On the latest episode of his “Grilling JR” podcast, legendary announcer Jim Ross opened up about a surprising interaction he had with former WCW star Buff Bagwell at a WrestleCon event. Ross shared that Bagwell approached him, apologized for past issues, and wished him well on his recovery journey.
Ross described the moment as a pleasant surprise. “It went alright. I was surprised that he came up to me and wanted to shake my hand and apologize for some of his misgivings,” Ross said. “We all have ’em. We all do ’em. You can’t penalize somebody forever because they’ve been an error in judgment. But we cleared the air. It was nice. I was happy. I’m glad it happened.”
This conversation took place following a difficult period for Bagwell, who recently made the decision to have his leg amputated after struggling with a severe injury and multiple infections. Ross admitted he had been unaware of the extent of the situation until after the surgery. “I didn’t know about his leg situation until it was amputated,” he stated. “You’re used to seeing Buff’s name in the headlines for a DUI or something, and that wasn’t the case here, so good for him.”
Ross expressed hope that this marks the start of a new chapter for Bagwell, who has also been open about his journey with sobriety. “Hopefully he’ll get straightened up and get that prosthetic that he needs and move forward and enjoy the rest of his life,” Ross said. “He doesn’t have to wrestle to be happy. That’s the thing that these guys got to understand… So I’m happy for him, and hopefully it all works out.”
In the end, Ross shared a message of support for the former WCW star. “Me too, absolutely he deserves to be happy,” he said. “He’s paid his dues. He’s made some mistakes, as we all have, but he’s writing his wrong, shall we say. And he has a chance now to really take it full, full bore, the entire, entire journey with his new leg.”
Buff Bagwell has been actively sharing his recovery journey and sobriety progress on social media, receiving strong support from the wrestling community. To hear the full conversation with Jim Ross, tune in to the “Grilling JR” podcast.
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