Buff Bagwell, the legendary former WCW wrestler, has captured America’s attention once again, but this time for his remarkable courage in facing a life-altering medical decision. The 55-year-old wrestling icon underwent an above-the-knee amputation of his right leg on July 17, 2025, after a grueling five-year battle to save the limb following a devastating car accident.
The Accident That Changed Everything
The story begins in August 2020 when Buff Bagwell was driving home after visiting his father in Georgia. Earlier that evening, he had been drinking, but felt fine the next morning while sipping a Diet Coke. Suddenly, he blacked out behind the wheel, leading to a crash that sent his SUV smashing through a brick wall containing bathrooms behind Cumberland Mall in Atlanta.
The crash destroyed his right knee and patellar tendon, injuries that would prove far more devastating than initially understood. As Buff Bagwell explained to his YouTube audience, “When you hear ‘knee replacement,’ you think [I’ll] get a new knee. But you’ve got to have your kneecap. And I didn’t have my kneecap. The doctors said on impact, it exploded”.
A Five-Year Medical Nightmare
What followed was an unprecedented medical ordeal that would test Buff Bagwell’s resolve beyond anything he experienced in the wrestling ring. He underwent an estimated 39 surgeries over five years, including a particularly harrowing seven-week hospital stay during which he endured surgery every third day. One procedure involved transferring calf muscle to his knee, but the complex surgery failed to restore function and triggered a series of complications, including staph infections.
Steve Stasiak, president of Book Pro Wrestlers and longtime friend of Buff Bagwell, confirmed the surgery in an emotional Facebook post. “Yesterday morning, Marcus ‘Buff’ Bagwell underwent an above-the-knee amputation following years of painful complications from a 2020 car accident,” Stasiak wrote. “After doing everything he could to avoid this outcome—through surgeries, infections, and a long, exhausting recovery—his fight has now taken a deeply challenging turn”.
From Darkness to Sobriety
The physical trauma spiraled into emotional collapse for Buff Bagwell. He turned to alcohol to cope, at one point hiding small liquor bottles in his pockets to maintain a constant buzz. He describes it as the deepest addiction he’s ever faced, telling his audience, “I kept falling. My leg wasn’t healing. I isolated. I was walking around with bottles in my pocket. It was the worst”.
The turning point came in August 2022 when Buff Bagwell, with support from fellow wrestler Diamond Dallas Page, checked himself into rehab. He has maintained sobriety ever since, approaching three years sober this coming August. “I thought I couldn’t do it. But I did,” he said. “I’ve put together three of the best years of my life… by putting in this order: God, Stacy, and myself”.
The Wrestling Legacy That Made Him Famous
Buff Bagwell’s current struggles stand in stark contrast to his glory days as one of WCW’s most recognizable stars. Born Marcus Alexander Bagwell on January 10, 1970, in Marietta, Georgia, he joined WCW in 1991 at age 21 and quickly established himself as a versatile performer.
His wrestling career was defined by remarkable success in the tag team division, where he captured the WCW World Tag Team Championship five times with four different partners. He won titles alongside 2 Cold Scorpio, The Patriot (twice), Scotty Riggs as part of the American Males, and Shane Douglas. His partnership with Scotty Riggs as the American Males became particularly memorable, partly due to their catchy entrance music that wrestling fans still remember today.
The nWo Era and Peak Stardom
Buff Bagwell’s career reached its pinnacle when he joined the New World Order (nWo) on November 25, 1996, after betraying his tag team partner Scotty Riggs. The heel turn transformed him from Marcus Bagwell into “Buff” Bagwell, complete with his signature muscle-flexing poses and self-aggrandizing promos.
As a member of the nWo, Buff Bagwell formed the tag team “Vicious and Delicious” with Scott Norton. The duo competed not only in WCW but also in New Japan Pro Wrestling, helping to establish the nWo’s international presence. His time with the faction coincided with the Monday Night Wars, when WCW was competing head-to-head with WWE for television ratings and mainstream attention.
