Buff Bagwell Undergoing Leg Amputation After 5-Year Nightmare of Crashes

Buff Bagwell is facing one of the hardest chapters of his life—and he’s doing it with strength, peace, and brutal honesty.

The former WCW star revealed on his YouTube channel that he’s going through with an above-the-knee amputation after a devastating five-year battle filled with botched surgeries, staph infections, addiction, and unbearable pain.

It all started in August 2020, shortly after Bagwell had foot and knee surgery. While driving home from visiting his father, things took a terrifying turn. Bagwell blacked out behind the wheel, leading to a crash that ended with his SUV smashing through a brick wall at Cumberland Mall in Atlanta.

“Today we are 12 hours away from being at the hospital. We have to be there at 7:45 tomorrow morning for an above-the-knee amputation. This is the result of a five-year battle trying to save my leg.”

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Bagwell explained he’d had a few beers the night before, but felt fine. That morning, while sipping a Diet Coke, he suddenly checked out mentally. He described the crash as surreal and nightmarish, saying he remembered people yelling, cars being hit, and then waking up to find he’d plowed through a bathroom wall.

“It’s strange because when I look back on it, it felt like a dream. I vaguely remember hitting cars, seeing faces, hearing horns, people yelling, and not knowing what I was doing. Somehow I ended up behind Cumberland Mall, and that’s where it all ended.”

That crash destroyed his right knee and patellar tendon. From there, everything spiraled. He underwent over 30 surgeries—including 21 in just seven weeks. With every procedure came more complications, infections, and disappointment. His body simply wouldn’t heal.

“That wreck started a long nightmare—wrong surgeries, staph infections, endless hospital stays. One stretch lasted seven weeks with 21 surgeries in that time alone.”

During this grueling time, Bagwell’s mental health collapsed. He turned to alcohol to cope, spiraling into a dark cycle of hiding bottles, drinking through the pain, and pretending everything was fine.

“That suffering pushed me into the darkest addiction I’ve ever been in. Alcohol became my daily escape. I was hiding mini bottles in my pockets. I tried to keep functioning—still going to the gym on a walker—but I was falling apart inside and out.”

But in 2022, he hit a turning point. Bagwell chose to get clean and entered rehab. He’s now approaching three years sober.

“Eventually, I realized I couldn’t fix this leg. Nothing worked. I was overwhelmed. But instead of giving up, I chose to get sober. In August 2022, I went to rehab. This August 27th, 2025, I’ll be three years sober.”

Doctors gave him one final choice: go through more surgeries and rehab with only a 20% chance of success—or amputate and move forward. He chose to move forward.

“The final straw was when doctors gave me a choice: three more surgeries, countless hours of therapy, a steel rod in my leg forever—and only a 20% chance it would even work. I said no. I chose amputation.”

Now, instead of fear, Bagwell feels a deep sense of relief and optimism. He’s ready for a better life, free of the agony that’s haunted him for years.

“And now, as I prepare to lose my leg, I don’t feel fear or sadness. I feel peace and joy. Because through this pain, I found sobriety. Losing my leg might’ve been the rock bottom that saved my life.”

Buff Bagwell isn’t just surviving—he’s rebuilding. With the amputation, he’s looking forward to walking again without instability, enjoying simple pleasures like going to the movies or church, and continuing his sober journey with purpose.

Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.