10 HUGE Tests Wrestlers Failed
1. Buff Doesn't Have The Stuff
When you put into proper perspective the challenge that faced Buff Bagwell in Tacoma, Washington, he is in effect blameless for failing so dismally at it.
Buff had to get over as a WCW star, when WCW was literally a dead brand puppeteered by the disinterested company that rather enjoyed killing it, in a region that hardly had a local or sentimental connection to it. In front of several thousand rabid fans conditioned to perceive WCW as second-rate.
As Buff Bagwell.
Bagwell was a half-decent character, in that he was obnoxious enough, and before he became a body guy he was capable in the tag team realm. But he was a braying sidekick jackass masquerading here as a star because the real stars decided, understandably, to sit at home and accrue money for doing less than nothing. Half of them did less than nothing while WCW was dying, which didn't help any of this get over.
The match was the sh*ts, and an entire arena sh*t on it. The blood-red 2001 WCW logo, stigmatised as the symbol of failure, meant fans couldn't disassociate even if the action was great. Even then, they weren't prepared to.
This was WCW's wake, and Bagwell, who couldn't even position himself properly for a dropkick, had to pretend it was literally the opposite of that.