Nickrj’s rant for Hacksaw Jim Duggan
This is a video that was released by Coliseum Video on March 15th 1989. I know because it was previewed prior to the Royal Rumble tape I finished earlier.
We see a preview for Wrestlemania V with a free watch available April 19th 1989!
The video opens with Hacksaw Jim Duggan cutting a promo with the American Flag behind him. I’d like to see him as a patriot today now considering what happened on September 11 last year.
Your host is Sean Mooney
We get a look at Duggan’s WWF debut on Superstars in early 1987. He proclaims America as the land of the free and home of the brave and he says that Nicolai Volkoff will never sing the Russian National Anthem as long as he is alive.
We then go to Wrestlemania III where Duggan starts a USA chant after Volkoff and the Iron Shiek’s match VS The Killer Bees
This from SNME on November 26 1988. They slug to start and Duggan hits an atomic drop and a clothesline. He puts his head down and Boris hits an elbow and starts working. Duggan starts pounding away but misses an elbow. Boris does some biting. Oh geez and Hacksaw no sells. Duggan comes back with a clothesline. He hits a slam. And he hits the three point stance for the pin at 2:26. At least this was short. DUD. Duggan then watches his flag fly as the National Anthem plays.
We go back to WWF Superstars in October 1987 when the King Harley Race hangs around when Duggan comes out and argues with the King. King hits Race with the 2X4. What follows is a squash match between Duggan and Tiger Chung Lee. After Duggan’s victory Race comes back in the ring and gets a chair but Duggan knocks Race out of the ring with it. Duggan steals the king’s Cape and Crown.
However later on that month during an interview with Craig DeGeorge, Jim Duggan is distracted by Bobby Heenan and attacked by Harley Race with the 2X4 and Race gets his crown and cape back.
Then came the 1987 Slammy Awards on December 24th 1987. Duggan comes out and announces the award for Best Dressed Ring Apparel. The nominees are Demolition, Randy Savage, The Honky Tonk Man, King Harley Race and The British Bulldogs. The winner is Harley Race but Duggan doesn’t read it. Heenan and Race come up to accept the award and a brawl erupts between Duggan and Race when Heenan tells Duggan to bow. The fight goes into the dressing room and makeup and stuff go everywhere. They let some chickens out. It goes into the electric utility area and just continues. Duggan shoves a bunch of boxes on Race. They go into the costume area and scare some women. An old lady beats up Heenan with a stick. They go into the cast party room and food is flying everywhere. Finally Gene Okerlund and Jessie Ventura announce the nominees for Best Hit and Duggan and Race break through the screen and the brawl is finally broken up. The nominees are Andre The Giant, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, The Honky Tonk Man, Strike Force and Bam Bam Bigelow. The winner is Duggan who is exhausted but still accepts his award with his trademark “HOOOOOOOOOOO!”
From MSG on January 25 1988. Vince McMahon and Lord Alfred Hayes are commentating. We get some stalling to start and Race takes over in the corner. Duggan turns the tide and takes a clothesline. Race is flipped upside down and out of the ring. Race stalls some more and gets back in. Duggan throws him shoulderfirst into the ring post. Duggan clotheslines Race back in the ring. He gets a front face lock. Duggan goes down and Race hits a low headbutt. Both men are down now as I’m starting to fall asleep. Duggan continues to work on Duggan and does the 10 punch count to wake up the crowd. A fist knocks Race down for 2. Duggan puts his head down and pays for it. Race hits a belly to belly suplex for 2. He hits a piledriver for another 2. Duggan no sells a punch and starts hammering away on Race. He hits an elbow to know the king down but misses a knee drop. Race works on Duggan in the corner. Duggan starts coming back again but takes an eyerake. Race knocks Duggan out of the ring. Race hits a headbutt outside the ring and misses another one on the floor and there is no padding on the floor. It is solid concrete making it a pretty sick bump. Back in Duggan is dumped outside again. Race continues to work over Duggan and he hits another headbutt. Duggan is clotheslined over the top rope. Duggan goes underneath the ring and catches Race from behind. Duggan hits a clothesline. Duggan knocks Race outside the ring. C’mon end this crap already. Race gets back in and knocks Duggan to the apron. Race goes up to the top rope and gets a high cross body but Duggan reverses it for the pin at 10:49. Who gave these guys nearly 11 minutes? Not me! -**
We go to Wrestlemania IV. In a first round tourney match between Duggan and Ted Dibiase Andre The Giant interferes to give Dibiase a win. One week later on WWF Superstars Andre knocks Brian Costello out of the ring before the match even starts. Jim Duggan comes in with his 2X4 and says that he’s not afraid of Andre. He challenges Andre to a match. Andre chokes Duggan causing Duggan to bleed from the mouth. Duggan grabs his 2X4 and knocks Andre out with it. This is the first time Andre has ever been knocked unconscious.