The Infamous WWE Stint
Buff Bagwell’s professional wrestling career took a dramatic turn when WCW was purchased by WWE in 2001. He was among the first WCW wrestlers to accept a buyout and sign with WWE, but his tenure lasted just one week. His only televised match was against Booker T on July 2, 2001, for the WCW Championship, which ended in a no-contest after interference from Stone Cold Steve Austin and Kurt Angle.
Sports journalist Michael Landsberg reported that many called the bout “the worst match ever,” though Buff Bagwell maintains that external factors contributed to the poor performance. He was released on July 9, 2001, after just one week, reportedly due to complaints about his attitude and an altercation with fellow WCW alumnus Shane Helms.
Health Battles and Previous Injuries
The 2020 car accident wasn’t Buff Bagwell’s first serious injury. On April 22, 1998, during a tag team match on WCW Thunder, he suffered a devastating neck injury when Rick Steiner’s diving bulldog move went wrong, causing Bagwell’s head to strike Steiner’s back and jam his neck. The injury resulted in several damaged vertebrae and spinal shock, forcing him to use a wheelchair and neck brace for months.
In April 2012, Buff Bagwell was involved in another serious car crash after suffering a seizure while driving. The accident left him with broken bones in his neck, face, and jaw, requiring multiple surgeries and a lengthy recovery period. These previous injuries may have contributed to his vulnerability during the 2020 accident.
The Decision to Amputate
After years of failed surgeries and chronic pain, Buff Bagwell faced a final choice from doctors: undergo three more high-risk surgeries with only a 20% chance of saving his leg, or choose amputation and the possibility of a full, functional life with a prosthetic. The leg would have required a permanent steel rod and would have remained straight for life, significantly limiting his mobility.
In a pre-surgery video with his fiancée Stacy Brown, Buff Bagwell explained his decision: “Today we are 12 hours away from being at the hospital. We have to be there at 7:45 tomorrow morning for an above-the-knee amputation. This is the result of a five-year battle trying to save my leg”.
Recovery and Future Plans
Despite the magnitude of the surgery, Buff Bagwell maintains an optimistic outlook. Maven Huffman, a fellow wrestler who documented the journey, visited him in the hospital after the procedure. The operation, originally expected to take 90 minutes, ran over five hours due to complications.
Buff Bagwell described his initial reaction to seeing his amputated leg: “There were 10 seconds when I first looked, and it was like, ‘Whoa man.’ But it went to the next chapter. I was good”. He also mentioned experiencing phantom pain, saying, “I can feel my ankle right now. It’s not there, but I can feel it like it is”.
The Road Ahead
Looking forward, Buff Bagwell has ambitious plans for his recovery. He wants to learn to run with a prosthetic and even return to the wrestling ring. “I want to get back in the ring, run the ropes, have a match. It’ll show that I’ve come 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,” he stated.
His story has resonated with fans and fellow wrestlers alike, serving as an inspiration for others facing similar challenges. Buff Bagwell believes his experience happened for a reason, telling his audience, “I think this is happening because God is leading the way to all of this. You think I was put here just to be Buff Bagwell on TV? What if this is the real reason?”.
Legacy and Impact
Buff Bagwell’s journey from professional wrestling stardom to addiction recovery and now amputation survivor represents a powerful story of resilience and transformation. His willingness to share his struggles publicly has helped break down stigmas surrounding addiction and disability, while his determination to rebuild his life serves as motivation for others facing similar challenges.
The wrestling community has rallied around Buff Bagwell during this difficult time, with wrestlers, fans, and industry professionals expressing support and admiration for his courage. His story demonstrates that even in the face of life-altering circumstances, it’s possible to find hope, purpose, and a path forward.
As Buff Bagwell continues his recovery journey, he remains focused on maintaining his sobriety, building a life with his fiancée Stacy, and proving that physical limitations don’t define a person’s potential. His message is clear: “You don’t have to give up with something like this. I am taking it by the horns and I am going to show the world that you can have just as good of a life with or without a leg”.
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