Today is Jim Duggan’s birthday and at 66 years young, “Hacksaw” isn’t looking to slow down. On February 6 and 7 he’ll join his longtime friend Ted DiBiase in Las Vegas and Los Angeles for two special events as both WWE Hall Of Famers ready themselves for their respective storytelling tours in 2020. Duggan will be doing a new run of his “2 by 4” Tour and DiBiase will be beginning his “Priceless Stories from the Road” Tour (Tickets and info available here)
Duggan recently spoke with WrestleZone’s Dominic DeAngelo and talked about how he learned so much from someone like Ted.
“I learned a lot from Ted. Wrestling Ted, working with Ted, watching his interviews, any of the second generation guys. Curt Hennig, Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts, Ted DiBiase, Von Erich. Any of these guys that grew up in the business, they were in the ring when they were 15, you know? I was 25. They were like, ‘Duggan, this guy’s going to beat ya.’ I’m like, ‘Well I can beat him!’ The guy I wrestling going, ‘Oh, my God,’ you know? So it took me years to understand it so I would wrestle as The Convict under a mask.”
Right before that, Duggan gave details about being the convict and why the mask was used:
“I went to Hawaii where I worked for High Chief Peter Maivia and that’s where I wore a mask in Hawaii cause I was relatively a young kid and I’m wrestling these grown, tough looking men. They’re like ‘Put a mask on,'” Duggan said.
It’s been near 40 years since Duggan began incorporating the patriotic flag waving butt kicker we all have come to know and love. One thing Duggan credits for him being a success is that he was true blue in every aspect of who he portrayed to fans.
“I think that’s really what lead to my longevity in wrestling that it wasn’t a gimmick. ‘Hacksaw’ Jim Duggan is an extension of my personality. Carrying the flag, they didn’t give me the flag and say, ‘Hey, will you carry this flag?
“Folks see that’s coming from the heart, that’s not something Vince McMahon or Bill Watts or some other promoter saying, ‘Hey, you do this.’ That’s coming from my soul,” Duggan said.
Happy birthday to Hacksaw & you can listen to the full conversation with Jim below, tough guy!
Tickets For 2/6 show in Las Vegas
Tickets For 2/7 show in Los Angeles
(Transcription credit should go to @DominicDeAngelo of WrestleZone)
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