Interesting Facts about Jim Duggan

Interesting Facts about Jim Duggan
January 27, 2024
By Ryan Porzl

Whenever you think of some of wrestling's more popular talents, especially during the golden age of the 80s, one name that comes to mind must be "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan. Duggan would originally achieve fame and success in Bill Watts' Mid South Wrestling/Universal Wrestling Federation before working the national scene first for the WWF and later for WCW. Though he wasn't a main event player in the nationals nor did he ever hold a world championship, Duggan had a Hall of Fame worthy career with plenty of highlights. With his 70th birthday having recently came and went, I decided why not do my interesting facts on 'Ol Hacksaw.

Note: I don't own the pictures as I got them on Google. Credit to WWE or whoever owns them. I apologize for not knowing the exact owners.

Was The Last Mid South North American Champion- One of wrestling's greatest promotions is NWA Tri-State/Mid South Wrestling/UWF. It was home to many all time great wrestlers, moments, and matches with many wrestlers getting their big break there. From 1969-1986, the main championship in the promotion was the North American Heavyweight Championship which was held by many all time greats from Bill Watts to Ted Dibiase to The Junkyard Dog to Butch Reed to Magnum TA to Paul Orndorff to Jake Roberts. Among the names who held the gold, Duggan would not only be one but he'd be the last one. After years in Mid South, Duggan would finally reach the pinnacle of his run when he defeated Buzz Sawyer (subbing for champion Dick Slater) to win the Mid South North American Heavyweight Championship on March 16, 1986 on the first TV Taping after Mid South became the UWF. Duggan would reign as champion for two months where he mostly defended against Sawyer and Slater before the title was retired in May 1986 to make way for the new top prize in the UWF Heavyweight Championship.

Was The Last Mid South Louisiana Champion- The North American Heavyweight Championship wasn't the first Mid South/UWF title Duggan held in which he was the last champ. The Mid South Louisiana Championship was a title that was largely defended in the state of Louisiana and was created in 1964. Like the North American Title, the Louisiana Title had it's share of legends that held it including Jack Brisco, The Junkyard Dog, Jose Lothario, Ernie Ladd, Terry Gordy, Jake Roberts, and The Great Kabuki. Duggan would add his name to the list when he defeated "Iron" Mike Sharpe for the championship on October 13, 1982. The title win would also mark the first title reign in Duggan's career. Duggan would make a few title defenses against Tony Atlas before the belt was retired at some point in 1983 with the exact date being unknown.

Was The Last WCW World Television Champion- Starting to sense a pattern? The NWA/WCW World Television Championship began in 1975 and during it's 25 years, had many all time greats hold it including Paul Jones, Arn Anderson, Mike Rotunda, Tully Blanchard, and William Regal (Lord Steven Regal) to name some of the more dominant champs. However, by the end of 1999, the belt fell out of favor with WCW management and head writer Vince Russo. As a result, the belt would originally be abandoned on the November 29, 1999 edition of Monday Nitro when champion Scott Hall and Kevin Nash threw it in a trash can. Fast forward to February, with Russo briefly out of WCW, the promotion would bring the belt back with the story being that Duggan (who was demoted to a janitor by Russo) found it in the garbage and declared himself the champion on the February 19, 2000 edition of WCW Saturday Night. Unfortunately, the reign didn't mean a push for Duggan as he mostly spent his reign defending it on c-show WCW Saturday Night though he did occasionally defend on the syndicated Worldwide and b-show Thunder. Duggan would hold the belt for 55 days and fend off challenges from Regal (more on that later), Robert Gibson, and The Barbarian until April 10, 2000 when Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo returned to WCW and decided to reboot the promotion by vacating all the titles. Unlike the other belts, the Television Title would not feature a new champion and instead was once again abandoned, this time for good. 

