Ray "Glacier" Lloyd Discusses Buff Bagwell's Car Accident Last Week, Their Friendship
Ray "Glacier" Lloyd appeared on World Wrestling Insanity with James Guttman (Interview available at WorldWrestlingInsanity.com via ClubWWI).
As fans of Glacier remember, his most memorable run was in World Championship Wrestling. He was there along with Marcus "Buff" Bagwell, who has been in the news following his recent car accident that left him in Intensive Care. As James points out, Bagwell's reputation precedes him. But, as he mentioned in his second book "Shoot First, Ask Questions Later", Buff was one of the most professional stars he ever set up an interview with. When JG set it up, Marcus said, "You don't know me, but people who do, know that when I put you in my calendar, you're set." And set he was because Buff called at the exact time he said he would and delivered and honest and open interview. It's a rarity for the wrestling business but par-for-the-course with Bagwell. Lloyd has history with Marcus and explains to ClubWWI.com their history...
"A lot of people don't know this, but Marcus and I broke in around the same time in Georgia. We're both home grown Georgia boys. I've had a very good relationship with Marcus throughout almost my entire career. Marcus and I have never been like super, super, close friends. But we've always considered ourselves much more than just acquaintances. I would always say definitely good buddies in and out of wrestling. We've always had a great time whenever we've hung out together and stuff. "
Of course, the most important thing with a tragic accident at first is not to determine why it happened, but to hope that the results following it are positive. The situation rocked many in the business and Ray, although acknowledging that ClubWWI.com listeners may want to speculate, reminds us that there's more to it than that.
"Obviously, it's really unfortunate and really scary what he just went through. From what I understand, he's probably lucky to have lived through it. Pretty bad. The circumstances surrounding it – who knows? I know a lot of people will be quick to judge based on some of Marcus's struggles in the past. I'm not going to be one of those people. I don't know what caused it and until all those facts come in, I don't want to speculate. But I can tell you this, Marcus is a guy who's always been, in my book, when he's in a good mood and in his environment, he's one of the best guys in the world to be around. The demands of wrestling, especially on someone of his caliber – he's someone with such a distinct look. He's one of those guys I always say that even if someone doesn't know he's a wrestler, they know he's somebody. He just has a certain look that makes him stand out. And he's had a great combination of look, charisma, and talent. He's come through adversity in the past. I'm pulling for him 100% and I really hope he gets through this."
Bagwell's future will require hard work but he's lucky to have a strong family unit behind him. As Glacier explains to James, many fans don't know about the people Marcus has to depend on. But the Bagwell Family sticks together. As the ClubWWI.com show continues, Lloyd says that those people may be the key to a quick and full recovery.
"He's got a great wife, Judy, who's obviously there for him every step of the way. He has one of the toughest moms in the world (laughs). A lot of people don't know, but he's got a very, very, close family. His brothers too. I know one of his brothers really good – John. I know of his other brothers. He has a very close family. The people in Marietta, Georgia, where he's born and raised, I know they're going to rally around him and the family. I really believe Marcus will come through this. He's a tough cat. He'll pull through and hopefully pull through with no lasting effects from it."