WWE Hall of Famer “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan knows a thing or two about how to win the Royal Rumble. Duggan won the inaugural Rumble match back in 1988 and helped set the blueprint for how to emerge victorious from one of WWE’s toughest gauntlets.
Duggan recently spoke with Betway and shared some Royal Rumble strategy for the 30 men and 30 women who will be “rumbling” this weekend.
“The whole thing is about longevity,” he said. “That’s why when you watch the Royal Rumble, everyone goes straight to the corners. That’s a safe place.”
A battle royal is very different to a standard singles match. Duggan liked wrestling people one-on-one, because he could control the pace of the fight. The Royal Rumble is an entirely different beast.
“Nobody’s controlling nothing, it’s like the Wild West out there.”
– Hacksaw Jim Duggan
More ‘Tough Guy’ than Wrestler
A lot has changed since Duggan won the Royal Rumble 34 years ago. He admits wrestlers today are more athletic, but his generation was more creative.
“I think overall the talent nowadays is much better in terms of athletic ability, but my generation of guys were much more creative,” he said. “We didn’t have a board of guys coming up with our character – I own Hacksaw Jim Duggan and trademarked it long before I went to WWE – so we were much more willing to try something new.”
Duggan wasn’t the most technically savvy wrestler. He was more of a brawler. In fact, he doesn’t even consider himself a former wrestler.
“I wasn’t a wrestler. People ask, ‘Hacksaw, what was your favorite move?’ I kick and punch, I’m a brawler. I would work with Flair sometimes, get beat 1-2-3 in the middle, grab a 2×4, hit Flair, hit the referee, hit the timekeeper. HOOOO! I didn’t win the match, but I’d win the fight. I was a tough guy.”
Whatever he was doing back then, it worked!
Watch Hacksaw Jim Duggan’s historic win in the first-ever WWE Royal Rumble:
