Buff Bagwell Says This WCW Stunt Was A 'Horrible Thing For The Business'

Buff Bagwell/Instagram

By 1999, WCW was becoming an even bigger circus than professional wrestling inherently tends to be. WWE had begun gaining the upper hand during the Monday Night Wars, and WCW would soon find itself fighting from underneath. The Turner-owned wrestling promotion also had too many cooks in its booking kitchen, which resulted in some highly questionable creative decisions. 

On his YouTube channel, WCW veteran Buff Bagwell got candid about one segment from this period that's been almost universally panned. 

"Ridiculous," Bagwell said of the so-called "Fingerpoke of Doom." "It was really a bad thing to do. There's always a lot more to the stories than we know ... I was there, but it ain't like I was in the finish room. It was a horrible thing for the business. It was really bad for the time it happened."

The stunt unfolded on the January 4, 1999 edition of "WCW Nitro," where WCW World Champion Kevin Nash — originally slated to face Goldberg — somehow found himself across the ring from Hulk Hogan after Goldberg was "arrested" earlier in the night. Nash passed the belt to Hogan — not via a traditional match, but quite literally. Hogan poked Nash in the chest, who sold it like Hogan shot him, and "The Hulkster" covered him for the win. For many, this ineffective swerve — which surprisingly pre-dated Vince Russo — marked the beginning of the end for WCW, as fans no longer wanted their intelligence insulted. 

Coincidentally, the same "Nitro" featured Tony Schiavone spoiling Mankind's WWE Championship win, which is also believed to help drive viewers to WWE's side. Oddly, a fan asked Bagwell if something like the "Fingerpoke of Doom" should ever be done again in wrestling.

"No, it should never be done again," Bagwell asserted. "And it should've never been done in the first place."