WWE Hall of Famer “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, 67, was hospitalized Wednesday and underwent emergency surgery, his wife announced. Debra Duggan went to Twitter to share the news, saying that the couple is back “where we don’t want to be.” This is not the first significant health issue for Jim Duggan as he was hospitalized in 2019 for what his wife called a “severe infection.” Additionally, Duggan was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 1998, leading to him putting his pro wrestling career on hold.
Duggan is known for his time in WWE but has also appeared in Mid-South Wrestling, New Japan and WCW. While in WWE, Duggan won the Royal Rumble in 1988 and won two Slammy Awards. In WCW, Duggan won the World Television Championship, and United States Heavyweight Championship. Earlier this year, Duggan appeared on WWE’s The Bump and talked about how the Royal Rumble was not a big deal when he won.ย
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“I don’t think anybody was more shocked in the whole building than me that I won the thing, you know,” Jim Duggan said, per Wrestling Inc. “I was a black horse, especially when I was one of the last three guys in there with Dino Bravo. The odds looked pretty bad there for a while, but thank goodness it worked out.” ย
Duggan went on to discuss how life in WWE was back then compared to today. “You know, back then, it was a different business, too,” Duggan said. “We did that show, and then we all got in the car and headed to another show. We didn’t have the concept of how big it was becoming. Some of the guys did. Guys like ‘Macho Man’ [Randy Savage], they had an understanding. We were in party mode a little bit. It was just another show another day.
“And that’s why it’s good as an old-timer to come back into the WWE as a talent on a talent contract because I realized how big the company is becoming. You know, you pull into the parking lot, and there are 18-wheelers, limousines, buses and satellite trucks. I mean, it’s overwhelming. As a young guy, I don’t think I comprehended that. But coming back to WWE, I had a chance to appreciate how big [it was] and what an accomplishment Vince [McMahon] had.” ย
