Diamond Dallas Page has helped rewrite more than a few lives outside the ring, but one of his most meaningful success stories has largely flown under the radar. While fans often associate Page’s recovery work with higher-profile names, his impact on former WCW standout Marcus “Buff” Bagwell has been just as profound. Bagwell’s post-wrestling years were turbulent, marked by public missteps and personal struggles that at times overshadowed the progress he was quietly making away from the spotlight.
Page has never shied away from being honest about how difficult that journey was. He explained that there was a clear difference between the man Bagwell could be when sober and the version of him that addiction brought out, to the point that Page deliberately changed how he interacted with him. As Page put it, “I stopped calling him Buff, because Buff is an asshole…especially when it’s not sober Buff. He’s hard. I don’t want to be around him.” The choice wasn’t about punishment or ego; it was about setting boundaries and refusing to enable destructive behavior, even when it came from someone he cared deeply about.
That tough-love approach appears to have paid off. Page recently shared that Bagwell has now reached three years of sobriety and has become almost unrecognizable from the person he once was during their WCW days. The two have since reconnected on healthier terms, with Page describing recent time spent together as positive and drama-free. In a world where Bagwell’s past controversies often dominate the conversation, Page’s reflections offer a quieter but more important update: sustained recovery, real personal change, and a second chance that didn’t come easily, but came honestly.
