10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Jan 13)
5. Jim Duggan Felt Winning The First Royal Rumble Helped Define His Character
On January 29, WWE will present the 30th Royal Rumble event in company history. Sitting right behind Survivor Series and WrestleMania, Royal Rumble is the third longest-running supershow the promotion has. The first event in 1988 didn't actually air on pay-per-view, instead running as a televised special on the USA Network.
In addition, it is the only Rumble to take place with just 20 entrants. Won by 'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan, the match also didn't come with any WrestleMania-related guarantees. Despite those clear contrasts to the bout today, Duggan still believes it was a pivotal moment in establishing what his character was all about to the WWF audience.
Lastly eliminating The One Man Gang, Duggan had the live crowd in the palm of his hand. Having only been in the company for a year at that point however, Jim still felt he had yet to forge a connection with the core fan base.
This was something he told WWE's official website whilst reflecting on that Rumble victory. In Duggan's words, he needed to win such a brawl so that people would know what he was all about.