Hillbilly Jim

Last updated
Hillbilly Jim
Hillbillyjimaxxess.jpg
Jim in 2007
Birth nameJames Morris
Born (1952-07-05) July 5, 1952 (age 71)
Scottsville, Kentucky, U.S.
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s) Big Jim
Harley Davidson [1]
Hillbilly Jim [2]
Billed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) [2]
Billed weight320 lb (145 kg) [2]
Billed from Mud Lick, Kentucky [2]
Trained by Bob Orton
Debut1975
Retired1990

James Morris (born July 5, 1952) is an American retired professional wrestler and current radio host, better known by his ring name, Hillbilly Jim. He is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1984 to 1991, and in the series Hillbilly Moments. [1] [2]

Contents

Professional wrestling career

Early career (1975–1984)

Before appearing in the WWF (now WWE) as Hillbilly Jim, Morris wrestled with Stampede Wrestling wrestling Karl Moffat in his first match. He then went to work for the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) in the Memphis area under the name "Harley Davidson", a biker gimmick. While there, Morris formed a popular tag team with Roger Smith, who went by the ring name "Dirty Rhodes" because of his resemblance to Dusty Rhodes.

World Wrestling Federation (1984–1990)

In late 1984, Morris first appeared in the WWF as a wrestling fan known as "Big Jim" who routinely sat in the front row of live events and who eventually decided to try his hand at wrestling himself. After appearing as a guest on Piper's Pit, Rowdy Roddy Piper offered his services to train him, though he eventually chose to be "trained"' by WWF Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan instead of the heel Piper. A series of vignettes were aired on WWF's TV programming in the early weeks of 1985, showing Hogan training Jim and providing him with his first set of wrestling boots. This introduced the character of Hillbilly Jim; a simple-minded, shaggy-bearded Appalachian hillbilly clad in bib overalls, and hailing from Mud Lick, Kentucky. Hillbilly Jim appeared in a few tag team matches with friend Hulk Hogan and had his first high-profile singles match at The War to Settle the Score event on February 18, 1985, in which he defeated Rene Goulet. However, Morris was sidelined by an injury a few days later. At a show in San Diego, he appeared in Hogan's corner in a match between Hogan and Brutus Beefcake. While chasing Beefcake's manager Johnny V around ringside, Morris slipped on a wet spot and injured his knee. To help fill in the six months during his recovery, similarly dressed "family" members Uncle Elmer, Cousin Luke, and Cousin Junior were introduced for Morris to accompany to ringside as a manager. [1]

When his in-ring career resumed, Morris often either tag teamed with his family, or fellow big man André the Giant. He was traditionally matched up against the WWF's monster heels of the era, such as Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy. He also had a short feud with Mr. Fuji and wrestled him in a series of tuxedo matches in late 1986. Hillbilly Jim was generally kept as a "fun" character, rarely getting involved in any serious storylines. His theme music was a folksy barn dance tune called "Don't Go Messin' With a Country Boy", which Morris danced along to with his partners, the ring announcer and/or children from the crowd while the audience clapped along. His first WrestleMania appearance was at Wrestlemania 2 as part of the open invitational battle royal. His next Wrestlemania appearance was a novelty match in WrestleMania III involving King Kong Bundy and midget wrestlers. [3] At Survivor Series '88, Jim teamed with his old mentor Hulk Hogan along with Randy Savage, Hercules and Koko B. Ware to defeat the team of Big Boss Man, Akeem, Ted DiBiase, King Haku and The Red Rooster. Though Jim was eliminated by Akeem, Hogan and Savage would go on to survive and win the match.

Hillbilly Jim also worked as a fill-in for wrestlers who did not appear or who had left the company. John Studd had departed the WWF while in the midst of a major feud with Andre the Giant and Jim was called upon to fill Studd's role. On June 10, 1989, at the Nassau Coliseum Jim scored a huge upset over Andre the Giant defeating him by disqualification. Hillbilly Jim continued to appear regularly in WWF matches until the summer of 1990, getting wins over Haku, Boris Zhukov, Brooklyn Brawler, "Dangerous" Danny Davis, "Iron" Mike Sharpe, and "Playboy" Buddy Rose. His last high-profile match with the WWF was during the April 28, 1990 (taped April 23, 1990) edition of Saturday Night's Main Event XXVI , in which he lost to Earthquake in a squash match that lasted just under 2 minutes. His final match was on August 31, 1990, with a win against Black Bart in Cedar Rapids, IA. [4] In 1992, Hillbilly Jim returned to the WWF as one of the final hosts of WWF Prime Time Wrestling alongside Vince McMahon, Jim Duggan, Bobby Heenan, Mr. Perfect, Sgt. Slaughter and many more until the final episode of Prime Time Wrestling in January 1993.

