Jim Duggan, Super Heel

Hey Scott,

At our current point in your Observer recaps Jim Duggan’s pretty much established in the comedy-JTTS role he’s best known for. But could it have worked out differently? What if Vince had debuted him as a heel?

Duggan had tons of charisma and was a passable worker by WWF standards at the time. He was also a lot bigger, physically, than I think some people realize. He could have come in as a vicious, wild brawler; destroyed a few mid-carders and worked his way up to a program with Hogan. Would it have been a WrestleMania-headlining match? Maybe not. But it could’ve been a good-money run. What do you think?

​That would have had about as much chance to work as Trump running for President!

Oh. Wait. Sorry, too soon, America.

Duggan was pretty much physically shot by that point and would not have been able to carry his end in the main event​ in that kind of a role. He wasn’t physically impressive like the usual Hogan heels, so he would have needed that charismatic heat that Savage or Dibiase brought to the role, and he just didn’t have it by that point. The idea is sound in theory, but would have been a disaster.