A Hall of Fame wrestler had to take down an opponent once again, nearly a decade after he last appeared in the ring.
On the evening of December 8, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan was at his South Carolina home with his wife Debra when an unfamiliar man suddenly “fell” inside, Duggan recently told Wrestling Inc.
“A man who we had never seen before climbed our fence, ran through our yard to our front door, and was pounding on our glass doors” at about 6:45 p.m., Duggan said in a Twitter post.
“Before we could get to the door, he opened it and fell into our house,” Duggan added.
Duggan, 68, spent more than three decades as a professional wrestler and had several memorable bouts with WWF in the late 1980s and early ’90s, so his career trained him well for this moment. Duggan claimed he apprehended the man and forced the man’s hands behind his back. Then, the man who famously used a 2×4 in the ring instead opted to grab another weapon — a .44 caliber pistol — to keep the suspect honest while they waited for police to arrive.
“I held him at gunpoint while Debra called 911,” Duggan continued.
Though Duggan had contained the threat, he is now grateful that he did not actually use force against the man. It turned out that the man may have been attempting to escape other suspects. The man, described as “hysterically frightened,” explained that people in the neighborhood had been chasing him and trying to kill him and that he had banged on several doors to try and flee to safety.
“Thank God we didn’t shoot him,” Duggan said.
Instead of shooting the man, Duggan turned off his outdoor Christmas lights and told the unnamed intruder to keep quiet. When deputies eventually arrived, Duggan gladly let them take over.
“We would like to thank the Kershaw County Sheriff’s Department for their prompt and professional response,” Duggan added. He and his wife elected not to press charges.
“We are safe with no damage,” Duggan’s post concluded.
— “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan (@”Hacksaw” Jim Duggan)
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In 1988, Duggan won the first Royal Rumble, and in 1994, he became the first U.S. heavyweight champion of World Championship Wrestling. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011. WWF was rebranded WWE in 2002.
Last year, Duggan announced that he had prostate cancer, which he continued battling earlier this year. He has recently completed radiation and seems to be in remission. On December 12, he advocated for frequent physicals. “Early detection saves lives,” he insisted.
— “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan (@”Hacksaw” Jim Duggan)
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