The Judy Bagwell on a Pole Match… WWE is known for rewriting history to make WCW look even worse than they were, but this one really was that bad.At WCW New Blood Rising in 2000, perhaps the most infamous match stipulation of all time happened as Judy Bagwell, Buff Bagwell’s mother, was suspended from a pole (not really) to be competed for in a match between her son Buff Bagwell and Chris Kanyon. The match lives in infamy as one of the most bizarre stipulations WCW, or wrestling in general, has ever done.
In the year 2000, WCW was under the complete control of Vince Russo (of course, it was Vince Russo), and with no filter or other writers around to talk him out of his more bizarre ideas, Russo had free rein to do as he pleased. Apparently, this storyline is exactly what he wanted…
Buff Bagwell Vs. Chris Kanyon
Buff Bagwell and Positivity Kanyon were in the middle of a feud in the year 2000 and to heat things up on a rather boring-sounding feud on paper, Russo had Kanyon start stalking Buff Bagwell’s mother, Judy. Kanyon harassed Judy Bagwell for weeks as a mental mind game before finally kidnapping Buff Bagwell’s mother. This all leads to a match at New Blood Rising with a bizarre stipulation. Kanyon challenged Buff to a match, if Buff wanted his mother back, he would have to beat him in the middle of the ring. Kanyon didn’t want any regular match though, his stipulation was that Judy Bagwell had to be suspended on a pole, if Bagwell won, he would get his mother back, but if Kanyon won, Judy Bagwell would have to become his new valet.
There it is, the resolution of kidnapping and human trafficking is to be decided in a wrestling match. Only in WCW…
Also, isn’t Judy becoming his valet a bit tame? Kanyon had committed multiple crimes to get this far, surely there are easier ways to get a manager? Wouldn’t Kanyon wanting her to marry him or be his servant be more demeaning to Judy? After everything Kanyon had done, surely he’d want to bargain for more than just a valet?
Anyway, WCW…
Judy Bagwell On A Pole (Forklift) Match
As the match began at New Blood Rising 2000, Kanyon drove down to the ring with Judy Bagwell strapped to a forklift, Kanyon elevated the forklift high(ish) above the ring as she screamed in terror. She was strapped to a forklift, and not a pole, because Kanyon said, “Everybody knows that this match is supposed to be a Judy Bagwell on a Pole match but I searched this entire second rate country of Canada....but after searching this entire God forsaking country, I couldn't find a pole that would hold that big fat battle axe."
At least they explained the forklift, what wasn’t explained was how Kanyon managed to acquire a forklift, tie a kidnaped old woman to it, and drive it down to the ring. Was security not working that day? Another wrestler milling about backstage? Did nobody want to help this poor old woman?
Buff Bagwell had been searching the arena throughout the night and upon sight of his poor mother strapped to a forklift at ringside, Buff Bagwell ran down the ramp to make the save. Buff tried to let Judy down but Kanyon attacked him from behind and they brawled through the crowd. Once they got in the ring, however, both men wrestled a relatively clean wrestling match. That was until we got a run-in from… David Arquette!
As if things couldn’t get any worse, David Arquette became a part of this match.
Arquette was useless however as Buff Bagwell fought off both men, hit Kanyon with a Blockbuster, and won the match! Buff saved his mother from a doomed fate, how wholesome!
It was historically one of the worst stipulation matches WCW ever did, and that is quite an accomplishment. Vince Russo, for some reason, loved the “On A Pole” Match so much it has become known as the Russo Special. Russo did a Viagra On a Pole Match, a Leather Jacket On a Pole Match, and a Piñata On a Pole Match all in a relatively short time. None of them were good, and no other booker ever used “On A Pole” Matches half as much as Russo did. Why? What was his fascination with them?
But it is the Judy Bagwell on a Pole (Forklift) Match which takes the cake as one of Russo’s (and wrestling’s) worst, most infamous, stipulation matches of all time.
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