10 Things We Learned From Dark Side Of The Ring: Buff Bagwell
Buff Bagwell shot his father, saw WWE dreams vanish then saved his life.
There's a lot you don't know about Marcus Alexander 'Buff' Bagwell.
Being totally upfront, this writer considers himself a massive pro wrestling nerd (and is a self-confessed WCW fanboy), but even he didn't know half of the stories VICE told on the latest 'Dark Side Of The Ring'. Last week's tame season opener on John 'Earthquake' Tenta was merely an appetiser, it seems.
VICE got back into some of the gritty stuff when analysing Bagwell's life and career. This was the story of a man who has shot his own father, had an erm...interesting relationship with his mother, considered losing his legs instead of admitting defeat, was almost paralysed for good following an in-ring accident, and then saved his own skin with the help of friends.
Buff has lived quite the life then.
The doc even found time to touch on his cup of coffee run in WWE after WCW's demise, but most of the episode focused on Bagwell's tumultuous personal life, family issues (that were eventually resolved) and substance abuse problems.
Here's everything learned from a doc more in line with what people expect from VICE's show.
10. His Dad Provided Cocaine
Buff's father Steve doesn't really come out of VICE's show looking great.
He'd hand Bagwell and friends bags of cocaine around the house when everyone was readying for a night on the town. Then, he'd remind the boys to have fun but stay out of trouble. OK then. That's hardly banner parenting for starters, but things get worse from there.
Steve also laughs during 'Dark Side' when he recalls losing a bet then unloading an entire clip of ammo on some geese because he was angry. We're not quite talking 'Father Of The Year' material here, being frank. It's no wonder Buff ended up with substance abuse issues if this was all part of his upbringing.
Some might say that's harsh, but it's really challenging to find anything likeable about Steve throughout the entire doc. He just comes across as someone who caused issues for the sake of it. Clearly, there was love in the family too, but...well, brace yourselves for this next story.