Former WCW wrestler Buff Bagwell has accused Jim Ross of beginning the rumor that would play a role in his depression.
Bagwell, a five-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, would join the WWF in 2001 but had just one televised match before his release.
For years, it has been claimed that Bagwell’s mother Judy rung WWF demanding better work for her son, which was a factor in his release.
It is also alleged that Judy Bagwell rang WWF asking for her son to be removed from untelevised live events.
During a recent appearance on the “Insight with Chris Van Vliet” podcast, Buff refuted the claims and said that JR was the source of this trouble.
“Jim Ross called me on Wednesday that week before Atlanta. He said, ‘Hey man. We’ve got big plans for you in Atlanta. We want you to take off the house shows.’ That’s got to be how that my mother got me out of them [rumor started.]”
Buff added that even if the rumors were true and his mother had rung the WWF, it did not warrant him being released.
“It stuck bro. He started a rumor that stuck. It stuck to the point I was like, ‘Let’s say she did it. You don’t fire Buff Bagwell over that. You say, ‘Hey Buff, tell your mother to leave us alone.’ You don’t fire someone over what another human does.”
Bagwell added that the negative stigma around the rumor deeply affected his mental health, resulting in a battle with depression. He said:
“I love Jim to death. He was one of my best friends in WCW. So I don’t know what happened with that. I just did what everybody told me, and Jim told me not to go to the shows. And that became ‘My mom did it.’”
