| Hillbilly Jim | |
|---|---|
 Jim in 2007 | |
| Birth name | James Morris |
| Born | (1952-07-05)July 5, 1952 (age 72) Scottsville, Kentucky, U.S.[1] |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Big Jim Harley Davidson[2] Hillbilly Jim[3] |
| Billed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)[3] |
| Billed weight | 320 lb (145 kg)[3] |
| Billed from | Mud Lick, Kentucky[3] |
| Trained by | Dale Mann[1] |
| Debut | 1975 |
| Retired | 1991 |
James Morris (born July 5, 1952) is an American retiredprofessional wrestler and current radio host, better known by hisring name,Hillbilly Jim. He is best known for his appearances with theWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) from 1984 to 1991, and in the seriesHillbilly Moments.
Morris became interested in wrestling after watchingGeorgia Championship Wrestling on television.[2] He was brought into the business when he metBruce Swayze at aBowling Green High School gym, where Morris had been an All-State basketball player.[4][1] He began his career withStu Hart'sStampede Wrestling and other promotions in North America under his real name.[1] He then went to work for theContinental Wrestling Association (CWA) in theMemphis area under the name "Harley Davidson", a bikergimmick.[2][4]
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 eventually decided to try his hand at wrestling himself. After appearing as a guest onPiper's Pit,Rowdy Roddy Piper offered his services to train him, but he chose to be "trained"' byWWF Heavyweight ChampionHulk Hogan instead of theheel Piper.[5] A series ofvignettes 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-beardedAppalachianhillbilly clad inbib overalls, and hailing fromMud Lick, Kentucky.[2] Hillbilly Jim had his first high-profile singles match atThe War to Settle the Score on February 18, 1985, in which he defeatedRene Goulet.[6] However, just days later, Morris was sidelined by an injury he suffered at a show inSan Diego while in Hogan's corner in a match between him andBrutus Beefcake. While chasing Beefcake's managerJohnny 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" membersUncle Elmer,Cousin Luke, andCousin Junior were introduced for Morris to accompany to ringside as a manager.[2]
When his in-ring career resumed, Morris often either teamed with his family orAndré the Giant. He was traditionally matched up against the WWF'smonster heels of the era, such asBig John Studd andKing Kong Bundy. He also had a shortfeud withDon Muraco andMr. Fuji, wrestling the latter in a series oftuxedo matches in late 1986.[7][8] 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.[5] His firstWrestleMania appearance was atWrestleMania 2 on April 7, 1986 as part of abattle royal.[5] AtWrestleMania III on March 29, 1987, Jim teamed withHaiti Kid andLittle Beaver to defeat Bundy,Little Tokyo andLord Littlebrook.[9] On November 24, 1988, atSurvivor Series, Jim, Hogan,Randy Savage,Hercules andKoko B. Ware defeated the team ofBig Boss Man,Akeem,Ted DiBiase,King Haku andThe Red Rooster.[10]
In June 1989, Jim worked as a fill-in for John Studd, who departed the WWF in the midst of a major feud with André the Giant.[11] Hillbilly Jim's last high-profile match with the WWF was during the April 28, 1990 (taped April 23) edition ofSaturday Night's Main Event XXVI, in which he lost toEarthquake.[12] Months later, Jim was released from the WWF and retired from wrestling, although he came back the spring of 1991 to faceColonel Mustafa andThe Berzerker athouse shows.[7]
In 1992, he was one of the co-hosts ofWWF Prime Time Wrestling.[13] Hillbilly Jim returned in 1996 and became the manager ofHenry O. andPhineas I. Godwinn, "cousins" who were pig farmers.[5] He left managing after the Godwinns turned heel in the spring of 1997 and worked as aroad agent. On April 1, 2001, he participated in the "Gimmick Battle Royal" atWrestleMania X-Seven, where he was the last man eliminated by The Iron Sheik.[14]
He was the official WWE legend host of the highly successfulWrestleMania Axxess tour forWrestleMania XX,WrestleMania 21,WrestleMania 22, andWrestleMania 23 in major malls across the US.[5][15] From 1990 to 2001, Morris traveled worldwide representing the WWF forColiseum Video sales and later with Sony Videos.[4] In 2005,Sirius Satellite Radio addedHillbilly Jim's Moonshine Matinee as a weekly program on its Outlaw Country channel 62. Every Saturday, Morris plays a wide variety of classiccountry music andSouthern rock and tells stories of his days with the WWF.[16][17]
He made an appearance on the "Blast from the Past" episode ofWWE SmackDown on April 10, 2012.[18] In March 2018, Hillbilly Jim was inducted into theWWE Hall of Fame byJimmy Hart.[13][19]
Morris has four children and seven grandchildren.[20][21] After retiring from wrestling, he 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 innumismatics, although he does collect some paper money and coins himself.[21]
He appeared in WWE cartoon seriesHulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling, which was produced byDIC Enterprises. He is featured in the gameWWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain. He performed the song "Don't Go Messing With A Country Boy" forThe 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 inWWE Legends' House, which aired on theWWE Network in 2014.[22] On October 10, 2016, Morris released his book,Hillbilly Jim: The Incredible Story of a Wrestling Superstar.[23]
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