In his latest, PWP nation’s Caden Moran details everything you need to know about NXT’s newest sensation, Eric Buganhagen
I want you to think of the most entertaining, care-free, ecstatic, fun, and most ridiculous person you know. Now, I want you to compare them with the newest star in NXT. Are they still the most entertaining, care-free, ecstatic, and most ridiculous person you know? I doubt it.
This past week on NXT TV, we saw the debut of one of the most fun, and insane acts, that I have ever seen in my time as a professional wrestling fan. That act belongs to a man named Eric Buganhagen.
And the wrestling world already loves the man. Including myself.
The 31 year old rock & roller billed from Milwaukee, Wisconsin electrified the NXT fans, and the world throughout social media, following his NXT debut on January 6th, 2019. The moment Eric Buganhagen made his entrance and showed off his incredible ability to hit the high notes, we were all hooked.
The one big thing about Eric Buganhagen and his relationship with the fans is that there are only two reactions to the man. You either love Buganhagen, or you loathe Buganhagen.
For me personally, I can understand both sides.
As we saw on NXT TV this past Wednesday, Percy Watson was heard on commentary loving Buganhagen. Meanwhile, Nigel McGuiness, delivered his distaste in “The Bugez“.
I see a lot of comparisons to guys like Adam Rose or No Way Jose. I am not sure what the future will hold for the man, but I am going to enjoy the ride.
There are only two things you can feel when you first see Eric Buganhagen. You love him or you hate him.
Eric Buganhagen is not just an act. What we saw during his NXT debut is exactly the type of person Buganhagen is in real life. I went on YouTube and discovered Eric Buganhagen’s personal YouTube channel which he has been uploading videos to consistently for four years. What I discovered was Buganhagen lifting a ridiculous number of weights, while showing the same type of enthusiasm and energy we saw on NXT.
Below you can see a short video from Buganhagen’s YouTube channel, which you can also find linked here.
As you can tell, Buganhagen is an intense man, and he takes his fitness very seriously. He is disciplined, which will come very handy in the world of professional wrestling.
However, during my time exploring Buganhagen’s life on YouTube, I also discovered his love for rock music and for playing the guitar. Although, that should have been made clear during his NXT TV debut. Eric Buganhagen is a metal head, which he also made clear during a video detailing his TV debut on the WWEPC YouTube channel.
In high school, Eric Buganhagen led a rock band, which further cements his intensity, great vocals, and love for rock and metal music.
Even with Eric Buganhagen taking the professional world and social media by storm, what exactly do we know about him? Well, we obviously know he is a natural born entertainer, but what about the important part about wrestling. What about Eric Buganhagen’s wrestling background?
Believe it or not, Eric Buganhagen has a legit background in wrestling.
Eric Buganhagen attended high school in Franklin, Wisconsin where he was a WIAA state champion in his senior year and a three-time conference champion. Buganhagen’s transition into amateur wrestling began early on in his life. Following in his brother’s footsteps, Buganhagen began wrestling in the seventh grade. Wrestling has always been a part of Eric Buganhagen’s life, and he did not stop.
After his career in high school came to an end, Buganhagen began wrestling for the University of Wisconsin. Competing for a top, Division-1 school is a pretty big deal in my book. Buganhagen went on to be a four-year letter winner and in 2011 he was ranked one of the top-ten U.S. amateur wrestlers.
Following his collegiate wrestling career, Buganhagen served the Badgers as their strength and conditioning coach before making his way to WWE’s Performance Center.
Eric Buganhagen has the amateur wrestling background, similar to a guy like Brock Lesnar. However, Lesnar has much more professional wrestling experience, so comparing the two just seems unfair.
The man himself has the amateur wrestling background, and he has the natural born talent to entertain. However, the biggest thing that makes Eric Buganhagen truly special, is that he is genuinely an inspiring person.
While browsing his YouTube channel, I discovered videos that were not fitness or music related. Instead, they were videos talking about real life things and how to overcome them. In the video below, Buganhagen discusses bullying and how to overcome it.
There are a number of videos where Eric gives real and thoughtful advice. He is a genuinely good and inspiring person, and I believe that is the most important part of Eric Buganhagen.
As I mentioned before, I am not sure what the future holds for Eric Buganhagen. However, I am a huge fan already and I can not wait to see where his career takes him.
I am not sure about you, but I am ready to jump on the “Bugez Cruise”. Let’s riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide!
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