Jim Duggan-Over rated or Underated

[Fuel The Fire]

So with a few post about over rated and underated thought i would try something out in it
The American patriot Hacksaw Jim Duggan did win the very first royal rumble.
Hacksaw did have some fueds in the early wwf years. One was even with Harly race but nothing he ever did can really stand out in my mind. He was very good with the growd.
But Im sure we will always remember him for his U.S.A chants. RIght now im watching the royal rumble 2 and he was a tag team match with the hart foundation and there chanting usa....i wonder what bret was thinking during that match? lol anyway Back to duggan
As I said we will remember him for his U.S.A chants and his 2x4 other then that I dont really remmeber what he has done..But the question is...
Is Jim Duggan over rated or Underated

 

[X]

Ugh, Jim Duggan has always been a useless hunk of shit quite frankly. Couldn't work to save his life, terrible on the microphone. The only reason the man got over was from carrying around an American flag and a two by four and screaming like a mongoloid. Abysmal worker, did I mention that? Not even Harley Race could make Duggan look good.

Overrated, though I don't think he's very highly regarded to begin with. He's certainly not underrated though, that's for sure.

 

[hacksawrowdyhogan]

Hmmmm, neither. He is what he is. No one thinks of him as one of the greats so he is not overrated. Nobody should think he deserves more credit, so he isn't underrated. Just a fun wrestler from the 80s early 90s. Who cares if his matches weren't technically sound as a child growing up their was few funner than the ones he took part in.

 

[thesweetness]

He was a good mid-card wrestler. Hacksaw Jim Duggan really could get a crowd behind him and he had a U.S. and T.V. title run in WCW. I always remember him for his fan-favorite U.S.A. gimmick. He was a good U.S. champ (mainly due to his gimmick) during his feud with Steve Austin.

I was lucky enough one-time to go backstage at a WCW event during the mid nineties for a boy of the age around ten, it could not have been more exciting. (It was for WCW's saturday night tv show I don't remember the name, maybe someone could help me out) I walked into the backstage area and sitting back there were Vader, Knobbs of the Nasty Boys, Jimmy Hart. Hart actually asked me to watch his megaphone while he left and upon his return I continued to walk through more of the backstage area. I came across Hacksaw alone sitting in a chair and putting some things into a bag. To my surprise, he was absolutely nothing, and I mean nothing like his in-ring persona. He was wearing glasses and spoke very elegant and smart, this really opened my eyes to the character aspect of wrestling. He was extra nice and signed my WCW magazine and actually carried on a few minute conversation with me (even though he probably had better things to do), treating me more like an adult than most people I had met up to that my point in my life. So, due to my encounter with him and the fact that he never held a major title but won the first Royal Rumble, I'd have to go with him being a little underrated.

 

[Fallen Angel 21.3]

i know he won the first royal rumble but he didn't get the world title match at wrestle mania, he was in WCW and had a couple matches with steve austin but really what titles has this man won, i am not talking smack to him cuz i have a lot of respect of jim duggan i mean the guy did nearly die from cancer i think and he stepped back into the ring but really what has jim duggan done for wrestling to make him under or overrated i mean really he was just another over muscle guy back in the 80's and now he is just another comedy jobber in the now

 

[DaGhost]

I remember Duggan from his UWF days (pre-WCW). He was real popular at the time and I liked him and Dr. Death Steve Williams. But when you go to the big time you need a gimmick.

I always disliked his WWE 2x4 gimmick. It was just too over the top. So over and under? Well, I don't think he is particularly "rated". But I guess I would say overrated as I don't think he really made a mark. Not to say he didn't impress some young fans along the way.

But I could probably make a case for him being underrated as well.

DaGhost

 

[Black Snow]

Overrated. His gimmick is xenophobia, he screams, he cheats and his finishing move is a friggin' football tackle. Hell, the tackle is him most technically sound move. A trained monkey could have filled his role and probably done a better job of it.

