James (Jim) Duggan Wrestler Date of Birth: 14.01.1954 Country: USA

Biography of James (Jim) Duggan

Professional Wrestler James Duggan, known by his ring name "Hacksaw," was born into a large family. His father was a police officer, and he had three older sisters. Duggan grew up in Glen Falls, where he excelled as an athlete in high school. He was a standout in football, basketball, track, and wrestling. Duggan became a school hero when he won the New York state wrestling championship without weight restrictions, a feat that had never been accomplished before. Many prestigious universities, including those in Pennsylvania and Ohio, wanted him to join their football programs. However, Duggan chose the less-known Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he became the captain of the team.

After college, Duggan joined the NFL team Atlanta Falcons but was released due to a knee injury. He underwent a serious surgery to remove kidney cancer, which was discovered during his time with the WCW. Duggan's battle with cancer gained significant publicity, and his recovery and return to wrestling were celebrated by fans and loved ones. The idea of carrying a 2x4 board with him was taken from the 1973 film "Walking Tall," where the protagonist carried a similar board as a weapon. Duggan rarely used the board after 1988 because he mostly portrayed a positive character, who didn't use weapons. However, villains frequently used the board against him.

In 1987, Duggan was arrested for drunk driving and marijuana possession. He claimed to have wrestled in every state in America and various countries, including Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Belgium, Bermuda Triangle, Canada, the Dominican Republic, England, France, Germany, Guam, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Poland, Scotland, Spain, and Switzerland.

Duggan's wrestling career began when he met Fritz Von Erich at his SMU graduation. Von Erich mentioned that Duggan would make a good wrestler, and Duggan started training under him that summer. In 1979, he made his debut in a match against Gino Hernandez. Duggan continued his training at the Sportatorium in Dallas, Texas, under Hawaiian promoter Peter Maivia (The Rock's grandfather). It was during this time that Duggan caught the attention of Vince McMahon Sr., who was leading the WWF at the time. After a brief stint with the WWF, Duggan started working regularly for the Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW) promotion. He wrestled under two gimmicks: "Big Jim Duggan" in the US and "The Convict" in Hawaii, where he wore a mask. After a short time in Alabama, Duggan settled in Texas, where he earned his famous nickname "Hacksaw." From 1982 to 1986, he worked for NWA and formed The Rat Pack stable with Ted DiBiase, Matt Borne, and Mr. Olympia. When DiBiase left to join Skandor Akbar's stable, Duggan refused to work with him and became a face, or a good guy, for the first time in his career. As a face, he won tag team titles with Magnum TA and later the North American Championship.

In 1986, Duggan became the Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) Champion but soon lost the title to Terry Gordy. He then teamed up with Terry Taylor to win the UWF Tag Team titles. After losing a "loser leaves town" match, Duggan left UWF and joined the WWF. In 1987, he signed a contract with the WWF and became a fan favorite for seven years, despite not winning any WWF titles. During his time in the WWF, Duggan feuded with wrestlers like Harley Race, Haku (from whom he won the "King of Wrestling" title), and Andre the Giant. Duggan is the only wrestler to have knocked out Andre the Giant. He won the first-ever Royal Rumble match in 1988 and had a feud with "Russian" Nikolai Volkoff. Three years later, when Volkoff turned face, they formed a tag team.

In 1994, Duggan joined WCW. In one of his first matches, he won the US Championship from Steve Austin in less than a minute. Throughout his time in WCW, Duggan was rarely featured in main storylines and mainly wrestled on WCW Saturday Night. He left WCW in 1998 after being diagnosed with kidney cancer. Thankfully, his rehabilitation was successful, and he returned to WCW by the end of 1999. Due to the influence of writers Vince Russo and Ed Ferrara, Duggan had to portray a janitor character in WCW. Despite the low role, he won the Television Championship and became the oldest wrestler ever to hold the title. He defended the title honorably and remained the final Television Champion. Towards the end of his career in WCW, Duggan finally started participating in main storylines. As part of one storyline, Duggan abandoned his patriotic gimmick and temporarily aligned with the Canadians led by Lance Storm. This was the last time Duggan portrayed a negative character.

Interestingly, Duggan made several appearances on the World Wide Wrestling Alliance show, previously known as NWA Ohio. His name was also listed as one of the promoters in the promotion. However, on his website, Duggan denied any affiliation with the company, stating that he never signed a contract with them or had any involvement with the WWWA or NWA Ohio.

In 2005, Duggan returned to the WWE on the Homecoming show alongside other former WWF and WWE employees. His return culminated in a brawl with Rob Conway. Following a fan vote, Duggan was chosen as Eugene's partner in a tag team match on Taboo Tuesday in November 2005. Duggan, alongside Eugene, faced Rob Conway and Tyson Tomko. He later feuded with Edge and Lita. Duggan retired from professional wrestling but occasionally made appearances on the independent circuit.

Awards and Accomplishments:
- PWI ranked him #82 on the list of the top 500 wrestlers in 1991
- PWI ranked him #120 on the list of the top 500 wrestlers in 1992
- PWI ranked him #66 on the list of the top 500 wrestlers in 1993
- PWI ranked him #71 on the list of the top 500 wrestlers in 1994
- PWI ranked him #113 on the list of the top 500 wrestlers in 1995
- PWI ranked him #147 on the list of the top 500 wrestlers in 1996
- PWI ranked him #316 on the list of the top 500 wrestlers in 1997
- PWI ranked him #351 on the list of the top 500 wrestlers in 1998
- PWI ranked him #207 on the list of the top 500 wrestlers in 2000
- PWI ranked him #157 on the list of the top 500 wrestlers of all time in 2003
- Winner of the 1988 Royal Rumble
- WCW United States Champion
- WCW Television Champion (the last and oldest holder of the title)
- WON Most Improved Wrestler of the Year in 1982
- WON Feud of the Year against Ted DiBiase in 1985
- International Wrestling Association Heavyweight Champion
- International Wrestling Cartel Tag Team Champion with Scotty Gash
- Mid-South Wrestling Louisiana Heavyweight Champion
- Mid-South Wrestling North American Heavyweight Champion
- Mid-South Wrestling Tag Team Champion with Magnum TA