Later career (1990–present)

Hillbilly Jim being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018 Hillbilly Jim 2018 Hall of Fame crop.jpg
Hillbilly Jim being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018

He returned in December 1995 as a guest referee and a month later became manager of Henry O. and Phineas I. Godwinn, "cousins" who were pig farmers, leading them to the WWF Tag Team Championship. After the Godwinns turned heel in the spring of 1997, Hillbilly Jim was no longer needed as their manager. Morris later worked as a road agent and participated in the "Gimmick Battle Royal" in 2001 at WrestleMania X-Seven, where he eliminated Jim Cornette and Sgt. Slaughter, but was last eliminated himself by The Iron Sheik. He was the official WWE legend host of the highly successful WrestleMania Axxess tour for WrestleMania XX, WrestleMania 21, WrestleMania 22, and WrestleMania 23 in major malls across the US. As part of the WrestleMania 20 Fan Axxess Tour, Jim performed at the "House of Blues" in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New Orleans sponsored by Gibson Guitars. From 1990 to 2001 Morris traveled worldwide representing the WWF for Coliseum Video sales and later with Sony Videos. In 2005, Sirius Satellite Radio added Hillbilly Jim's Moonshine Matinee [5] as a weekly program on its Outlaw Country channel 60. Every Saturday, Morris plays a wide variety of classic country music and Southern rock. Between records, he tells stories of his days with the WWF. On April 10, 2012, Hillbilly Jim made an appearance on WWE SmackDown: Blast from the Past. Hillbilly Jim was officially inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame on April 6, 2018.

Other media

He appeared in WWE cartoon series Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling , which was produced by DIC Enterprises. He is featured in the game WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain . He performed the song "Don't Go Messing With A Country Boy" for The Wrestling Album , which was certified gold. Its follow-up album, Piledriver - The Wrestling Album 2 , also included a duet by Hillbilly Jim and a female singer credited as Gertrude, entitled "Waking Up Alone". He appeared in WWE Legends' House , which aired on the WWE Network in 2014. Morris released his book, Hillbilly Jim: The Incredible Story of a Wrestling Superstar, on October 10, 2016.

After retiring from wrestling, Morris began working for a coin, currency, and stamp dealership called Champion Stamp Company Inc. He is known as a "staple" at coin and currency shows, but is largely there as a spokesman rather than for his expertise in numismatics, although he does collect some paper money and coins himself. [6]

Championships and accomplishments

  • PWI ranked him No. 298 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">André the Giant</span> French wrestler and actor (1946–1993)

André René Roussimoff, better known by his ring name André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. Dubbed "the Eighth Wonder of the World", Roussimoff was known for his great size, which was a result of gigantism caused by excess growth hormones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Hart</span> American musician, professional wrestling manager and sports businessman

James Ray Hart is an American professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician. He is currently signed to WWE in a Legends deal. He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and used the nickname "The Mouth of the South".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania I</span> 1985 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania was the inaugural WrestleMania and inaugural professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event, produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on March 31, 1985, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The attendance for the event was 19,121. The event was seen by over one million viewers through closed-circuit television, making it the largest pay-per-view showing of a wrestling event on closed-circuit television in the United States at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania 2</span> 1986 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania 2 was the second annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event took place on April 7, 1986, making it the only WrestleMania that was not held on the traditional Sunday until the two-night WrestleMania 36 in April 2020. The event took place at three venues simultaneously: the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York, the Rosemont Horizon in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois, and the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania IV</span> 1988 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania IV was the fourth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The event took place on March 27, 1988, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The announced attendance of the event was 19,199.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania V</span> 1989 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania V was the fifth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on April 2, 1989, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. A total of 14 matches were contested at the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania VI</span> 1990 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

WrestleMania VI was the sixth annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on April 1, 1990, at the SkyDome in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, marking the first WrestleMania to be held outside of the United States. The event had an announced attendance of 67,678, a record for the Skydome at the time. The main event of WrestleMania VI was "the Ultimate Challenge" — the main event match pitting WWF Champion Hulk Hogan against WWF Intercontinental Heavyweight Champion the Ultimate Warrior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big John Studd</span> American professional wrestler and actor (1948–1995)