 

[NecroFox]

Overrated. His gimmick is xenophobia, he screams, he cheats and his finishing move is a friggin' football tackle. Hell, the tackle is him most technically sound move. A trained monkey could have filled his role and probably done a better job of it.

What about his charisma? He is a natural fan favorite. Never mind the fact in his match with Goldberg he was the face and got Bill booed which was next to impossible back then. I think some of you are forgetting how loved he was threw most of his career. Noone is expecting him to wrestle 5 star matches not everyone is able to do that. He was just a great babyface.

 

[PEP3]

Like DaGhost, I'm old enough to remember Duggan from before his run in WWF, when he was a main-eventer in the Mid-South region (even before UWF, Ghost!). He was wildly over with the Houston crowd, and that was before relying on the U.S.A. gimmick. Watching him feud with people like "Dirty" Dick Slater, "Mad Dog" Buzz Sawyer, One Man Gang and Kamala the Ugandan Giant, I know he's capable of putting on a very entertaining, very competitive (if far from 5-star) main event.

When he left Mid-South/UWF for WWF, Stamford turned him into the "all-American", 2x4-wielding, "Hoooooo"-ing cartoon caricature of who he'd been before. I remember being really sad about that. It was like they took someone special to me and killed him.

I guess it takes knowing what Duggan was before he was the person you all seem to remember him as to determine what he might have been. Instead, WWF turned him into a one-dimensional tool to sell foam 2x4s and giant foam "thumbs up." Before he was handed the catch-phrase "tough guy," Duggan really was one, a fact so few people seem to remember.

For that reason, I say he's under-rated.

 

[DaGhost]

Pep3,
Hey I live in Seattle, we didn't get to see Mid-South out here. But those feuds you mentioned are all legendary and I remember reading about them, but I wish I had seen them myself. So jealous!

In WWF at that time, they needed someone on their roster to keep Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff busy. So they sign a name, which Hacksaw was a decent name back then, drape him in a flag and put him up against the evil Iranian and Russian. Rinse lather repeat. It's a formula that worked for decades.

DaGhost

 

[PEP3]

DaGhost, let me tell you, growing up as a pro wrestling fan in the Houston area was such a treat! Even before UWF came along to kind of modernize the action a little and make the TV product look a bit "slicker," the Mid-South region had unbelievable wrestling product.

We got to see so many great wrestlers fighting it out every Saturday night on TV and at live events held at the Sam Houston Coliseum. Duggan was just one of the now-legendary competitors from that era. We also had "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, The Freebirds, The Fantastics, The Sheepherders (later The Bushwhackers, but this was when they were vicious heels), "Hacksaw" Butch Reed, pre-"Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and so many more!

One person who I still haven't forgiven the WWF for ruining from those days is Terry Taylor. That man was SO OVER with the crowd, he could do no wrong. He had amazing charisma, great in-ring skills and was incredible on the microphone. What WWF later did to him was, in my mind, criminal!

And, if you want to be REALLY jealous, shortly after UWF was bought by the NWA/Mid-Atlantic promotion, I moved to Florida. Talk about another regional promotion with now-legendary stars, unbelievable feuds and a lasting legacy even 25 years later, Championship Wrestling from Florida had it all!

 

[PEP3]

Now this thread has me thinking about those UWF/Mid-South days. They were unbelievably good in retrospect. Of course we got to see the introduction of future superstars like Sting, The Ultimate Warrior and Rick Steiner. We had the Oklahoma Sooner himself, Jim Ross, on commentary.

I remember very distinctly one incredible feud between Eddie Gilbert and "Hot Stuff" John Tatum, where Missy Hyatt left Tatum for Gilbert. That one was CLASSIC!!

We had "Gentleman" Chris Adams, Skandor Akbar's Devestation Inc., Iceman "King" Parsons, The Missing Link. The list goes on and on. Wow! Those were some REALLY good days for (regional) pro wrestling. And some incredible storytelling, too, since it's really the stories themselves that live on even today.

