When you start to fly through the short list of guys who were professional wrestling managers, Jimmy Hart would have to be on near the top.  Hart, notorious for using a megaphone and being the prototypical ‘heel’ character during the WWE’s rise to prominence in the eighties, is very happy with his legacy.  Hart was in the limelight before he got into wrestling as a member of the band, The Gentry’s.  He still does some work for the WWE and was just on RAW a couple of weeks ago.  He was a better interview than I could have imagined he would be and I am happy to share his comments.

Paneech: Jimmy, thanks for talking with me.  You are in an elite handful of wrestling managers:  Captain Lou Albano, Bobby Heenan, The Grand Wizard, and Freddie Blassie to name a few.  Your body didn’t take the abuse, but you had to travel and live that lifestyle, what do you do now?

Hart: I still do stuff for WWE.  I did a skit on television with R Truth for Summerslam a couple of weeks before that event happened. I still do some radio and television from a fan access capacity.  I still love the wrestling and am still very active.  I do Wrestling’s Weekend Warriors, which is basically younger guys who have nine-to-five jobs but wrestle at high schools and armories on weekends.  I also have a girl show that we put together.  It’s kind of like GLOW, but it is more of a combination of Hee Haw meets Laugh-In meets The Man Show, it is called Rassle-licious. It is skits and we have fun with it.  I am also doing a little with music.  Back in the day I wrote some of the songs the wrestlers entered to.  I did Shawn Michaels music, the Road Warriors entrance music, and of course, I’m A Real American for Hulk Hogan.

Paneech: You have a well-storied friendship with Hogan.  Do you keep in touch with many of the guys you worked with?

Hart: Yeah, I just talked to the Hulkster last week.  I just did some work with the Nasty Boys and also recently worked with Brutus Beefcake.  Three weeks ago, I was in Atlanta with Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart.  I don’t fish or eat out much so I run into the guys at events.  I love doing this and wake up pinching myself asking if I really got paid for what I have done all of these years.  It’s fun doing the WWE thing for so many years now, but I also did WCW, Hogan Knows Best, and Thunder In Paradise.

Paneech: Tell me more about your musical backround and what you like to listen to these days.

Hart: I was in a band, probably before you were born, called the Gentrys.  We had a million seller called ‘Keep On Dancin’.  We did a lot of Dick Clark tours and were pretty successful in the sixties.  I still like Steely Dan, The Beach Boys, and Van Halen.  One of the first tours we did was with Sonny & Cher and The Beach Boys and I remember one night, Dick Clark was talking to all of the acts about giving the people their moneys worth but remember if you dress like the audience you will end up in the audience someday.  That’s why I still wear the crazy jackets and carry the megaphone.  Successful musicians had their gimmick.  Look at Liberace with the piano, or Elton John.  They wore the crazy outfits and separated themselves as stars.

Paneech: What do you think of pro wrestling and the direction it is headed in now?

Hart: Everybody has an opinion.  The wrestling programs have to adapt because sponsors are so important now.  What worked years ago has to be adapted to meet today’s demands.  Some companies were doing stuff that would be considered too far over the top as little as three years ago.  You need McDonalds and other major companies to sponsor your product and you have got to keep it pretty clean, and I feel WWE is doing a really good job following the unwritten guidelines.  The shows are more family oriented and they sell a ton of merchandise on the road.  If the kids really want to go, the parents are gonna bring them.

Paneech: The WWE is running an angle with CM Punk where he is the spokesman against Vince McMahon and taking responsibility for changes.  You have been affiliated for years, what do you think about the whole angle?

Hart: Well number one, CM Punk is saying some nasty stuff, but he is still with the company, so that should throw up a flag that it is a great working angle.  I love CM Punk and the Miz.  I like the direction that these newer guys are taking the company.  We look back and say ‘why didn’t we do something like that’.  Don’t send me no flowers because Jimmy Hart ain’t dead yet, baby! I am still slim and trim and can talk and still have the megaphone.  By the way, Vince [McMahon] brought me that megaphone from Japan to use.  I am a phone call away and always ready to work for the company.

Paneech: So moving forward, will pro wrestling hinge on advertisement dollars and gimmicks versus athleticism?

Hart: If you do what you have done, you will always have what you always had.  If you are having good fortune with something, you have to keep it up.  If you are doing bad, you better change it.  If you have a restaurant and the food isn’t selling, you better change the menu.  Vince is doing great right now, so why change?  WWE is still the greatest show on earth.  They have the best production and the best talent.

One Word Answers

Favorite Meal Of The Day: I still like my vegetables and pasta.  I like beans and cornbread with turnip greens.

Favorite Sports Team: New York Yankees.  I liked Brett Favre when he played for Green Bay.  Vinny Testaverde at one time lived next door to me, so I rooted for his teams.  I want to see Michael Vick do well for all he has been through.  Both of the Mannings, Peyton and Eli, and I want to see Tim Tebow do good.  If he really sucks at what he does, then criticize him.

Biggest Phobia: Snakes.  You know when I was in that angle with Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts, they would throw that big snake on me every night.  God, I hated that!

Worst Habit: Letting people know what I really think and giving an honest opinion without burning any bridges.

Well, it was the shortest set of one word answers ever on this website.  There are no one word answers from Jimmy Hart.  He is still as colorful and descriptive as ever!