Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Oct 14/02) - Inuvik wrestling fans came out in full force recently to witness the first bout of professional wrestling in the town's history at Bundy Night Raw.

While King Kong Bundy never made the match due to a stroke suffered in Edmonton, former stars of the World Wrestling Federation Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Brutus the Barber Beefcake both made the card.

Event organizer Marty Verbonac of the Mackenzie Delta Hotel Group said the event went off better than was planned.

"It was fantastic," Verbonac said. "The kids sure had a good time."

Verbonac estimated over 1,000 people attended the event and said the wrestlers probably had as much fun as the audience.

"They were blown away -- they'd never seen anything like this before, where they actually got mauled," he said. "They were really impressed by the people and the hospitality."

Proceeds from the event were to go to the new family centre.

From football to wrestling

After 22 years in the ring and poised for his third knee operation, wrestler Hacksaw Jim Duggan said he's "still doing alright."

Duggan grew up in Glens Falls, N.Y., and went to university in Texas, where played football for the Southern Methodist University Mustangs.

He signed later with the Atlanta Falcons in the NFL and later with the Toronto Argonauts in Canada's CFL.

Two knee surgeries later, Duggan looked for a career change.

"I saw no real future in football and that's when I made the move to wrestling," he said.

He contacted a Texas wrestling promoter who he'd met in college.

"I started at first as 'Big Jim Duggan,' but I didn't have a clue to the business," he said. "It's a learned trade and very few people pick it up quickly."

Jim Duggan is the name he was born with and he kept it, out of the simplicity he built into his character.

"It is my real name, I just put Hacksaw in front of it," Duggan said. "I'm one of the few wrestlers who owns their name -- most wrestlers, Vince McMahon owns their name."

He wrestled around the southern states before getting signed into the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).

He said his character was developed and strong enough that when he entered the WWF, they kept the Hacksaw just the way he was.

"Now, they have a creative team that comes up with an idea and they look for someone to fit that role."

Going from a gridiron with a team and loads of protective gear to the centre ring in a packed stadium had the new wrestler more than a little self-conscious.

"All of a sudden you're in the middle of a ring with your short shorts and patent leather boots, so it's a tough transition for a lot of people to make,' Duggan laughed. "It took me a while to feel comfortable in the ring and I slowly evolved into Hacksaw."