"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan Gives Health Update; Talks Winning First Royal Rumble, Upcoming One-Man Shows

In may not be on the same level as Ric Flair's Wooooo! or Daniel Bryan's YES!, but Hacksaw Jim Duggan's Hooooo! is also one of the most recognizable chants in pro wrestling history.

Duggan compared his Hoooo! vs. Flair's Wooooo! when he joined The Wrestling Inc Daily.

"I ask Ric, every time I see Ric it's Wooooo! I'm like, 'Ric, are your trunks too tight or what?' It's more like a Hoooooo! Every one should start the morning off with a good Hooo," said Duggan.

At the end of 2018, Duggan was hospitalized due to heart issues and moved into ICU. He was asked how he's holding up today both physically and mentally.

"I'm doing great but I had a few health issues last year. I listened to my doctor and I've dropped about 40 pounds and am doing much better. I just turned 66 and I joke that Flair and Hogan still call me 'kid'. Jake [Roberts] says he's younger but I wanna see a birth certificate," Duggan said before adding that he has wrestled his last match.

"Once in a while I'll hit the ring with a 2x4. I joke that it works as good as it always has. I still love doing the indies because those are the kids that really love wrestling. They have regular jobs but still love wrestling so much. They know the odds of making it are a million to one but it's still great to go out and see those kids out there and be a part of their show."

Duggan won the first-ever Royal Rumble match in 1988 when it was just a novelty wrestling event. He reflected on that win and if he thought it would just be a one-off event.

"As in the WWF, no one knew how large the company would become as in the Royal Rumble. Back then, I was more shocked than anyone to find out I was gonna win," admitted Duggan. "If you look at the talent in the ring ? for them to put me over ? of course that's my biggest feather. But not my biggest memory as that was wrestling Andre in the Garden."

Duggan added that he found out about the win the day of the event. He added that he was not an office guy and he's never been to Vince McMahon's house or that kind of stuff.

"It was great to win it. I joke I was never World or Intercontinental or Tag Team champion as I was lucky to win a match. So to win the Royal Rumble was great," stated Duggan. "But that was my character ? I didn't care if I won the match as long as I won the fight, tough guy. Hoooooo!"

Back with that inaugural Royal Rumble, the winner of the match wasn't given an automatic title shot at WrestleMania. Duggan was asked if he wished that was the case.

"I'd like to get that pay-off, brother! The thing about the title ? my character was never much of a title guy. I just needed a 2x4 and the flag of the United States of America. There was nothing fancy about Hacksaw Jim Duggan, tough guy," said Duggan.

"You want your champion to be Flair, Hogan, Dolph Ziggler, Cena ? somebody like that. That's almost a good trivia question: Who's one of the best-known wrestlers who was never World Champion?"

With wrestling now in his rear-view mirror, Duggan has turned to doing one-man shows and he discussed what goes on in the shows.

"Piper was the first guy to start doing these and then Mick Foley took them to a different level. Now Jake's doing them and then DiBiase and myself. It's wrestling stories ? it's not comedy as up there telling jokes. It's talking about traveling with Jake Roberts, wrestling Andre the Giant. It's a behind the scenes look at the Golden Age of Wrestling that so many people are intrigued by," said Duggan. "Even folks that aren't wrestling fans, I'll be on an airplane and a guy will go, 'I'm not a wrestling fan but how about?and they'll ask a question. It's a fun night out."

He added that his life is not like The Wrestler as while he did booze and take drugs, he never went to rehab or committed a felony. He also joked that he's part of the "best known misdemeanor in history."

"At this stage of my life, me and my wife travel the world telling wrestling stories. What a great business," exclaimed Duggan before being asked what types of things people ask about in the shows.

"Backstage in general, what you remember the most, what was the toughest guy. How was Macho Man backstage? Who pulled the biggest ribs? It's a million and one stories. Even the product now ? people are critical but they still have 100,000 people at 'Mania. But that era was the golden era. Thank goodness folks remember our era," stated Duggan.

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase will be at the Sycamore Taven in LA on Friday February 7th. For more information about this and all of Duggan's upcoming appearances please visit hacksawduggan.com/. Duggan's full interview with Wrestling Inc. aired as part of Tuesday's episode of our new podcast The Wrestling Inc Daily. Subscribe to get the debut episode as soon as it's released: https://apple.co/2NQnHuC. The full interview can be heard via the embedded audio player below: