10 Worst WWE Moments Of 2001
7. Judging Buff Bagwell On One Match
Ex-WCW dynamo Buff Bagwell had one of his legs amputated above the knee in 2025, but he still tells fans that he's in a better place mentally than he was before. Buff's life had spiralled out of control, and it culminated in a nasty car crash whilst under the influence and on prescription meds. He's actually very lucky to be alive. Bagwell is rather philosophical about his in-ring career nowadays.
Looking back, despite being a clear nuisance behind the scenes (his mother Judy reportedly plagued WWF offices with phone calls about her son), Buff was treated poorly. His match vs. Booker T on the 2 July 2001 Raw was nowhere near as terrible as some claim. It’s like the company pre-judged Bagwell going in. They already liked Booker enough to let the bout slide with him, but not Buff.
Sure, again, he was a nightmare behind the scenes, but Bagwell deserved another chance to calm his ego and go in the right direction. Also, writing WCW segments into WWF shows like Raw and SmackDown was always going to be awkward too. After all, it wasn't what people wanted to see when they bought tickets. They wanted to see WWF action, not WCW.
This was the uphill battle faced when trying to co-promote another company's roster/style and integrate it with an established formula. Bagwell might've been a menace backstage occasionally, but he didn't need to be cannoned out of the way just because one match didn't live up to the hype.
What did they think this was gonna be? Austin vs. Bret from 'Mania 13? It was just a routine main event TV match starring 2 guys who didn't have much cash in the bank with WWF fans. It was a mistake to put it on in the first place.