Whatever Happened to WCW’s Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker?

Brian Damage

Standing 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing around 230 pounds….this man wasn’t exactly the model of being a professional wrestler when his career began in the late 80’s. He was used mostly as enhancement talent in World Championship Wrestling. He most notably become the head trainer at the WCW Power Plant. Today we ask ‘Whatever Happened to’ Sargent Buddy Lee Parker?

Dewayne Bruce started out his wrestling career in the southern region of the United States beginning in 1987 under his real name. He was trained by ‘The Assassin’ Jody Hamilton. While wrestling for the independents, Bruce started working as enhancement talent for World championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1989. His debut match for the company was under his real name in a loss against the Iron Sheik. Dewayne Bruce changed his name to Sargent Buddy Lee Parker and he teamed with Dale Veasey who was renamed Lt. James Earl Wright.

The team was known as ‘The State Patrol’ and their gimmick was that of state highway patrol officers. They wrestled and mostly lost to more established teams like the Midnight Express, the Steiner Brothers and Arn and Ole Anderson. Together as the State Patrol, their biggest accomplishments in WCW were that of teaming with ‘The Big Cat’ Curtis Hughes to challenge Junkyard Dog, Tommy Rich and Ricky Morton in a losing effort for the WCW world Six Man Titles at the WCW Wrestle War ’91 pay per view. The State Patrol also once challenged Harlem Heat for the world tag team titles and lost.

In 1995/1996, Dwayne Bruce was repackaged, had his hair dyed red and renamed ‘Braun the Leprechaun.’ He was managed by Jimmy Hart and was a member of the Dungeon of Doom faction. His character was that of a twisted and sadistic leprechaun. After that character fizzled out…Bruce was repackaged yet again.

This time, he was renamed ‘Jack Boot’ a military drill instructor type gimmick. He had a few matches under the Jack Boot name, before returning to his roots as Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker. While his active wrestling career was being used mostly to get over more established talent…Dewayne Bruce was most known for being hired s the head trainer of the WCW Power Plant. A training facility to create new stars for the company.

Known as simply ‘Sarge’ at the Power Plant, Bruce ran his training sessions like a boot camp. He helped train wrestlers like Bill Goldberg, Diamond Dallas Page, The Giant, Kevin Nash, Torrie Wilson and Daffney. The Sarge also trained Bob Sapp who had a great career in Japan and CW Anderson…mostly known for his run in ECW. The Sarge once had Dave Batista in the Power Plant and  allegedly told him he would never make it as a pro wrestler.

In 2001, Sarge teamed with his top protege Goldberg to take on Lex Luger and Buff Bagwell at WCW’s Sin pay per view. Buddy Lee Parker remained with the company as both a wrestler and trainer until it was sold to Vince McMahon and the WWF. Parker would join Jimmy Hart’s ill fated XWF promotion. When that company failed, Parker decided to open up his own wrestling school called The Super Power Plant. Parker wrestled sporadically until 2011 when he retired from wrestling.

So, the question remains….whatever happened to Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker? After his wrestling school folded, Dewayne Bruce got out of the wrestling business. He became a building manager for a construction company based in Atlanta, Georgia. He currently resides in a suburb in the Atlanta area.