Hillbilly Jim

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Hillbilly Jim
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 fromMud Lick, Kentucky[2]
Trained byBob 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]

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

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

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

He returned in December 1995 as a guest referee and a month later became manager of

WWE Hall Of Fame
on April 6, 2018.

Other media

He appeared in WWE cartoon series

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.

References

  1. ^ a b c Murphy, Ryan (December 8, 2010). "Where Are They Now? Hillbilly Jim". WWE.com. WWE. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e "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. 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.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hillbilly_Jim&oldid=1219929833"