His Win Over Steve Austin Was The Shortest Match In WCW Fall Brawl History- Steve Austin's WCW run is well documented and perhaps something to be studied. During the early 90s, Austin enjoyed great success there and was looked at by most as a can't miss future main eventer. By 1994, Austin was cruising along before his fortunes changed with the arrival of Hulk Hogan and the promotion changing directions. By 1995, a triceps tear and Eric Bischoff not seeing much in him saw Austin packing and after a cup of coffee run in ECW, went to the WWF and the rest is history. If there was an event that changed the course of Austin's career, one of them was Fall Brawl 1994. Originally, Austin was supposed to challenge rival Ricky Steamboat for the WCW United States Championship which Steamboat beat him for a month earlier at the Clash of the Champion XXVIII. However, during that same match, Steamboat would suffer an injured tailbone when attempting a skin the cat which would end his in-ring career as a full time competitor. With the match cancelled, Austin was awarded the belt by a forfeit only to be told by WCW Commissioner Nick Bockwinkel, he'd have to defend it and it would be against the recently arrived Jim Duggan. Austin would argue and beg but Bockwinkel wouldn't give in. The match would see Duggan win after a tackle and a three count to win the title and his first title since his UWF days nearly a decade before. The match would go 35 seconds which makes it by far the shortest match in the seven year history of the Fall Brawl PPVs and you can also count the Clash of the Champions specials that carried the Fall Brawl tagline from 1988-1991.

Won The First Televised Royal Rumble- This one is very well known and the crowning moment of Hacksaw's WWF run. Since 1988, one of the most anticipated events in the WWF/WWE calendar is the Royal Rumble which is highlighted by the 30 man (as well as later 30 woman) Royal Rumble battle royal. The Rumble is not only a fun event but the prize to the winner is a guaranteed title shot at Wrestlemania. Because of all this, the WWE nowadays considers The Royal Rumble the first stop on "The Road To Wrestlemania". After originally testing the Rumble match at an October 1987 house show, the WWF would run the first Royal Rumble event in January 1988 on the USA Network against the NWA's Bunkhouse Stampede show. The first Rumble would feature 20 participants instead of the traditional 30. In the end, Duggan would enter at #13 and go on to win by last eliminating The One Man Gang. Despite the 1987 Rumble (ironically enough won by the Gang), Duggan is usually credited as the first Royal Rumble winner and it would mark his biggest achievement in the WWF/WWE.

Wrestled The Disciple (Brutus Beefcake) In Disciple's Last WCW Match- One thing that you can say about Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake's run in WCW was that it was certainly interesting. Outside of perhaps Ron Garvin, Beefcake did have the distinction of being the weakest Starrcade main eventer in the history of the legendary event. Outside of that, nothing much happened. Beefcake was one of several 80s/early 90s WWF stars who made their way to WCW around 1993/1994 but like fellow legends like Big Boss Man or Earthquake, he didn't own the rights to the gimmick that made him successful. As a result, Beefcake would stumble through a five year WCW run which saw him go through gimmick after gimmick in some vein attempt to find one that could perhaps see him replicate his previous success. After undergoing a series of lackluster at best to ridiculous at worst gimmicks such as Brother Bruti, The Butcher, The Man With No Name, Zodiac, and The Booty Man, Beefcake then became The Disciple from 1998-1999. After originally playing the part of Hogan's sidekick (which some would argue was fiction imitating real life), he had a brief run with The Warrior before floundering. By the end of 1999, Beefcake was working c-level shows like Saturday Night and Worldwide. On the November 6, 1999 Worldwide, Duggan faced off against Beefcake (still The Disciple but starting to resemble his pre-Barber Brutus Beefcake look). Duggan would go on to score the victory in what turned out to be Beefcake's last WCW match. Following the loss, Beefcake left WCW which would also end his time in the national promotions as he spent the remainder of his career on the indie circuit before retiring in 2015.

Was One Of Two Royal Rumble Winners To Never Held A WWF/WWE Title- Like I usually bring up with these articles, it's now time for a fact that isn't a highlight. As far as televised Royal Rumbles at Royal Rumble events, they have been around for 36 years. Many all time great have won the Royal Rumble. Most men and women who win one usually go as far as to become a world champion. Worst case scenario, most at least have held a WWF/WWE title of some kind. Unfortunately, this isn't the case regarding Duggan. Despite winning the 1988 Rumble and enjoying a six and a half year run from 1987-1993. Not to mention the occasional special appearances, Hacksaw has the sad distinction of being only one of two Rumble winners to never have held a WWE championship of any kind during his run despite getting his share of title shots. The only other wrestler who shares this distinction is Lex Luger who co-won the 1994 Royal Rumble with Bret Hart and never captured a championship during his two and a half year run with the promotion.

