrior in 1996, “Terror Tract” in 2000, and “The Good, The Bad, and The Buff: The Marc Bagwell Journey” in 2015. He has also appeared in a few TV shows, such as “Charmed” in 2001, “I Want a Famous Face” in 2005, and “Living the Dream” in 2007. Recently in 2021, he started a podcast called “Rebuilding Buff.”
Awards
Bagwell has won over 18 championships, including two North American titles and six world titles. He also won two titles in the European Championships – The Georgian wrestler scooped five World Tag Team Championships with WCW between 1991 to 2001.
Social Media Presence
Buff is active on Instagram (@marcusbuffbagwell) with over 20,000 followers. He is also active on Twitter (@Marcusbuffbagwell) and Facebook.
Personal Life
Buff has married twice but both of his relationships seemed not to work out. He first exchanged vows with Alexis Rianja in 1988 but they parted ways in 1994. He went on to marry Gabby Randallson in 1996 but their relationship also ended with a divorce, in 2000. Buff hasn’t revealed whether he has any children.
Bagwell is a big supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. His tweet, ‘Nyla Rose is huge, how is she not the woman’s champion? That match was a perfect build for her. #AEWRampage’ made him trend on Twitter in March 2022. Someone commented on his tweet, stating that Rose, who is transsexual, needed to be a woman to compete in the Women’s Championships. This didn’t sit well with Buff, and in her defense, he replied saying ‘Please sit down, grown folks are talking.’
Bagwell was involved in a serious car accident on 23 April 2012. Coincidentally, this was the same day he broke his neck on Thunder in April 1998. He was also involved in another accident on 16 August 2020 in Georgia. It’s suspected that he’d been impaired by a prescription medication resulting in the crash, which left him with broken ribs, a broken left socket bone, and a broken right hip.
Buff was detained in Cobb County, Georgia, on 22 May 2021, for hit and run, speeding, and giving a false name, birthdate, and address to a law enforcement officer.
Height, Weight, and Physical Appearance
Buff is of Caucasian ethnicity and has a pair of hazel eyes and black hair. He is masculine, weighs approximately 245lbs (111kgs), and is 6ft 1in (1.85m) tall.
Net Worth
Buff has accumulated his net worth from his wrestling and acting careers. His net worth is approximately $500,000, as of 2023.
