On his “Grilling JR” podcast, legendary announcer and former WWE head of talent relations Jim Ross shared the story of a recent and surprising interaction he had with former WCW star Buff Bagwell at a WrestleCon event. Ross stated that Bagwell approached him and apologized for past issues, and he wished him well in his ongoing recovery.
Clearing the Air
Ross described the encounter as a pleasant surprise. “It went alright. I was surprised that he came up to me and wanted to shake my hand and apologize for some of his misgivings,” Ross said. “We all have ’em. We all do ’em. You can’t penalize somebody forever because they’ve been an error in judgment. But we cleared the air. It was nice. I was happy. I’m glad it happened.”
Bagwell’s Health and Recovery
The conversation came after a difficult period for Bagwell, who recently made the decision to have his leg amputated after years of battling a severe injury and subsequent infections. Ross said he was unaware of the severity of the situation until after the procedure. “I didn’t know about his leg situation until it was amputated,” he stated. “You’re used to seeing Buff’s name in the headlines for a DUI or something, and that wasn’t the case here, so good for him.”
A New Chapter for Buff
Ross expressed his hope that this marks a positive new chapter for Bagwell, who has also been public about his journey with sobriety. “Hopefully he’ll get straightened up and get that prosthetic that he needs and move forward and enjoy the rest of his life,” Ross said. “He doesn’t have to wrestle to be happy. That’s the thing that these guys got to understand… So I’m happy for him, and hopefully it all works out.”
“He Deserves to Be Happy”
Ultimately, Ross’s message for the former WCW star was one of support and well-wishes. “Me too, absolutely he deserves to be happy,” he said. “He’s paid his dues. He’s made some mistakes, as we all have, but he’s writing his wrong, shall we say. And he has a chance now to really take it full, full bore, the entire, entire journey with his new leg.”
Buff Bagwell has been actively documenting his recovery and sobriety on social media, receiving an outpouring of support from the wrestling community. The full conversation with Jim Ross can be heard on the “Grilling JR” podcast.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit AdFreeShows.com with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
