Joe King
Before becoming known to wrestling fans as one half of The American Males in WCW, Scotty Riggs built a respected career throughout the southeastern independent scene before spending time in both WCW and ECW.
Born Scott Antol in Savannah, Georgia, Riggs broke into professional wrestling in 1992 after training under Ted Allen. As Scott Studd, he quickly established himself across promotions in Georgia and the Carolinas, where his athleticism and good looks made him a natural babyface.
In 1995, Riggs signed with World Championship Wrestling and was paired with Marcus Bagwell to form The American Males. Accompanied by their memorable entrance theme, the duo became a popular part of WCW’s growing tag team division. They captured the WCW World Tag Team Championship by defeating Harlem Heat before later dropping the titles back to them. As Bagwell evolved into the cocky “Buff” Bagwell, the team split in 1996 with Bagwell joining the New World Order. Riggs transitioned into singles competition and eventually reinvented himself with a more serious attitude. Following a storyline attack by Raven, Riggs began wearing an eyepatch due to a kayfabe eye injury after a drop toe-hold on a chair and joined Raven’s Flock, one of WCW’s most memorable factions. Alongside Raven, Saturn, Kidman, Van Hammer, and Reese…Riggs found new life as a darker, more aggressive character. Although he remained a dependable mid-card performer, Riggs never received a sustained singles push. He spent the remainder of his WCW run wrestling on the undercard before leaving the promotion in 1999.
After WCW, Riggs made appearances in Extreme Championship Wrestling during 2000. He was brought in as Rob Van Dam’s real-life best friend and was in RVD’s corner against Jerry Lynn at Hardcore Heaven. Now known as Scotty “The Clap” Anton, he would turn on RVD and end his two year undefeated streak. The two would then have a match at Heat Wave, which Van Dam won. While his stint was brief, he fit well with ECW’s hard-hitting style and competed against several of the promotion’s established stars during its final years. He defeated stars such as Steve Corino, Raven, Kid Kash, and Yoshihiro Tajiri.
Following his national television career, Riggs returned to the independent circuit, where he continued wrestling for many years while mentoring younger talent. He held the Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Championship on three occasions.
After falling on hard times, his former tag partner Buff Bagwell reached out and got him hooked up with Diamond Dallas Page. He has since turned his life around and currently works for All Elite Wrestling in a backstage role, mentoring the next generation of wrestlers. He also occasionally makes appearances at wrestling conventions, reunions, and autograph events celebrating the careers of pro wrestling legends.
While Scotty Riggs never reached the main-event level, he remains a memorable figure of the Monday Night War era. Whether fans remember him as half of The American Males or the eyepatch-wearing member of Raven’s Flock, Riggs carved out a respected career that continues to be appreciated by longtime wrestling fans.
