10 More Wrestling Gimmicks Blatantly Stolen From Hollywood

3. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan - Walking Tall

Long before The Rock grabbed a giant lump of wood for the 2004 Walking Tall remake, the original 1973 movie saw Joe Don Baker play real-life Sheriff Buford Pusser, who famously crafts a wooden club to smack around the local riff-raff.

Jim Duggan meanwhile started his wrestling career in the late 1970s, and a few years later, he adopted the "Hacksaw" name. While working for Mid-South Wrestling, he turned face and began to carry a 2x4 around with him, in what was clearly an homage to the hit movie and made him an easy fan favourite.

For several years this was basically the extent of his character, and the patriotic aspect didn't emerge until Duggan joined the WWE in 1987 (and blew it a few months later by getting a DUI charge in tow with his kayfabe nemesis, The Iron Sheik).