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Hacksaw Jim Duggan At Fall River On Friday

Posted: Mar 19th 2009 By: CMBurnham

It's been a great gimmick. And a practical one. If Jim Duggan forgets to
bring a 2x4 to Fall River Friday, it's no big deal. He can just swing by any
lumber store and pick one up.

He's quick to point out that's an option never available, for example, to
his old friend Jake "The Snake" Roberts, who would have been hard pressed for
a quick fix if he forgot his 20-foot python.

The only time Hacksaw Duggan has to haul a bundle of 2x4s with him is when the WWE goes to Europe where measurements are metric. He's committed to using the real thing.

And he plans to tote a 2x4, and probably an American flag, to ring tomorrow
night for a night of pro wrestling at the Police Athletic League, 31 Franklin
St. The doors open a 6 p.m and the show starts at 7 p.m.

Back to the 2x4s, Duggan, 55, said he uses white pine. He picked up the 2x4
gimmick early in his career, while working the Texas and Louisiana territories
in the early 1980s.

He chose a 2x4 not only because of its show value but because it was a of
legitimate form of personal protection for those trips to and from the ring.

"The old days of the territories, it was a much tougher business," Duggan said
Wednesday night from after attending one of his daughter's soccer games.
"Bruiser Brody, he was my mentor, said if you get a gimmick, get something you
can use. The crowds were dangerous and security was not what it is today."

Those were days -- older local fans remember it from the cards at Lincoln
Park -- when fans truly hated the villains, and the wrestling bad boys were
apt to get pelted with cups (full and empty), lighted cigarettes and spit.

"When I carried a 2x4," Duggan said, "the fans gave me a little room."

Old World Wide Wrestling Federation (predecessor to WWF, WWE) fans with acute memories may remember Duggan when he was a jobber (go out and lose to the stars). That was very early in his career, he was known as Big Jim Duggan, he wore a cape and he almost always lost.

A former football player at Southern Methodist University who had short stays
with the Atlanta Falcons (injured reserve for a season) and the Toronto
Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, he began wrestling pro in 1979,
much to the chagrin of his parents and siblings. "My family was skeptical
about pro wrestling," he said. "I said I'd give it five years and see where
it goes."

It went well, after that first stint in the WWWF. Playing both babyface (good
guy) and heel (bad guy), Duggan became a major player in the Southern U.S. In
1987, Vince McMahon brought him back to the then WWF as a flag-waving,
"Hooooo!"-screaming, old-fashioned tough guy.

The crowds loved him and he feuded with some of the WWF's biggest stars on
his way to becoming one of them.

His most famous feud, arguably, was with the late Andre the Giant, who was
suffering miserably from severe back problems but was still a major draw.

"That was an experience," Duggan said. "He could be an irritable giant. But he
elevated me from mid-card status in the WWF up to main event."

Performing with the 550-pound Andre night in and night out had its risks, too -- the main one the possibility of a quarter ton of flesh landing on
Duggan's head.

"You had to be concerned because Andre had trouble standing up," Duggan said. "There were times, I'd be down on the mat and he'd have to kick me and he was wobbling. But that was part of the deal."

The threat of severe pain wasn't one-sided in the Duggan-Giant show. Very
skilled at whacking an opponent with the 2x4 while inflicting little pain,
Duggan failed in that area one night.

Wrestling the giant at the old Capital Center in Washington D.C., Duggan
wanted to break a 2x4 over Andre's back. "I hit him as hard as I could. It
(2x4) cracked but it didn't break. It irritated him. ... Back in the locker
room, he sure did make an impression on me. That was the last time I hit him
like that."

Duggan, who lives in Glens Falls, N.Y. with wife Debra and daughters Celia,
15, and Rebecca, 14, is a cancer survivor. He lost a kidney to cancer 10 years
ago but, "with the grace of God and early detection," survived and resumed his
career, which includes happily participating in the small shows, like the Top
Rope Promotions card Friday, at the PAL where there's a meet-and-greet and a
chance for autographs and pictures.

"With the big companies, it's always hard to interact with the fans," he
said. "It's an opportunity to give back to the people who made it
possible."

For tickets or for more information on Friday's show, which also features
former star Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake and Stevie Richards, visit
www.topropepromotions.com or call 508-525-1866 or 508-672-9197.

Tags: Jim Duggan, Jake Roberts, WWE, Bruiser Brody, WWF, Andre The Giant