Buzz Sawyer

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This article is about the professional wrestler. For the comic strip, see Buz Sawyer.

Buzz Sawyer
Sawyer in 1982
Birth nameBruce Alan Woyan
Born(1959-06-14)June 14, 1959[1]
St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.[2]
DiedFebruary 7, 1992(1992-02-07) (aged 32)[2][1]
Sacramento, California, U.S.[3]
Cause of deathDrug overdose[2][1][3]
FamilyBrett Sawyer (brother)[2]
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Buzz Sawyer[2]
Billed height5 ft 9 in (175 cm)[4]
Billed weight240 lb (109 kg)[4]
Debut1978[2]
Retired1991

Bruce Alan Woyan (June 14, 1959 – February 7, 1992) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Buzz Sawyer.[2][1]

Professional wrestling career

Sawyer grabbing Kevin Sullivan's hair during a fight, 1982

Sawyer started wrestling in 1978 (other sources state 1979) in the

WWE.[5] The stipulation for this match was that Sawyer and Rich would never wrestle one another again.[6] WWE released the entire match on the WWE Network on September 5, 2016.[5]

Sawyer had a short

gimmicks included a dog chain, a lot of barking, and a new bulldog finisher. After his WWF stint, he surfaced in the NWA territory Championship Wrestling from Florida, under the mind control of Kevin Sullivan. He feuded with Mike Graham, Dusty Rhodes, and Adrian Street. In 1985, Buzz went to Mid-South Wrestling (which became the Universal Wrestling Federation in 1986) and became a protégé of Dick Slater
's. After Slater won the North American title, he gave the Mid-South TV title to Sawyer to defend for him. The promotion tricked Slater into letting Sawyer defend the North American title (which he promptly lost), and Sawyer then refused to give the TV belt back to Slater.

In 1986, Sawyer left the UWF for

Johnny Ace),[6] but also fractured his wrist.[8]
He left WCW in 1991.

Personal life

Sawyer was a graduate of

Dixie M. Hollins High School, where he was a state champion in the 191.5 pound weight class.[3] In 1976, he placed third nationally, losing in the semifinal to eventual champion Dan Severn.[9] He would use his amateur skills,[6] while in New Japan Pro-Wrestling in 1989, against the Soviet amateurs Salman Hashimikov, Victor Zangiev, Vladimir Berkovich and Wahka Evloev, that joined the promotion.[3]

Sawyer was known for his antics both in and out of the ring, including his drug abuse and fighting with police outside a bar.[10] Most notably, he was known for scamming aspiring wrestlers who wanted to be trained by him - Sawyer would often take their money, beat them senseless, then skip town. Mark "The Undertaker" Calaway recounted on Joe Rogan's podcast The Joe Rogan Experience that he was a victim of this scam, however also highlighted that at that time this was a common way to whittle prospective wrestlers to only those dedicated to becoming professional wrestlers (though Calaway also indicated Sawyer's service was still a scam).[11][12] Jim Cornette has stated his reason for breaking Buzz's nose with a tennis racket during a spot was due to him taking liberties with other talent (Cornette included, as Sawyer threw a shoot punch at Cornette during a match).

Death

Sawyer died at his Sacramento, California apartment from heart failure due to a drug overdose on February 7, 1992.[2][1][3]

Championships and accomplishments

NWA National Heavyweight Champion
, 1982

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-4766-0505-0
    .
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Kreikenbohm, Philip. "Buzz Sawyer profile". Cagematch. Archived from the original on April 5, 2015. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  3. ^
    Tronc. Archived
    from the original on August 5, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2017.
  4. ^
    ISBN 978-0-7566-4190-0
    .
  5. ^ a b c d e Melok, Bobby (September 9, 2016). "The match that inspired Hell in a Cell: Tommy Rich, Buzz Sawyer and The Last Battle of Atlanta". WWE. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Buzz Sawyer profile". Online World of Wrestling. Archived from the original on June 19, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2021.
  7. ^ Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.167)
  8. ^ Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.168)
  9. ^ "Matt "Doink the Clown" Bourne obit", from The Wrestling Observer, cited by [email protected]
  10. ISBN 978-1-60542-164-3
    .
  11. ^ Calaway, Mark. "The Inspiring Story of How The Undertaker Started Wrestling". YouTube. The Joe Rogan Experience YouTube Channel "PowerfulJRE". Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  12. ^ Calaway, Mark. "Episode #1598 - Mark "The Undertaker" Calaway". Spotify. The Joe Rogan Experience Podcast. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  13. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4
    .
  14. ^ "World Class Television Title". Wrestling-titles.com. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  15. ISBN 0-9698161-5-4
    .
  16. ^ "NWA Texas Heavyweight Title". Wrestling-Titles. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
  17. ISBN 978-0-9698161-5-7
    .
  18. ^ "World Class Wrestling Association Tag Team Title". Wrestling-Titles.com. Retrieved December 26, 2019.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Buzz Sawyer.
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