 

[DaGhost]

Florida was awesome. It seems like all the big names back then either came from or spent a fair amount of time in Florida.

I grew up with Portland wrestling and got to see some great talents too. Dynamite Kid pre WWF and British Bulldogs was incredible, maybe the best I ever saw. It was a great time with wrestlers moving from territory to territory. We got to see the NWA stars and then later the AWA. But Portland itself certainly didn't rival Mid-South or Florida territories. Our major heel back then was Playboy Buddy Rose. Even back then he was overweight, but he could move, he sold great, and he was great on the mic.

I was so happy when UWF started airing here! I finally got to see Terry Taylor, Dr. Death, and Ted DiBiase as a major face. I first saw Eddie Gilbert here. Eddie was possibly the first heel that I consistently marked out for. Sting was there when we started getting the show, but Hellwig had already moved on. Sting and Gilbert were a blast to watch.

Terry Taylor really ruined his in-ring career with the move to the WWF. He had some success in WCW but that whole Red Rooster thing was horrible. didn't he come up with that concept himself? Of course he has had success out of the ring, so perhaps for him, it wasn't such a bad thing.

<sigh> Good times!

 

[PEP3]

The PNW had some pretty legendary talent, too. Playboy Buddy Rose had a great feud with Rowdy Roddy Piper, didn't he? You guys also had Bryan Adams before he became "Crush" and quite a few others.

I was reminiscing about AWA yesterday. They really dropped the ball, basically, over and over again. Verne Gagne just wouldn't let his federation grow with the industry. He screwed Hogan out of the AWA title about three times. The last time, Hogan had enough and jumped to WWF. Within weeks, literally, he had the WWF title and held it for the next four years (as we all know).

Still, I got my first taste of some future favorites from AWA. I loved the Midnight Rockers, was nuts for Paul E. Dangerously when he brought in the Original Midnight Express, knew greatness was ahead for both Scott Hall and Curt Hennig and even got a first glance at someone I later thought was amazing: Yokozuna!

Of course, we also had to suffer through those horrible Greg Gagne feuds, but it was worth it in the long run. After all, they even gave ol' Buddy Rose his one and only run with a legit World title, putting the tag belts on him and Doug Somers (managed by Sherri Martel).

Guess that brings the conversation full circle, doesn't it?

 

[mr.davidson]

Some people in here that think he is overrated are smoking crack

would you say the same thing about jake roberts.....

Duggan was a great mid card wrestler just like jake.. he helped build characters up so they could face the top guy in the industry like Hogan. then when they were done with Hogan he would face them again to help there carrers yet again.

This guy faced great wrestlers like Andre the Giant, Yokozuna, Sgt Slaughter, Macho man Randy Savage, Harley Race, Iron sheik, Ted Dibiase, Honky Tonk Man, Rick Rude, One man Gand, Big Boss man, Bam Bam Bigelow, Dimond Dallas Page, and even the great Sone Cold Steve Austin.

So to say he is overrated is just stupid.. he played a part in each one of those indivduals carrers and help them out in one way or another...

He was one of those guys (JUST LIKE JAKE ROBERTS) that the fans loved and never really needed to get into the tittle game to get over...

So in my opinion the guy was seriously UNDERRATED.......

I dont really know y so many fans have the hate on for this guy...because in the end he was a great entertainer

 

[X]

Some people in here that think he is overrated are smoking crack

Nope, no crack. I ran out yesterday you see.

would you say the same thing about jake roberts.....

No, but that's because Jake Roberts could actually wrestle.

Duggan was a great mid card wrestler just like jake.. he helped build characters up so they could face the top guy in the industry like Hogan. then when they were done with Hogan he would face them again to help there carrers yet again.

Really? Who did Duggan build up during WWF tenure? For the life of me I can't think of a single person.

This guy faced great wrestlers like Andre the Giant, Yokozuna, Sgt Slaughter, Macho man Randy Savage, Harley Race, Iron sheik, Ted Dibiase, Honky Tonk Man, Rick Rude, One man Gand, Big Boss man, Bam Bam Bigelow, Dimond Dallas Page, and even the great Sone Cold Steve Austin.

