Buzz Sawyer

Infobox Wrestler
name=Bruce Woyan


names=Buzz Sawyer
height=height|ft=5|in=11
weight=convert|240|lb|kg st|abbr=on|lk=on
birth_date = October 14, 1959
death_date = death date and age|1992|2|7|1959|6|14
birth_place = St. Petersburg, Florida
resides=
billed=
trainer=
debut=
retired=|

Buzz Sawyer (born Bruce Woyan October 14, 1959-February 7, 1992) was a professional wrestler who went by the nickname of "Mad Dog". He was known for his crazy antics in the ring and out.

Career

"Mad Dog" Buzz Sawyer started wrestling in 1979 in the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)'s Jim Crockett Promotions. He stayed there with some stints in Georgia Championship Wrestling until 1984. He mainly teamed with his brother, Brett Sawyer. He had a huge feud with the Road Warriors after he left their manager Paul Ellering's Legion of Doom.

Buzz also had an epic feud with Tommy Rich that led to many bloody matches, the greatest of which was billed as the "Last Battle of Atlanta" and for the first time featured a completely enclosed cage. It also saw manager Paul Ellering suspended 20 feet above the ring in a smaller cage. This is the match that Shawn Michaels credits for inspiring the "Hell in the Cell" concept used by the WWE. Tommy Rich won the "Last Battle of Atlanta" match. Another stipulation for the match was that Sawyer and Rich would never fight again - which they did not in Georgia Championship Wrestling. They did meet again in WCW about five years later.

Sawyer had a short World Wrestling Federation (WWF) run in 1984. He was called "Bulldog" Buzz Sawyer because Mad Dog was being used by Mad Dog Vachon. During Sawyer's few TV appearances, he was managed by Captain Lou Albano. Sawyer's gimmick included a dog chain and a lot of barking.

In 1985, Buzz went to Mid-South Wrestling (which would become the Universal Wrestling Federation in 1986) and became a protege of Dick Slater's. After Slater won the North American title, he gave 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 World Class Championship Wrestling. He formed a team with Matt Borne and they won the WCWA Tag Team Championship. He also won the WCWA Television Championship and the WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship and feuded with Brian Adias while there. He got into a feud with Dingo Warrior and he lost his tag team titles to Warrior and Lance Von Erich before reportedly being fired after failing a drug test.

He returned in 1989 as part of Gary Hart's J-Tex Corporation that was feuding with the Four Horsemen, and he had several matches against Arn Anderson. He then joined Kevin Sullivan's "Slaughterhouse" stable in 1990. [Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.167)] However, at "Wrestle War '90", he fractured his wrist and never returned to WCW. [Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.168)]

In wrestling

*Finishing and signature moves:*Powerslam:*Diving splash:*Piledriver:*Headbutt:*Battering ram to a cornered opponent

*Nicknames:*"Mad Dog" Buzz Sawyer:*"Bulldog" Buzz Sawyer

*Managers:*Gary Hart:*Kevin Sullivan:*Paul Ellering:*Paul Jones:*Percy Pringle:*Captain Lou Albano

Championships and accomplishments

*Georgia Championship Wrestling:*NWA National Heavyweight Championship (1 time):*NWA National Tag Team Championship (2 times) - with Brett Sawyer

*Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling:*NWA Mid-Atlantic Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Matt Borne

*Mid-South Wrestling Association | Universal Wrestling Federation:*Mid-South North American Heavyweight Championship (1 time):*UWF World Television Championship (1 time)

*Pacific Northwest Wrestling:*NWA Pacific Northwest Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Brett Sawyer

*Southeastern Championship Wrestling:*NWA Southeastern Television Championship (1 time)

*World Class Championship Wrestling | World Class Wrestling Association:*WCCW Television Championship (1 time):*WCWA Texas Heavyweight Championship (1 time):*WCWA World Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Matt Borne (First)

*Pro Wrestling Illustrated:*PWI ranked him # 185 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.

*Wrestling Observer Newsletter awards:*Most Underrated Wrestler (1981):*Best Heel (1982)

Personal life and death

Sawyer was wrestling on the independent circuit when he died from heart failure due to an overdose on February 7, 1992. Fellow wrestler Billy Jack Haynes contended that his death was a well planned hit because they were both part time drug smugglers in the Pacific Northwest around the same time.

Sawyer was known for his crazy antics such as trying to fight the police outside a bar and also his drug abuse. He trained a few wrestlers, among them Magnum T.A. and Ken Shamrock. Sawyer was paid by The Undertaker to teach him to wrestle, but Sawyer only showed Undertaker how to lock-up (or start a match) and then skipped town the next day. [Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.74)]

Sawyer has an illegitimate son Travis, who is a wrestler for promotions including KAPOW and EWP on the independent circuit of East Tennessee. Fact|date=April 2008

Sawyer is survived by two biological sons from his wife. One works for Target outside of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania while the other is an amateur boxer in Orlando, Florida Fact|date=April 2008

Notes

References

*cite book | author = Mick Foley | title = Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks | publisher = HarperCollins | year = 2000 | pages = 768 | isbn = 0061031011

External links