From the Boston Garden on June 4th 1988. Andre doesn’t even enter the ring and tries to leave the arena but security brings him back. C’mon this is going on forever and Andre doesn’t want to fight Duggan. I’m about ready to give a negative 5 right here. God it’s now 4 minutes since the bell rang and they haven’t even started wrestling yet! Finally Andre gets in the ring and Duggan clotheslines Andre and ties him in the ropes. Duggan starts hammering on the Giant and hits a headbutt but hurts his own head. Idiot. Andre gets free and gets Duggan in the corner but takes a headbutt. Andre has the 2X4 but Duggan nails him. Andre hits another headbutt and rams him into the turnbuckle he chops him down and starts choking him. My god this is so awful. Andre goes into a surfboard now. Andre chokes Duggan with his shoulder strap. Duggan fights back. But Andre works on him. Duggan clotheslines Andre and goes for the 3 point stance but runs into a boot and Andre pins him with his feet on the ropes at 9:23. One of the worst matches I’ve ever seen -***** It was that bad!
We go to the Brother Love show at Summerslam 88 at MSG. Jim Duggan is BL’s guest. Duggan calls BL a fake. BL talks about how Dino Bravo loves his country. Duggan tells him how he feels. BL also tells Duggan that he hates Duggan’s weapon. Duggan eventually gives him a count of 5 to get out. BL runs for his life on 4.
We go to another Brother Love show at WWF Superstars on October 1988. His guest is Jim Duggan. BL continues his talk about Dino Bravo and how he loves his country. Dino Bravo and Frenchy Martin come out. Bravo says that the USA and Duggan stinks. Duggan says “Love it or Leave it!” and clears all 3 heels with his 2X4.
From MSG on December 30th 1988. Frenchy Martin talks crap on the mike saying that his man will win. We get another stall fest to start. That has been the most popular move during this tape. Bravo get clotheslined trying to attack Duggan from behind. Duggan hits a backdrop and two slams. Bravo stalls outside the ring and comes back in and gets caught by the arm. Duggan goes to an armbar. Duggan works on Bravo in the corner but runs into a boot in the other corner. Bravo takes control. Martin gets a cheap shot. Bravo continues to work but Duggan comes back and puts his head down and pays for it. Bravo hits an inverted atomic drop and goes to the chinlock. Duggan gets up and starts fighting back again. But Bravo turns the tables. Duggan hits a kick and works on Bravo in the corner again. He does a 5 punch count in the corner and hits a clothesline. Duggan goes for the 3 point stance but Martin grabs the leg and Bravo almost gets the pin. Bravo slams Duggan and hits an elbow drop for 2. Bravo hits the sidewalk slam but Duggan gets his foot on the ropes and Bravo throws the ref away after he learns what happened. Martin tries to hit Duggan with the flag and hits Bravo and Duggan gets the pin at 7:27. Not as bad as the last two matches but still it’s a pure milk DUD.
Summary: If you’re a huge Hacksaw Jim Duggan mark this is a tape for you! Otherwise don’t bother. STRONGEST RECOMMENDATION TO AVOID