So because he faced good wrestlers, that makes him good? How does that work?

So to say he is overrated is just stupid.. he played a part in each one of those indivduals carrers and help them out in one way or another...

Duggan did not play any part in Stone Cold Steve Austin's career. He had about as much of an impact on his career as my dead grandmother.

He was one of those guys (JUST LIKE JAKE ROBERTS) that the fans loved and never really needed to get into the tittle game to get over...

Now I really don't know what you're talking about because Jake Roberts was a heel for most of his career, and when he was a face he was nothing like Duggan in any way. Where are you getting this asinine comparison from?

So in my opinion the guy was seriously UNDERRATED.......

I dont really know y so many fans have the hate on for this guy...because in the end he was a great entertainer

Not really. Not unless you consider someone sticking their thumb out, throwing a block of wood around and yelling "Hooooooooooooo!!!!!!" to be entertaining. I'm over the age of five, so I don't.

 

[BladeRunner]

It's funny that fear mentions the age of 5.

When I was a kid, about 4-5, my dad used to watch wrestling. I wasn't particularly into it at the time but for some reason I really liked Hacksaw. So, in my kid's mind's eye, he was awesome. Seeing him through an adult's perspective, he's an okay guy, he's nothing special, but he's he's not worthless by any means either.

People talk about how nowadays a lot of kids like Cena, but a lot of adults don't. Well I kinda feel like that with hacksaw, he just seemed to appeal to me as a kid but most people don't really see that he had much value.

I guess I still like the type of character he was, which is a funny, goofy, crazy aggressive mad man. There really aren't that many of those types around anymore.

 

[mr.davidson]

I figured that would be the responce i would get from a smark.

Its easy to critizes a post once its up, but in the end my position stands.

the guy has a legacey very similar to that of jake roberts, only thing is, he didnt mess it up with a personal life.

In fact i would go as far to say that Duggan at least knew and knows his place now in the wrestling industry. If you read what he stated on what WCW tried to do to him when they wanted to get rid of his contract. I would say he is impressive when it came to his carrer for backstage politics as well.... (just a side note)

In the end I would say he is HOF worthy at least way more then Ko Ko Bware. And you can bitch about his wrestling skills all you want. But he wasnt put in the ring to be a tech wrestler, he was put there to be a brawler and someone the fans could get behind, which he did a great job at.

Only smarks hate this guy cause they get to tech when it comes to what makes a great wrestler.

However in the end if he wasnt any good as people have been stating then why was he used for so long in the industry? and have matches with so many great wrestlers?.....if he sucked so bad? why would he be in matches which such great wrestlers?..... He was a valued part of wrestling and derserves any credit he gets

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't think that Jim Duggan is really rated all that high to begin with. But the guy was just horrible in the ring. Shit really, if you wanna be honest about it. Duggan was lousy in the ring and even worse on the mic.

It was truly cringeworthy watching the guy cut a promo. He'd go around screaming like some goddamn potato head or would stare crosseyed into the camera with his tongue stuck out like some Looney Toons character. I even recall the time when Duggan was cutting a promo in a little mini-feud with Hulk Hogan and actually called Hogan a great technical wrestler. There are people in wrestling that still joke around about that to this day. It was such a ******ed promo and is the only memorable one Duggan ever cut because he came across like a complete fool.

I know that people want to bring up Duggan's days in Bill Watts' territory and that's all well and good, but it just doesn't impress me. As for Duggan's charisma, I just don't see that at all. In the WWF, Duggan took on the all American, flag waving patriot persona that chanted USA every 10 seconds and was able to get over. To me, that's kind of the last bastion of hope for a guy to get over as a face. The viewpoint of the USA being the greatest country God ever crapped out and being willing to ram it down the throat of anyone that disagrees will always get you over with some fans. To me, it's the cheapest of cheap pops but whatever does the job for you.