Jimmy Hart James Ray " Jimmy " Hart ( January 1 , 1944 ) is an American professional wrestling manager , executive , composer , and musician currently signed with WWE in a Legends deal . He is best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling under his nickname " The Mouth of the South . " He has managed many professional wrestlers , including Hulk Hogan , Bret Hart ( no relation ) and Jim Neidhart ( The Hart Foundation ) , Greg " The Hammer " Valentine , Jerry " The King " Lawler , " The Million Dollar Man " Ted DiBiase , King Kong Bundy , Earthquake , Dino Bravo , the Nasty Boys , The Giant , and The Honky Tonk Man . He is a one - time AWA Southern Heavyweight Champion . Before becoming involved with professional wrestling , Hart was a member of rock band The Gentrys , best known for their 1965 top five Billboard Hot 100 hit , " Keep on Dancing " . Professional wrestling career . Early career . Jimmy Hart was born in Jackson , Mississippi . He was brought into wrestling by Jerry " The King " Lawler , with whom he had attended Memphis Treadwell High School . Having been asked to sing back - up with Lawler , Hart later became Lawler ' s manager . After splitting from Lawler , Hart created a stable known as Hart ' s First Family of Wrestling to attack Lawler , which among others included King Kong Bundy , " Ravishing " Rick Rude , Lanny Poffo , Jim " The Anvil " Neidhart , Ox Baker , Kamala , Randy Savage , " Hot Stuff " Eddie Gilbert , The Iron Sheik and Kevin Sullivan . In 1982 , Hart earned national headlines doing a program with comedian and television star Andy Kaufman . Hart , Lawler and Kaufman would continue this feud for over a year . Around this time , Hart became known as " The Wimp " , a nickname given to him by Lawler and chanted by fans , and was the subject of the song " Wimpbusters , " which was sung by Lawler to the tune of " Ghostbusters " by Ray Parker , Jr . ; a music video was also made featuring Lawler , announcer Lance Russell , and wrestlers such as Randy Savage , Jimmy Valiant , Dutch Mantel , Tommy Rich , and Rufus R . Jones , along with footage of Lawler beating Hart and his " First Family " . In 1981 through 1984 , Hart led Austin Idol , Masao Ito , and Gilbert to NWA / AWA International titles . World Wrestling Federation ( 1985 – 1993 ) . In 1985 , Hart ' s friend Hillbilly Jim recommended him to WWF owner Vince McMahon , who hired him . He was termed " The Mouth of the South " after his trademark megaphone . Throughout the years , Hart used the megaphone to instruct and encourage his protégés , to discourage and annoy opponents as well as announcers ( especially Gorilla Monsoon ) and also as a weapon . Hart ' s first acquisition in the WWF was Greg " The Hammer " Valentine , then the Intercontinental Champion . After Valentine lost the Intercontinental title to Tito Santana , Hart briefly co - managed the Dream Team ( Valentine and Beefcake ) , until he was phased out and gave full control to " Luscious " Johnny Valiant . At WrestleMania , Hart managed King Kong Bundy as he defeated S . D . " Special Delivery " Jones . Hart later traded Bundy ' s contract to Bobby " The Brain " Heenan for The Missing Link and Adrian Adonis . He helped the latter to establish his " " Adorable Adrian " " gimmick . Also in 1985 , Hart managed Jim " The Anvil " Neidhart . In 1985 , Hart took the Funk Family under his wing . The Funks included Terry , Hoss , and kayfabe brother Jimmy Jack Funk . 1985 also marked the appearance of Bret " Hitman " Hart . Jimmy Hart teamed him up with Jim " The Anvil " Neidhart to form The Hart Foundation . On January 26 , 1987 , Hart guided the Hart Foundation past the British Bulldogs for the WWF World Tag Team Title . Disgraced - referee - turned - wrestler Danny Davis also was managed by Jimmy Hart . Davis and the Hart Foundation wrestled the Bulldogs and Tito Santana at WrestleMania III . When The Honky Tonk Man turned heel , Hart became his manager . In this position , Hart was nicknamed " The Colonel " in a reference to Tom Parker , the manager of Elvis Presley . With Hart in his corner , The Honky Tonk Man captured the Intercontinental title from Ricky " The Dragon " Steamboat on June 2 , 1987 and held it until August 