Hacksaw Jim Duggan may be the most surprising name to be featured on this list as he was a mid-card wrestler for most of his career. Several factors contributed to the biggest accomplishment of Duggan's career, but nothing changes the level of surprise the victory caused. For one, the Royal Rumble was a brand new concept and 1988 was the first year the match took place; it wasn't yet exclusive to being won by main event talents. It also featured only 20 superstars and was broadcast live on the USA Network, not Pay-Per-View. The event also took place around the peak of Hacksaw Jim Duggan's career as 1988 was the year in which Duggan main-evented Madison Square Garden against Andre The Giant. Andre was responsible for Duggan's loss to DiBiase in the WrestleMania IV tournament for the vacant WWE title. Despite the short-lived main event feud with Andre, Hacksaw was not seen as a main event superstar before or after his brief run at the top in 1988. So while there was some logic to giving Duggan this win, the WWE's choice for the first ever Royal Rumble victor raised more eyebrows than most other Rumble winners over the years.
A former stuntman for Paramount Pictures, Matt enjoys sports, water skiing, driving fast, the beach, professional wrestling,
technology, and scotch. At the same time, whenever possible.
Having attended many famous (and infamous) shows including WrestleMania XV, In Your House: Mind Games, and the 1995 King of the Ring, Matt has been a lifelong professional sports and wrestling fan. Matt's been mentioned in numerous wrestling podcasts including the Steve Austin Show: Unleashed, Talk Is Jericho, and Something To Wrestle With Bruce Prichard.
As a former countywide performer, Matt has been referred to as Mr. 300 for his amazing accomplishments in the world of amateur bowling. He is also the only man on record to have pitched back-to-back no hitters in the Veterans Stadium Wiffle Ball League of 2003.
