When Vince McMahon fired a former champion for his partying lifestyle

WWE legend Jim Ross has revealed Vince McMahon fired a superstar because of his partying habits. The superstar in question was Buff Bagwell, who was released by WWE in 2001. Ross stated that Vince McMahon did not see a big star in Bagwell and did not think of him as a money maker.

There were reports suggesting that Buff Bagwell's mother, Judy, played a role in his release, but Jim Ross quashed those rumors.

It was Buff Bagwell's behavior that caused him to be released. Bagwell was a multi-time WCW tag team champion before he made his short-lived switch to WWE.

Speaking on his podcast Grilling JR, Ross said that WWE at the time wanted to distance themselves from superstars who would party too much. He also suggested that Bagwell was not seen as a top commodity by Vince McMahon, which is why he was let go.

''Well, Buff had a higher opinion of his work than Vince did. I become the bad guy because I’m the middle-man, I’m the guy that delivers the bad news, or the good news at times. I don’t hold any animosity to this day on Marc Bagwell. He just wasn’t a good fit, Conrad. That partying lifestyle, we were trying to distance ourselves a little bit from that if we could,” said Ross.

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Vince McMahon did not see 'money' in Buff Bagwell

Bagwell had become a star in WCW as part of the nWo faction. However, he struggled to find success in WWE after he joined the promotion in 2001. Good Ol' JR believes that Vince McMahon wasn't a big fan of Bagwell.

“Vince just didn’t see the money in Marc that Marc saw in himself. I can only deal with the hand’s that dealt me when I’m told ‘this kid’s no going to get it, I want you to let him go’,” said JR.

Even though Bagwell was a 5-time World Tag Team Champion in WCW and a mainstay on the roster, he couldn't successfully transition to WWE. Jim Ross also said that his backstage conduct, including a backstage altercation with Shane Helms, was a factor in what ''let the air out of his sails.''