In a recent episode of his podcast, “83 Weeks,” Eric Bischoff shared his thoughts on why Buff Bagwell did not see long-term success in WWE. This follows Bagwell’s controversial RAW match against Booker T in July 2001.
Highlighted thoughts from Bischoff’s podcast are as follows:
Bischoff discusses the reasons Bagwell did not thrive in WWE, attributing it to timing and his youthful inexperience at the time. He mentioned, “For some reason or another, Buff, despite being very young, often had trouble reading the room. Misjudging when to intensify or ease his efforts was a recurring issue for him. Some criticized his attitude, while others were biased because of their initial opinions about him. Perhaps if he had had a bit more contact with Vince McMahon and his team, and they had seen beyond his brash and sometimes aggressive personality, things might have been different.”
Bischoff went on to say that Bagwell’s overly self-confident persona could be off-putting. “If he had been in the industry for a few more years, gaining more experience on how to handle himself both onstage and off, things may have turned out differently. As it was, he was only with WWE for a short time and didn’t have a chance to show them the real him behind the character”, added Bischoff.
Bischoff also addressed a question about whether WCW ever considered teaming up David and Ric Flair: “I honestly cannot say if that was ever a discussion, since most of the creative brainstorming was between Kevin Sullivan and Ric Flair. However, in retrospect, it could have been a good move as it provides a protective cover for the inexperienced and offers them great learning opportunities. It’s like learning to fly a plane versus actually being in the cockpit with an experienced pilot. David would have benefited greatly and Ric probably would have enjoyed it more.”
(Here is a link to the entire podcast on YouTube – “ERIC BISCHOFF’s 83 WEEK | The FINAL GEORGIA DOME WCW NITRO” ) [embedded video]