Former WCW star Buff Bagwell recently tackled several topics in an interview on the Pancakes and Powerslams podcast. One subject was CM Punk’s debut at UFC 203, which Bagwell says was a “bad, bad decision.” Bagwell also questioned CM Punk’s popularity and ability to draw money in pro wrestling.
“I was rooting for him because it makes us all look good. We’re all pro wrestlers,” Bagwell said, “but, instead, he goes out there and gets his brain beaten out.” He added that when “you go out and get beat up real bad, that is really bad.”
Bagwell explains that CM Punk wouldn’t pass the “Walmart test” that he feels promoters should use when evaluating talent.
“Here’s how I look at it. If I was a promoter like Vince McMahon or Ted Turner, if I was trying to make money in the wrestling industry, I would judge it by having a person walk through Walmart,” he said. “If CM Punk walked through Walmart even as popular as he is, he’s not going to get noticed as much as Hulk Hogan walking through Walmart The reason why I say Walmart, is that’s our fan base.”
Another wrestler Bagwell took issue with was Samoa Joe. He called Joe a “fat, out of shape guy” who shouldn’t be in a wrestling ring. He said Samoa Joe was mad at him one time because he was in the main event of an independent show instead of Joe. “I’ve not heard or seen anyone ever draw a dollar with him,” Bagwell added.
He indicated that Joe might have also taken issue with Bagwell being named Sting’s partner in a 2006 TNA angle instead of Joe. “To the world of wrestling fans, who’s going to be Sting’s tag team partner? The options are Lex Luger, Marcus Bagwell, and Samoa Joe. I mean, who in the heck is Samoa Joe? And Luger wasn’t fit enough, so I fit the part perfectly,” Bagwell said.
Bagwell also spoke on his lawsuit against WWE, saying his lawyer found a “loophole” and the company owes him quarterly royalties from his matches on the WWE Network. You can listen to the full podcast here.
