"We are gonna fire some wrestlers" - WCW veteran recalls backstage meeting conducted by Shane McMahon (Exclusive)
Buff Bagwell recently recalled Shane McMahon conducting a backstage meeting in WCW the night WWE acquired its biggest competition.
Though in the mid-90s, WCW Nitro took a considerable lead over WWE RAW in ratings; the Attitude Era turned the tide in favor of the latter. By the late 90s and early 2000s, WCW struggled immensely with dwindling viewership. Finally, on March 26, 2001, the Monday Night Wars ended when Vince McMahon outright purchased his rival, cementing himself as the market leader.
Speaking to Bill Apter of Sportskeeda Wrestling, Buff Bagwell, who was a part of WCW when WWE acquired it, recalled a meeting with Shane McMahon. Bagwell revealed that when he and other talent showed up at the venue in Panama for Nitro, they were shocked to see WWE's semi-trucks.
"We are all walking towards the Panama City show, and I see the WWE semis, and I go, 'What are these semis doing here?' All the boys looked at the semis, and everybody just split they went in the direction of who we knew in the office, and we were gonna go find out what was going on," said Buff Bagwell
The 53-year-old veteran disclosed that before they could find anything out, Shane McMahon showed up to conduct a backstage meeting. Bagwell revealed that Shane O'Mac informed everyone that while a few of them would be retained by WWE, some would also be shown the door and let go.
"Before any of us could find anything out, Shane McMahon called for a meeting in this room we walked into the room, and Shane goes, 'I'm Shane McMahon; we own the company. We are gonna keep some wrestlers; we are gonna fire some wrestlers. We are gonna keep some office staff; we are gonna fire some staff. We are gonna some referees, and we are gonna fire some referees.' He said good luck," recalled Buff Bagwell (5:30 - 6:25)
Check out the full video below:
Buff Bagwell on how everyone reacted to Shane McMahon's announcement
Furthermore, Buff Bagwell also mentioned that the reaction to the news was mixed, with some clapping while others didn't. Bagwell added that he and Lex Luger, his tag team partner, were among those who just stood without applauding. He also pointed out that even those who were clapping weren't clearly too excited.
"It was a three-minute conversation. Me and Lex Luger were standing beside each other, and I remember looking over Luger, thinking what we do now? I was gonna do what Luger was gonna do. And Luger didn't clap, so I didn't clap. About half the room clapped, but it was like a golf clap. Nobody really went like that (celebrating)" added Bagwell (6:32 - 6:59)
On this day in 2001, Shane McMahon shocked Vince by announcing he purchased WCW
(via @WWENetwork)
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Though AEW has emerged as a viable competitor to WWE, it's safe to say they haven't come close to the kind of competition WCW put up.
What do you make of Buff Bagwell's story about Shane McMahon's backstage meeting in WCW? Sound off in the comments section below.
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