8 WWE Superstars Whose Careers Ended The Worst Way Possible

7. Buff Bagwell

Buff "The Stuff" Bagwell enjoyed a pretty solid run in WCW as a near main eventer. His on-again, off-again relationship with the nWo kept him in the spotlight (as did his teaming up with Scott Steiner) and his athleticism as a big man made him somewhat unique. But despite his in-ring talent and competency on the mic, Buff never lived up to his abilities in WCW.

Because...well, it was WCW. And he wasn't Hulk Hogan.

When WWE bought out WCW and inherited the company's superstars, it seemed like Buff would have a chance to prove himself and take advantage of a brand that could see raw talent and knew how to use it. ...And then his match with Booker T happened.

Jim Ross has called the Booker vs. Buff WCW Championship match on the July 2nd, 2001 episode of RAW "abnormally bad," saying the bout "stands out for all the wrong reasons." And though no one ever wants to argue with J.R., this one tends to get more heat than it deserves, predominantly because of how poorly-received it was by the vicious live audience.

There were several reasons the match failed, few of which had anything to do with the talent of the two men in the ring. The bottom line is two WCW superstars were taking over the main event of WWE, and fans didn't appreciate that fact. Some backstage turmoil with Shane Helms and some doubts as to whether or not Bagwell legitimately injured himself (or was using it as an excuse to no-show) a short time later ultimately led to his release.

Bagwell has since gone on record multiple times about his firing, saying he feels Jim Ross is most responsible for spreading false rumors about him.

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Jacob is a part-time contributor for WhatCulture, specializing in music, movies, and really, really dumb humor.