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Having joined WWE in 1987 following a successful run in Mid-South Wrestling, Hacksaw Jim Duggan got an up-close look at the twilight of Andre The Giant's career, including his famous match with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 3. Unfortunately, Duggan also got to see Andre's physical decline, as numerous health issues, and a hard lifestyle, helped lead Andre to a premature death at the age of 46 in 1993.
The combination of those things is why Duggan, as he revealed in the latest episode of "The Hacksaw Hour," wasn't shocked when Andre, whom he considered to be a friend, passed away when he did.
"Not really surprised, no," Duggan said. "As my doctor told me, you don't see a lot of old, heavy guys. That's why I dropped a bunch of weight. Guys that big that partied that hard...but he was relatively very young. The man was in his 40s, wasn't he? That was a lot of man to be carrying around on his heart. You know that heart had to be pumping hard. It didn't surprise me."
Despite their good relationship, Duggan admitted that he didn't attend Andre's funeral. That is par the course for the WWE Hall of Famer, however, who looks to avoid those situations for a very specific reason.
"I haven't been to any of the boys' funerals," Duggan said. "It's like a photo shoot for a lot of guys. 'Hey, make sure we get to the funeral to take some pictures and stuff.' Even my friends, Doc and Gordy, I didn't go."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Hacksaw Hour" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription
