Smark Out Moment

On this fifteenth edition of SUPERSTAR SCORES, we take a look at Buff Bagwell. Normally, we bring people into the mix for this segment because they've been in the news recently in some fashion, but in this case, it's almost the opposite. It's been a running gag for quite some time that we should do more people on the lower end of things and for some reason, Buff Bagwell was the prime target for that joke. That being said, just how exactly would we rank him, and does he score higher than we would have anticipated?

If you're unfamiliar with how the segment works, here is a quick breakdown: Each edition, a wrestler will be put under the spotlight and rated on a 0-100 scale based on 10 categories that have been broken up into 5 umbrella sections: In the Ring Skills, On the Mic Skills, Appearance, Behavior, and Crowd Reaction. The rating scale is as basic as you can get: 0-1-2-3-4 | 5 | 6-7-8-9-10. It follows the Three-Count Critique method of green being the good, yellow being in the middle, and red being the bad. A perfect 100 is the goal.


Update: On March 20, 2020, we did a recalibration of points for a 25th episode special. In that episode, nearly every wrestler saw some adjustments. Below, you'll see the original scores on the left and then the updated score on the right, with the original description for the original score underneath. For explanation on the updated points, check out the 25th edition podcast.

IN THE RING SKILLS

Athleticism: Does the person have a good signature moveset and finisher? Can they perform a wide variety of moves on a regular basis and not botch them?

My Rating = 5
I couldn't for the life of me remember what his ring work was like, so I watched a few random matches. I don't know if those were proper indicators or what, but in those matches, I saw nothing to really complain about and nothing to really praise, so I figured a total average score would be fair.

Psychology: The wrestler's ability to tell a story in the ring. Do they make you believe it's real or do they forget to sell their injuries properly? Can they make a long match stay interesting and not get boring?

My Rating = 5
As stated above, I checked out some old matches and nothing stood out, so I'm going with a middle ground score until someone convinces me otherwise.

ON THE MIC SKILLS

Charisma: If they get a mic, can they cut a promo without stuttering? Are they repetitive or do they keep things fresh?

My Rating = 6
After rewatching several isolated promos, I was actually somewhat entertained by him.

Character: Is their gimmick(s) interesting? Can they pull off being both a heel and a face?

My Rating = 6
You hated him, right? You were supposed to. He didn't have much versatility, which is why he doesn't rank higher, but he did his part well.

APPEARANCE

Physique: Are they in the proper shape for their gimmick or are they out of shape? (note: someone like Mabel isn't supposed to look like John Morrison, but Matt Hardy gaining weight deducts his points).

My Rating = 8 / 9
He's named Buff for a reason, and this was his best aspect.

Entrance: Their music, the pyro if they have any, whatever taunts or actions they do to make it interesting.

My Rating = 3
Buff was a victim of WCW's lack of innovation when it came to entrances. He basically just walked out, posed, continued walking, posed again, and so forth. The most motivated entrance I think he had was his one WWF match where he pranced to the ring and then posed for some pyro, which as a single appearance just isn't jaw dropping.

BEHAVIOR

Backstage Professionalism: Are they a locker room leader or do they cause problems behind the scenes? Are they bogged down in politics? Do they put other people over or screw people over?

My Rating = 2
Supposedly, Bagwell got into a fight with Hurricane Helms (and lost) and had a reputation for being kind of a pain in the ass. I don't know all that much about this situation or any others, so I don't feel confident giving him a 0 by any means, but a 3 seems worth the while.

Public Relations: Does this wrestler project a bad image onto the company with arrests and such, or are they someone that promotes the company well, does charities, talk shows, etc?

My Rating = 2
He's not the worst PR problem WWE has ever dealt with, but just a quick Google search proves that he's in the negative. If you're tied to arrests for drugs and prostitution, reckless driving,  and so forth, and you do nothing positive to balance it out, you're in for a score in the red.

CROWD REACTION

Popularity: How loud are the cheers and boos for them? Do they sell merchandise? Are ratings up or down when they're on screen? How many Twitter and Facebook followers do they have?

My Rating = 5
I don't remember Bagwell really hitting it off with the audience to any particular amazing level.

Credibility: Is this person someone you would see as a main eventer and a future legend or are they doomed to forever be a jobber?

My Rating = 3
Bagwell was a fall-guy who was able to win several tag team championships in WCW, but that's it. He never had any singles titles to his name and was mostly a stooge who could put other people over.

TOTAL SCORE: 45/100 - 46/100

FINAL THOUGHTS: Sorry Buff, you just don't got the stuff.

Check out more discussion on this topic on this week's episode of Smack Talk below: