Ex-WCW star says he lost his house and car due to low WWE pay
Several wrestlers joined WWE in 2001 after Vince McMahon purchased WCW. One of the first former WCW stars to appear in WWE during that time, Buff Bagwell, recently disclosed details about his salary.
Bagwell worked for WCW between 1991 and 2001. The 54-year-old won the tag titles five times and was a member of the nWo (New World Order) and New Blood factions. He also feuded with several big names as a singles competitor, including Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) and Lex Luger.
On his Marcus Buff Bagwell YouTube channel, the veteran wrestler revealed he received a weekly paycheck of $3,365.38 in WWE. The contract was significantly lower than his WCW deal, meaning he had to get rid of his car and house:
"My Jag [car] payment was $1,700 a month, so everything, I mean, I knew already, but everything had to go," Bagwell said. "The car had to go. My house had to go. My house was $5,500 a month. It's all gone. I mean, pills and alcohol doubled instantly because of depression, man. Not quite yet because I wasn't fired yet, but I was depressed. I'm losing my house." [4:39 – 5:08]
Bagwell was due to earn around $175,000 a year working for Vince McMahon. While he still considered that "a great living," he previously earned more than $600,000 a year in WCW.
How much money Buff Bagwell earned in WWE
On July 2, 2001, Buff Bagwell unsuccessfully challenged Booker T for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in a widely criticized match on RAW. He received his release shortly after the event.
Because his WWE stint was cut short, Bagwell only received four weekly checks from the company:
"The grand total of what Marcus Buff Bagwell made at the WWF [WWE] is four weeks times $3,365.38, and the grand total is $13,461.53. That was my grand total. I think WCW's was $3.1 million, I think, but that's way far away, brother. It's really sad what happened but, man, it is what it is." [5:21 – 5:58]
Bagwell was initially told he would be allowed to return three months after being let go. However, the company's decision-makers never offered him another contract.
Do you have any favorite memories from Buff Bagwell's wrestling career? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
Please credit Marcus Buff Bagwell on YouTube and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.