1988 . " The Colonel " moniker stuck with him for years , even after the Honky Tonk Man departed the company in early 1991 . Also in 1987 , Hart managed the WWF Women ' s Tag Team champions Judy Martin and Leilani Kai , known as The Glamour Girls . Martin and Kai mostly feuded with Japan ese team the Jumping Bomb Angels ( Noriyo Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki ) . Hart was named " Pro Wrestling Illustrated " ' s Manager of the Year in 1987 , an award he won again in 1994 . At WrestleMania IV , Hart received a haircut from Brutus " The Barber " Beefcake , after interfering in the Intercontinental Championship match between Beefcake and the Honky Tonk Man , helping Honky Tonk Man retain the title by getting disqualified . When the Hart Foundation fired Hart as manager ( and turned face ) in 1988 , Hart managed The Fabulous Rougeau Brothers to feud with his former team ; the angle was that Hart still retained the managerial rights to his former team and gave it to the Rougeaus , giving them the right to appear at ringside whenever the Hart Foundation wrestled . At SummerSlam 1988 , Hart accompanied Demolition and Mr . Fuji to help retain their WWF Tag Team title against the Hart Foundation . Ax used Hart ' s megaphone as a foreign object to strike Bret and secure the victory . In 1989 , Hart brought Dino Bravo into his stable after the departure of Frenchy Martin . Then at a push - up contest between the Ultimate Warrior and Bravo , Hart and Bravo invited a large 460 pound man from the audience — later known as Earthquake — into the ring to sit on the contestants ' backs . In 1990 , Hart groomed Earthquake to be the man to beat Hulk Hogan . Hart continued his war with his former tag team , the Hart Foundation . In 1990 , he combined his protégés Honky Tonk Man and Greg Valentine into the short - lived team of Rhythm and Blues . In 1991 , he managed The Nasty Boys to defeat the Hart Foundation for the WWF World Tag Team title at WrestleMania VII , this time using a motorbike helmet as a weapon . When the Nasty Boys lost the title to the Legion of Doom at SummerSlam 1991 , Hart sent The Natural Disasters , a team formed out of Earthquake and his former opponent Typhoon , to disposses the new champions . When the Disasters failed , Hart formed a new team in early 1992 : Money Inc . , composed of Hart ' s protégé I . R . S . and " The Million Dollar Man " Ted DiBiase . Money , Inc . defeated the L . O . D . Their title win led to the split between Hart and the Natural Disasters , who as face s feuded with Money Inc . and exchanged the tag team titles twice in 1992 . In 1991 , Hart had also brought in The Mountie , who had a short reign as Intercontinental champion in early 1992 . Late in 1992 , Money Inc . regaining the tag team titles from the Natural Disasters led to the Nasty Boys turning on their manager , as he had repeatedly substituted them for Money Inc . in title matches . Hart broke with Money Inc . early in 1993 and turned face when the team attacked Brutus Beefcake . In the storyline , Hart , conscious of Beefcake ' s extensive facial injuries from a real - life parasailing accident three years prior , felt that his team went too far , and tried to stop them . Hart even went so far as to cover an unconscious Beefcake to stop them from doing more harm . Beefcake ' s friend Hulk Hogan came out the following week and expressed gratitude to Hart for his uncharacteristically heroic actions . He managed both Beefcake and Hogan who at WrestleMania IX lost to Money Inc . by disqualification . At King of the Ring , Hart was in Hogan ' s corner as he lost the WWF title back to Yokozuna . This appearance was Hart ' s last in the WWF , as both he and Hogan departed the company . World Championship Wrestling ( 1994 – 2001 ) . Following their departure from the WWF , Hogan and Hart briefly toured Mexico . After their return , Hart wrote music and occasionally appeared on Hogan ' s television show , " Thunder in Paradise " . Hogan then had Hart manage him when they went to World Championship Wrestling ( WCW ) . At Bash at the Beach in 1994 , Hart managed Hogan to win his first WCW World title by defeating " The Nature Boy " Ric Flair . At Halloween Havoc in 1995 , Hart turned on Hogan to help The Giant . Hart also became the manager of the evil faction , The Dungeon of Doom , created by Kevin Sullivan . During that era , he managed Ric Flair to a 12th world title victory over Macho Man Randy Savage . After the demise of the Dungeon of Doom , Hart recreated The First Family . After the demise of the First Family , Hart was placed in charge of booking TBS ' s " WCW Saturday Night " show prior to the program ' s cancellation . At Spring Stampede in 2000 , Hart faced radio personality Mancow . The two had a rematch later in the year at Mayhem . In February 2001 , Hart joined WCW ' s booking committee . Independent circuit ; Wrestlicious ( 2002 – present ) . After the sale of WCW to the then rival WWF , Hart and a close consortium of wrestlers and investors decided to create a wrestling organization — the Xcitement Wrestling Federation ( XWF ) — that would replace WCW as well as take wrestling back to early 1990s style of fun , family - oriented entertainment with minimal story lines and more solid wrestling . In 2002 , Hart restarted his feud with Jerry Lawler by buying , for the XWF , part of the upstart Memphis Wrestling promotion . In 2005 , Hart appeared at the PMG Clash of Legends . On November 7 , 2008 , Hart appeared at the Jerry " The King " Lawler 35th anniversary event . He also made a few appearances with Florida Championship Wrestling , WWE ' s developmental territory , as a color commentator in 2008 . He made multiple appearances for WrestleMania Axxess during the week leading up to The 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania . In May 2006 , Hart traveled to The Funking Conservatory , owned by Dory Funk Jr . and Marti Funk , to shoot promos with the students . His most notable ones being with Studio Sar Ah when he discusses his move from World Wrestling Entertainment to TNA Wrestling and as well as Wrestlicious . Both promos can be found on the Studio Sar Ah fan page on Facebook and as well as YouTube . Hart continues to work at the school and shoot promos . On January 19 , 2010 , Hart announced that his all - female wrestling promotion Wrestlicious would be premiering on MavTV and BiteTV on March 1 , 2010 . Hart currently appears at various professional wrestling conventions and autograph signings around the United States . He is a staple at all of the Wrestlereunion shows http : / / wrestlereunion . com , and also does various appearances as part of the VOC Nation wrestling radio program in Philadelphia on 1360 WNJC . Hart is a regular guest on the VOC Wrestling Nation radio program on WNJC . Hart is known for being dedicated to his fans and is meticulous about being prompt for bookings . He famously drove through Hurricane Irene in August 2011 following a convention in Philadelphia . With the airport being closed , Hart was driven over 300 miles from Philadelphia to Ohio by VOC Nation Host " The Voice of Choice " Bruce Wirt and Albert Carraballo so he would not miss his booking with MCW ( Main - Event Championship Wrestling ) the following day . During media appearances , Hart frequently brings up this trip and compares it to the way wrestlers traveled from town to town in the 1970s . Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( 2003 , 2005 , 2010 – 2011 ) . In October 2003 Hart made his debut for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ( TNA ) , hyping a match between Hulk Hogan and Jeff Jarrett , which was eventually scrapped as Hogan decided to return to WWE instead . On June 19 , 2005 at Slammiversary pay - per - view , The Naturals were assisted in a title defense against Team Canada by Hart , who ran to ringside and threw his megaphone to Chase Stevens , who hit Petey Williams with it and pinned him . Hart acted as the manager of The Naturals until October 3 , 2005 . On February 14 , 2010 , at Against All Odds , Hart made his return to TNA as a heel by helping The Nasty Boys defeat Team 3D in a tag team match . The alliance , however , was short lived as on March 29 , 2010 , news broke that the Nasty Boys had been released by TNA following an incident at a TNA function with Spike executives present . Hart stayed with the company following the incident , but his role was unknown . Hart was seen on the January 20 , 2011 , edition of " Impact ! " , when Kurt Angle yelled at him to play his entrance music upon entering the Impact ! Zone . Return to WWE ( 2011 - present ) . On March 1 , 2011 , it was reported that Jimmy Hart had left Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and re - signed with WWE to work on WrestleMania - related projects . Hart has since hosted various house show s . On August 14 , 2011 Hart made an appearance at SummerSlam , teasing a managerial position with R - Truth during a backstage segment . On April 10 , 2012 , Hart made an appearance on SmackDown : Blast from the Past , where he managed the team of Heath Slater and Tyson Kidd , but ended up getting the mandible claw from Mick Foley . As of April 30 , 2014 , Hart was part - owner of " Hogan ' s Beach " , a wrestling - themed tiki - bar in Tampa , Florida . As of April 2014 , Hart is a regular cast member on the WWE Network original reality show Legends ' House . On August 11 , 2014 , Hart made an appearance at Hulk Hogan ' s Birthday celebration on Monday Night Raw , celebrating in the ring with many other WWE legends . Other media . Music . Before wrestling , as a teenager Hart was a vocalist in the 60s band The Gentrys who had a million selling record " Keep on Dancing " . Before becoming The Gentrys , they were known as just " The Gents . " Their production manager told them that if they did not change their name , then they would not succeed in the music industry . Later , after the leader of the group Larry Raspberry left , Hart took over and they had a few minor hits most notably " Why Should I Cry " and a cover of Neil Young ' s " Cinnamon Girl " . Hart and the band were successful in the Memphis area nightclub circuit . The group was under contract to Stax Records at the time of its bankruptcy , and Stax could not properly promote them . During his years in the professional wrestling business , Hart composed many theme songs for wrestlers in the WWF and WCW . Some of the wrestlers for whom he composed music were Honky Tonk Man , Jimmy Snuka , Brutus " The Barber " Beefcake , The Rockers , The Hart Foundation , Crush , the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers , Dusty Rhodes , the Legion of Doom , the Nasty Boys , Ted DiBiase , the Mountie , Hulk Hogan , the nWo Wolfpac , and 3 Count . He also composed the themes for " SummerSlam ' 88 " ( which was later reused as the theme for many early " Royal Rumble " events ) and " WrestleMania VI " ( which was later used for the seventh , eighth , ninth , and tenth events ) . One of Hart ' s most notable compositions is Shawn Michaels ' s entrance theme , " Sexy Boy . " In the late 1980s , Hart released a music album ( also available on cassette tape ) entitled " Outrageous Conduct " . The release consisted of comical songs done in character ; such as " Barbra Streisand ' s Nose " and " Eat Your Heart Out Rick Springfield . " In 1995 , Hulk Hogan released the album " Hulk Rules . " Hart , as well as Hogan ' s then wife Linda , were a part of the band The Wrestling Boot Band and helped write and sing many of the album ' s songs . Television appearances . In September 2007 , Hart appeared on an episode of " The People ' s Court " as a witness for a defendant . Hart is a close friend of Hulk Hogan and is featured on many episodes of Hogan ' s VH1 reality series , " Hogan Knows Best " . Hart was also a judge on " Hulk Hogan ' s Celebrity Championship Wrestling " . Hart also appears in hair restoration advertisements for Medical Hair Restoration , as a client . He also does a comedic women ' s wrestling show called Wrestlicious , which can be viewed at Wrestlicious . com . Hart has appeared a few times in Hulk Hogan ' s TV - show Thunder in Paradise . He also sang the intro music for the episode " Deadly Lessons , Pt . 1 " . Movie appearances . In 1967 , Hart appeared in his 1st movie " It ' s a Bikini World " as a member of " The Gentrys . " In 2010 , Hart appeared in a movie produced by the Insane Clown Posse " Big Money Rustlas " . In 2011 , Hart appeared as himself in the Canadian movie " Monster Brawl . " Hart played the announcer to a wrestling tournament of eight classic monsters that fight to the death .