WWE Hall of Famer Hacksaw Jim Duggan has been forced to pull out of several events this weekend due to a medical incident. According to PW Insider, Duggan was hospitalized Saturday due to a medical issue. However, Duggan’s family did not provide any further details.
Unfortunately, Duggan has been dealing with health issues in recent years. The 65-year-old underwent surgery for a torn rotator cuff in 2014, and hospitalized in the intensive care unit in November 2018. Additionally, his heart went into atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular heartbeat. Duggan underwent a planned heart procedure in March and was able to speak with Wrestling Inc.’s Andy Malnoske about his recovery.
Videos by PopCulture.com
“My heart went out of rhythm,” Duggan said. “They tried to shock it from the outside which didn’t work. So, they went in and did a procedure called an ablation where they went in and shocked my heart and got it back into rhythm. So, thank God everything is going good.”
According to ComicBook.com, Duggan also suffered from kidney cancer in the late ’90s. However, he was able to contain the cancer and avoid chemotherapy due to early detection.
Duggan is one of the most popular figures in wrestling history. Along with his 2×4, he has been entertaining fans for decades. He was most famous for his time in the WCW (1994-2001) when he became the WCW United States and WCW Television champion. During this stint, Duggan had the quickest victory in the league when he beat Stunning Steve Austin in six seconds.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan beats Stunning Steve Austin (clean) in 6 seconds to become the new WCW United States Champion.
Austin became the shortest-reigning United States champion in WCW history–holding the title for approximately five minutes. pic.twitter.com/lXrktJRtNr
— cozy superkick ♻️ (@cozysuperkick) December 20, 2018
Duggan has had several stints with the WWE, dating back to the late 1980s. His first professional appearance in the ring actually took place in 1979, when he faced off with Hulk Hogan.
Duggan’s final in-ring wrestling appearance took place back in 2012. This event was part of a special SmackDown episode that included many historic names, such as Sgt. Slaughter, Camacho and Hunico.
Throughout his career, Duggan was known for firing up the crowd with his trademark yell of “Hoooo,” as well as leading the crowd in “U-S-A” chants. He would enter the ring carrying his 2×4 and whip the fans into a frenzy before entering the league for his match.
In 2011, Hacksaw Jim Duggan was named to the WWE Hall of Fame.
Photo credit: Getty Images
