Jimmy Hart

American professional wrestling manager, booker, composer and promoter from Memphis, Tennessee. He was a member of the 1960s band The Gentrys, best known for their hit "Keep On Dancing." He started his career in 1974 after being brought into the business by Jerry Lawler, Memphis' top star. He became a top heel manager with his stable the First Family, which had an ever-rotating cast of characters, including Kevin Sullivan, Randy Savage, the Iron Sheik (Khosrow Vaziri), Kamala (Jim Harris), King Kong Bundy, Rick Rude, Eddie Gilbert, Jim Neidhart and MANY others. In 1985 he went to WWE (then the WWF). There he managed Greg Valentine, Bundy, the Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart), the Honky Tonk Man (Wayne Farris, who he had managed under his own name in Memphis) and many others. He turned face in 1993 after Ted DiBiase) tried to hit Brutus Beefcake (Ed Leslie) in his surgically-repaired face with a briefcase. He left WWE with the departing Hulk Hogan, and followed him to WCW in 1994. Turned heel on Hogan at "WCW Halloween Havoc 95" in the match with the Giant (Paul Wight), thus siding with Kevin Sullivan's stable the Dungeon of Doom (as Sullivan had turned on Lawler to join the First Family.) It was revealed that Hart had put a special stipulation in the contract that said that Hogan's WCW World Heavyweight Title could change hands on a disqualification, making the Giant the Champion. Hart stayed in the Dungeon of Doom all the way through the group's collapse at "WCW Bash at the Beach 1997" via Jacqueline (Jacqueline Moore) turning on Sullivan, costing him his Career vs. Career match against Chris Benoit). Hart carried on as the manager of the Faces of Fear (Meng (Tonga Fifita) and the Barbarian (Sione Vailahi)) and Hugh Morrus (Bill DeMott), until the Barbarian turned on Meng, turning Meng face as a result. In early 1999, Hart reunited the Faces of Fear and Morrus as the First Family. Meng was randomly kicked out of the group again, and Hart added Brian Knobbs (Brian Yandrisovitz, who Hart had managed to the WWE World Tag Team Titles with Jerry Sags (Jerry Saganowich) as the Nasty Boys in 1991) and Jerry Flynn (Jerry Brenneman). After this group fell apart, Hart drifted, sometimes managing Hulk Hogan or challenging radio DJs to matches. He also worked behind the scenes writing theme songs for wrestlers. After WCW died, he and Hogan formed the short-lived XWF. Has since worked for TNA and many other promotions. Among his achievements, he is a 1x Southern (Memphis) Heavyweight Champion, won Dave Meltzer's "The Wrestling Observer Newsletter"'s "Manager of the Year" Award in 1983 and its "Best on Interviews" Award in 1984 and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. (He inducted Greg Valentine into the Hall a year earlier). He published his autobiography, "The Mouth of the South: The Jimmy Hart Story" in 2004.