Buff Bagwell’s overalls and top hat became part of his WCW look after his devastating 1998 neck injury, but those wardrobe choices weren’t just about giving the Buff character a makeover. Bagwell says there was a much more calculated reason behind the change—he had lost 50 pounds while recovering and wanted to make sure fans were looking at anything except how much size he had lost.
Bagwell suffered the frightening neck injury during a WCW match in April 1998, and he previously told Ringside News about breaking his neck and the long road back to the ring. While speaking on Going Ringside, Bagwell explained that he couldn’t work out for three months after the injury, leaving him with a drastically different physique by the time he returned to television. Bagwell said that was exactly where the overalls, shirt and top hat came into play.
“You’re going through it perfectly. So, I couldn’t—I couldn’t work out or anything for three months. So, for three months and one day, at the three-month-and-one-day mark, I was back in the gym and everything, but I had lost 50 pounds. That’s where the overalls came from. That’s where the—I had the shirt on and the overalls to cover up that I had lost 50 pounds. That’s where the top hat came from. I created other things to take people’s eyes off.”
Bagwell admitted the look was stylistic, but the real goal was to redirect the audience’s attention. Instead of taking his shirt off and immediately showing everyone how much weight he had lost, he wanted fans focused on everything else surrounding the Buff Bagwell character.
“Well, they were stylistic choices to take your mind off I lost 50 pounds, and strategic—strategic choices to show people, ‘Oh, there’s something else to look at,’ instead of taking my shirt off and, ‘Look at me, I’ve lost 50 lbs.’”
Bagwell said he put plenty of thought into how he presented himself while rebuilding his body. He eventually returned to the ring ten months after the injury and worked against Rick Steiner and Goldberg alongside Scotty Riggs.
“So, I really thought heavily on this and was able to come up with other things to keep people’s attention on it. And then when I was able to get back into shape, I was back in the ring in 10 months. I wrestled Rick Steiner and Goldberg in 10 months. Me and Scotty tag team against those guys. So, I got back into shape in 10 months and was ready to go.”
The overalls and top hat may have looked like another piece of late-’90s wrestling excess, but Bagwell says there was a purpose behind every part of it. He had just survived a broken neck, dropped 50 pounds and needed Buff Bagwell to still look larger than life while his body caught back up.
What do you think about Buff Bagwell using the overalls and top hat to hide how much weight he lost after breaking his neck? Did you ever realize there was a reason behind that look? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
