Duggan on the other hand, had his coal miner’s glove, which he used with great zeal while a heel, but even better as a face against Nikolai Volkoff and Khrusher Khruschev.  Each would come into play in their feud, and the culmination was beyond that of even the most rabid fan. 

DiBiase began to distance himself from Duggan by claiming that he was of better breeding.  He didn’t chew tobacco like Duggan, didn’t wear ole’ cowboy boots, and didn’t wear bandanas in his hair.  He was of a higher class than Duggan, which eventually led to one of the more unique angles within an angle.  Mid-South had a best dressed man contest, and to some surprise, Duggan won!!  Following his win, DiBiase sucker punches him, leading to one of the most unique matches in the history of Houston Wrestling.   

Jim Ross narrated a highlight package of all that had gone down between the two men, and set it up for each local market, most notably the New Orleans Superdome, and the Sam Houston Coliseum.  While I am not privy to the crowd at the Superdome, I am aware that the Coliseum was sold out to see the match between Ted DiBiase and Hacksaw Jim Duggan with the following stipulations:

 -Inside a steel cage.

 -With both men wearing tuxedos for a street fight.

 -Coal Miner’s Glove on a pole

 -No Disqualification/Must be a winner.

The two men would tear the house down with their match, and at the end of a long, hard fought war, Hacksaw Duggan’s hand would be raised victorious.  The match remains as one of the most legendary in a long history of great and wild matches ever to go down at the Sam Houston Coliseum.

After the series of matches, their feud would end, and both men would go onto other issues.  In fact, Duggan’s war with Akbar would continue, with other main events at the Coliseum, while DiBiase and Steve Williams would win the Mid-South Tag Team titles from the Rock-n-Roll Express, and light up the Coliseum with a “special for Houston” feud with Hector and Chavo Guerrero. 

Fast Forward: 

Duggan and DiBiase would both find themselves on the same side of the fence after DiBiase’s face turn in the late summer months of 1985.  They would not team together often until the advent of the Freebirds’ return to the area in the spring of 1986.  They would both venture to the WWF about five months apart from one another, and would wrestle each other again in Houston, only for the WWF, not for Mid-South.  Many fans know about what both men are doing now.  While Duggan is still active on the independent scene, DiBiase is now involved in full-time ministry, with an emphasis on teenagers and families.  Both men have left an undeniable mark on wrestling, and on Mid-South history. 

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