Got His Signature 2x4 From Walking Tall- Duggan is known for many things from his patriotic gimmick to encouraging "USA" chants to yelling "HOOOOOO!". Among the things he's most famous for is his trademark 2x4 which he began using in Mid South and continued in both WWF/WWE and WCW. Duggan's 2x4 was reportedly inspired by the 1973 film Walking Tall which told the story of Tennessee Sheriff Buford Pusser who carried one. Walking Tall being the inspiration would actually be incredibly ironic as not only was Buford Pusser a former professional wrestler before his days as a Sheriff but when his story was remade in 2004, it starred none other than The Rock, though in the 2004 version, Pusser was renamed "Chris Vaughn".

Was The Final Opponent Of The Big Boss Man- Duggan and The Big Boss Man have things in common and history with each other. They did time in Mid South/UWF, WWF/WWE, and WCW. They also ran into each other as opponents and partners as they faced off at Royal Rumble 1990 and World War 3 1995 to teaming at Survivor Series 1990 and Wrestlemania VIII. In 2004, both were making appearances for the IWA Japan promotion: a former deathmatch promotion which employed many old school WWF/WWE stars. That August, the two would enter a tournament to crown the new IWA Japan World Heavyweight Champion and both made it to the finals on August 31st. In the end, Duggan would emerge the winner in only 3:12 to claim the championship. Tragically, this match would prove to be the final match in Boss Man's career as he passed away of a heart attack only three weeks later on September 22, 2004 at the age of 41 thus making Duggan the final opponent for the lawman from Cobb County. 

Was An Aspiring Football Player. Briefly Signed To The Atlanta Falcons- A tale as old as time in wrestling is how legends originally played a different sport in school or college or even the major leagues and had aspirations of making it in that sport before an injury derailed it and they made their way to wrestling. Duggan would be no different. A jock, Duggan excelled in various school sports in wrestling, football, track, and basketball but eventually focused on football. After high school, Duggan would play in college for Southern Methodist University. Upon graduating, Duggan would actually be signed by the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL but knee injuries saw him cut from the team and he eventually found his way to wrestling.

His WWF Theme Was Originally For Big John Studd- Entrance music has been something that's been around the wrestling business for over 70 years, going back to Gorgeous George in 1950s and especially began to become more common by the 1970s. Certain themes have interesting history and famous cases where one person would be given a theme song only to eventually be given to someone else. In WCW, Pat Tanaka's theme would eventually become Goldberg's signature theme. In the WWF, The Patriot's theme would eventually be Kurt Angle's signature theme and the most famous example would be The US Express (Barry Windham and Mike Rotundo) originally given "Real American" before it famously became Hulk Hogan's signature theme. Duggan would experience this too as Duggan would actually be one of the last stars in the WWF to be given a theme. Prior to Duggan being given a theme, "Big" John Studd returned to the WWF in late 1988 after a two year hiatus and would be given a theme called "Studd Theme". After Studd's departure in mid 1989, the song would remain dormant until it was altered into "Two By Four" and given to Duggan as his theme song in 1990. For Duggan's version, the song is faster and features Duggan's signature yell "HOOOOOO!".

Was William Regal's Last Opponent In WCW- William Regal is someone that can be considered one of the most respected legends in the business. He started wrestling in his teens and had Hall of Fame runs in the WWF/WWE and WCW. He also overcome demons which dragged his career and life down during the late 90s and cost him his first WWF run. Prior to his WWF/WWE run, Regal became known for his time in WCW as "Lord Steven Regal" where he enjoyed four runs as WCW World Television Champion. After leaving in 1998, Regal had his first WWF run which didn't fare well due to the mentioned personal demons. After being released in early 1999 and cleaning up, Regal returned to WCW but the magic wasn't there the second time and the promotion was in freefall. By early 2000, Regal was largely relegated to WCW Saturday Night and it was there where Duggan again had a big moment. On the February 26, 2000 edition of Saturday Night, Regal would challenge Duggan for the WCW World Television Championship, a belt he not only held many times but a belt he felt was demeaned being held by Duggan. Prior to the match, Regal vowed to leave WCW if he lost. Sure enough, Duggan would send him packing after defeating him to retain the title. Regal would leave WCW following this and resign with the WWF shortly after. After doing time in developmental for Memphis Championship Wrestling, Regal returned to the WWF in September 2000, be renamed "William Regal", and went on to have his Hall of Fame run.