Bruiser Brody Gave Jim Duggan Advice That Changed His Whole Career

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan's career might have looked a lot differently, had it not been for a character-altering piece of advice Bruiser Brody once gave him backstage.

In a new interview with the Albany, New York newspaper "The Times Union", Duggan opened up about his life and career ahead of an appearance at The Linda WAMC's Performing Arts Studio this Sunday for his "2x4 Tour." Duggan's tour features the longtime professional wrestling star sitting down with fans for a no holds barred-like storytelling and Q-and-A session where he recounts tales from his career.

But Duggan dropped one career-defining nugget in the interview, which explained why he took on the nickname "Hacksaw" and why he first started carrying a piece of wood down to the ring in 1982.

"We only had these little rope barricades; I'd come back to the dressing room covered in loogies and bruises from the fans and local tough guys taking a swing," Duggan told the newspaper. "Bruiser Brody used to say, 'Carry something you can use' to the ring and as luck would have it, I looked down in the dressing room and here's this piece of wood. I started swinging that on my way to the ring and the crowd was parting like the Red Sea!"

Duggan explained that "Hacksaw" was a nickname that existed long before his pro wrestling career. The moniker, he said, "was from my football days and the way I used to play."

Duggan was a team captain at Southern Methodist University and later signed with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. A knee injury derailed his playing career, but "Hacksaw" found success in the squared circle, anyhow, winning a world championship and receiving an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.