After more than 40 years Jimmy Hart still can’t get enough of the pro wrestling business. The Hall of Famer has been an active WWE ambassador these days. Who better than the “Mouth of the South” with his trademark megaphone to pump up a crowd? Hart’s enthusiasm is infectious. He crosses generations and is a constant reminder of the industry’s rich history.
Someone whose experience is invaluable, making it even more important to have him around. And at almost 80, the colorful figure still looks like he did managing everyone from Jerry Lawler to Hulk Hogan and almost every baddie not seconded by Bobby Heenan from the 1980s into the 1990s you can think of over those glory years. I always get a kick out of sharing some time with Hart as he is always full of stories and experiences.
Below is a recap from our most recent chat from SummerSlam weekend.
Do you think what WWE is looking for has changed, even in recent years from your vantage point?
Jimmy Hart: “I don’t know so much about that, but in my opinion, I think somebody that can do a great interview is still important. Somebody that can talk with their hands and grab people’s attention. If you think about the “American Dream ” Dusty Rhodes, he looked great but wasn’t a big muscular guy. He could talk people into the building. Hulk [Hogan] will tell you he is not the best wrestler in the world, but he made millions and millions of dollars selling millions of t-shirts by talking people into the building. I think that is still so important. It’s great to have a good look too. I still love the larger-than-life characters.”
Is there anyone that you are a fan of when you look at this new generation on TV?
Jimmy Hart: “I’ll tell you, someone, I like, that Logan Paul kid. He has captured the whole world with his podcast and doing the crazy things he does. He has a good look. He has good height. He can talk and has millions of followers. He might be someone to look out for.”
If social media were around back in your days, how do you think the business might have been?
Jimmy Hart: “Oh my gosh, if we had social media back then it would have been light years for us. There are so many things you can do on social media. Of course, you have to be careful there too. Social media does so much for you. I’ll tell you a quick story, if I may. Bayley and I were in Texas for last year’s WrestleMania promotion. They had us go to one of the Mavs games. While we were sitting down, her leg was hurt, and at the time, couldn’t do much. She leaned over and said, ‘Jimmy, would you do a selfie with me?’ I said okay. We did the selfie. Within 10 minutes, we had almost 800,000 views on it. Think about that. Wow. All the girls that wrestled picked it up from there. It was unbelievable. It made me realize how big social media really is.”
When I think about Nasty Boys, Andre the Giant, I can’t think of what would have happened if social media was around then.
Jimmy Hart: “We may be in trouble, but it was mostly funny stuff going on. Harmless stuff. You probably couldn’t get by with doing a lot of it now. At the same time, they meant no harm doing it. I think about everyone I worked with and my favorite SummerSlam memories. It was Ultimate Warrior and Honky Tonk Man where we lost in 31 seconds! When Honky grabbed the mic and said he’d challenge anyone, I didn’t think it was a good move. Out comes the Warrior. Rope shake, rope shake, wham bam. “
Talk about maximizing your time though. We’re still talking about that match today.
Jimmy Hart: “We had a great time too with ‘American Dream’ Dusty Rhodes. Then we shot a big thing with Andre, but he had an operation and couldn’t come back in time. It was Typhoon and Earthquake versus the Bushwackers. Andre was in their corner with me on the other side. Was that fair or not having Andre and poor Jimmy Hart on the other side? It was all so much fun.”
You’ve had an incredible career from The Gentrys to Memphis to WWE and beyond. Has there been any further talk about writing a book? A Jimmy Hart documentary?
Jimmy Hart: “If you’re offering, I’m open! [laughs] I’m doing some docs today. One on Hulk and Andre and whatever they ask me to do. I’m happy to do those for others. I’ve been on a lot of the Most Wanted Treasures episodes. I did one for John Cena called WWE Evil. I just filmed one with The Rock’s production company. It was me Jeff Jarrett, Jerry Jarrett, Dutch Mantel, and Jerry Lawler about the territories. I’m just so happy I’m still rocking and rolling. How many people are left that were part of WrestleMania 1?”
And you still look the same!
Jimmy Hart: Don’t’ jinx me! Don’t jinx me.
