Grappling With Tragedy: Doug Scoggins

Brian Damage

Grappling with Tragedy is a series of articles that deal with unfortunate, tragic incidents that have occurred throughout the history of professional wrestling. It is unlike the ‘Wrestling with Sin’ series that deals more with the seedier side of wrestling like arrests, murders and suicides. Grappling looks more at particular tragic incidents that have in some instances altered pro wrestling in some way.

Doug Scoggins

Douglas Dorsey Scoggins was born in 1942 and started his pro wrestling career in 1971. He wrestled primarily in the Georgia Championship Wrestling territory. Scoggins wrestled in a mask under the alias of ‘Mr. X.’ He was introduced to the territory as a mercenary hired by ‘Big Bad John’ to take out John’s big rival Ray Gunkel. Mr X wrestled Gunkel in a Hair vs Mask match which Scoggins lost…forcing to unmask and reveal his identity. Scoggins would challenge Gunkel in a Hair vs Hair match and lose that match as well forcing him to have his head shaved.

Doug Scoggins continued to wrestle in the territory competing against the likes of Bullet Bob Armstrong, Dick Steinborn and Argentina Apollo. On August 14, 1972…Scoggins was traveling with fellow wrestler Juan Caruso from Perry to Valdosta, Georgia for a show. It was rumored that Scoggins fell asleep at the wheel which caused his vehicle to crash killing him upon impact. Caruso survived only suffering minor injuries. Doug Scoggins was just 30 years old at the time of his death.