John William Minton was an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name, Big John Studd. Studd is best known for his appearances with the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation in the 1970s and 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mega Powers</span> Professional wrestling tag team

The Mega Powers was a tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1987 to 1989, consisting of Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, and managed by Savage's wife, Miss Elizabeth. Lust and jealousy surrounding her led to the team's demise and subsequent feud, culminating in a match at WrestleMania V. They briefly reformed in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994 as The Monster Maniacs before returning to their original name. They then interacted regularly thereafter as both teammates and rivals, particularly as members of the New World Order (nWo), until their departures from WCW in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heenan Family</span> Professional wrestling stable

The Heenan Family was a stable of wrestlers managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan beginning in the 1970s. Heenan managed wrestlers under the Heenan Family name in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), the National Wrestling Alliance's (NWA) Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrestling Superstars</span> Action figure series

Wrestling Superstars were the first action figures based on the wrestlers of the WWF. Wrestling action figures were the brainchild of Richard Derwald of Buffalo NY who sold the idea to LJN in the summer of 1984.. They were made by the toy and video game company LJN from 1984 to 1989. The figures were made of solid rubber and paint and were very accurate in appearance to their real life counterparts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SummerSlam (1989)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1989 SummerSlam was the second annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on August 28, 1989, in the Meadowlands Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Ten matches were contested at the event, including one dark match held before the live broadcast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (1990)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1990 Royal Rumble was the third annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on January 21, 1990, at the Orlando Arena in Orlando, Florida. It centered on the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle royal in which participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (1989)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1989 Royal Rumble was the second annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. After the inaugural event aired as a television special, the 1989 event aired on pay-per-view (PPV), thus becoming one of the WWF's original four annual PPV events, along with WrestleMania, SummerSlam, and Survivor Series, which would become recognized as the "Big Four". It took place on January 15, 1989, at The Summit in Houston, Texas. It centered on the Royal Rumble match, a modified battle royal in which participants enter at timed intervals instead of all beginning in the ring at the same time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivor Series (1988)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1988 Survivor Series was the second annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on November 24, 1988, at the Richfield Coliseum, in Richfield Township, Ohio for the second consecutive year. Four matches were contested at the event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Survivor Series (1989)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1989 Survivor Series was the third annual Survivor Series professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on Thanksgiving Day on November 23, 1989, at the Rosemont Horizon in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois.

The Twin Towers were a professional wrestling tag team in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1988 to 1990, consisting of Akeem and the Big Boss Man. They are best known for a main event feud with the Mega Powers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brutus Beefcake</span> American professional wrestler

Edward Harrison Leslie is an American retired professional wrestler, best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) under the ring name Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake. He later worked for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) under a wide variety of names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie</span> 1989 World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. The program aired on December 27, 1989, and consisted of the film No Holds Barred in its entirety, followed by a match previously recorded at a Wrestling Challenge taping on December 12 at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. It was one of the few pay-per-view events not made available for streaming at the launch of WWE Network service, although in 2018, the cage match became available as part of the WWE Supertape compilation in the service's Classic Home Video section.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">André the Giant–Hulk Hogan rivalry</span> Professional wrestling rivalry

The André the Giant–Hulk Hogan rivalry was a professional wrestling rivalry between wrestlers André the Giant and Hulk Hogan that took place in the World Wrestling Federation.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Murphy, Ryan (December 8, 2010). "Where Are They Now? Hillbilly Jim". WWE.com. WWE . Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Hillbilly Jim". WWE.com. WWE . Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Wrestles Info - O seu site de Wrestling". Wrestles Info. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
  4. ↑ "1990". thehistoryofwwe.com. 16 January 2023.
  5. ↑ Shields, Brian (2006). Main Event: WWE in the Raging 80s . Pocket Books. pp.  118–119. ISBN   978-1-4165-3257-6.
  6. ↑ O'Donnell, J. (2014). 'Hillbilly Jim' A hard-to-miss mainstay at World's Fair of Money. Coin World. Retrieved from https://www.coinworld.com/news/hillbilly-jim-wwe-legends-house-ana-worlds-fair-of-money-2014-outlaw-radio-sirius-xm-hillbilly-jims-moonshine-matinee-numsimatics-paper-money-collecting-hobby.html on 15/5/2019
  7. ↑ Dilbert, Ryan. "Hillbilly Jim Set to Join the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
  8. ↑ "Hillbilly Jim Announced For The WWE Hall Of Fame - WrestlingInc.com". WrestlingInc.com. Retrieved 2018-04-09.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.