|
I had the opportunity to talk with one of the true
legends in Professional Wrestling, Jimmy “Mouth of the South” Hart.
The current XWF start talks about the up and coming XWF federation, his
past in wrestling, and how he grew close to the Immortal Hulk Hogan. Here
is the interview in its entirety:
Steven: For
those fans that do not know, how long has the XWF been in existence?
Jimmy Hart: The
XWF was a brainstorm that we had almost a year ago. We started taping
shows at universal studios in November.
Steven: How far has the
company come since its existence?
Jimmy Hart: So far we have
been very lucky. A lot of people have criticized us because we don’t go
out and do a lot of publicity. But the reason we have tried to be so
careful is because there have been a lot of wrestling companies to come
and go and companies that have said they will do this or that. Now they
are not around anymore. We do not want to fall prey to that same scenario.
We want to put together a company and have fun again and do it all in
front of the people instead of on a big screen. People pay money to go to
a wrestling event and end up watching most of it on a big screen. We want
things to be like they used to be. All the action will take place in the
ring, by ringside, or by the announcer’s table. We aren’t trying to
run big venues right now. We are holding our events in smaller venues
where every seat is almost like a ringside seat.
Steven: What steps are the
XWF taking to expand its product and fan base?
Jimmy Hart: Well, as we speak, John Flood, who is our attorney out of New
York City, and another guy named Lud Denny, have hired some people to
represent us and to go out door knocking trying to get us the best deal
possible. We have let them be the captain of our ship and hopefully we are
not on the Titanic. You can’t be a copy of someone else. We are not
trying to be a copy of Vince because we would not hold up. We have water
guns and he has machine guns. He’s got the best production, the most
money, the most talent, great production staff, etc. I worked for him 10
years and I could never say a bad thing about him. I’m just hoping the
XWF can be a branch off wrestling company like WCW was years ago.
Steven: Is the XWF working on
acquiring new wrestlers?
Jimmy Hart: We have always
wanted the younger stars because they are going to be our future. To have
a future, you have to create one. We don’t want to have just a legends
show. We have tried to mix them together. We have Hail, Kid Kash, Josh
Matthews, and many others. So again, the main purpose of the shows is to
have fun.
Steven: What is your involvement with the XWF?
Jimmy Hart: We have a committee that works together on the shows and I
take part in that. I’m involved with the publicity side as well. Right
now, I’m tied up with the Acclaim company with the new Legends of
Wrestling II video game. I helped with the music for that as well as
promoting it. I’m going to Hollywood to do a big convention for them.
Steven: It is widely known
that you have a strong relationship with Hulk Hogan. How did the two of
you become so close?
Jimmy Hart: I met Hulk in Memphis. I was involved in a band and I would go
to the coliseum every Monday night to see Jerry Lawler because he and I
went to school together. I met Hulk there originally as Terry Bollea. I
continued to do my music and Lawler continued to wrestle. When I got into
wrestling 5 years later I was involved with Lawler in a particular angle.
I started a feud with him where I would bring in different wrestlers such
as Terry Funk and the Brisco Brothers to wrestle Lawler. Finally, we got
Hulk to come in and fight Lawler and we began to grow close. About 2 years
later, I was sitting at home when I got a call from Hillbilly Jim. He
wanted to know what I was up to and he informed me that Vince McMahon
wanted to talk with me. Vince called me and said he would like to have me
up there, so I was on a plane the next day. I stayed there from
Wrestlemania I through Wrestlemania 9. Of course I worked with Hulk while
I was there and our friendship continued to grow. While I was there, Hulk
made me an offer to work for him permanently. He told me he was doing a
show called Thunder in Paradise and he needed someone he could
believe in and trust. I talked it over with Vince and he granted me a
leave of absence. Hulk asked me what I made that year in wrestling. The
next day, Hulk had a cashier’s check deposited in my bank account.
Steven: When will the XWF tour the country and internationally so that
fans who have not had the privilege of viewing an XWF show get to
experience what the XWF has to offer?
Jimmy Hart: Everything is so
important to TV. We have had 19 countries offer us a TV deal with the
tapes they saw. The only problem with that is they wanted us for 52 weeks
and we only have 10 good shows on tape. Until we get our deal here in the
states and get ourselves funding to do more shows for the 19 other
countries that want us, then I think we will have a really good chance of
going over there and making some money, drawing the interest of fans, and
doing it the right way.
Steven: What is the current
status of a television deal for the XWF?
Jimmy Hart: We have some
representatives in New York who are talking to people. Nothing is etched
in stone until the deal is signed, but there is some talks going on. If we
can get on somewhere, wrestling fans will find us. Wrestling fans are the
most loyal, wonderful people in the world. A lot of people will not give
them credit for it. They know this business and they love this business.
If we can get a TV deal soon, we just want to thank all the fans for going
half way with us. For the people that have stuck behind us all the way, we
want to thank them too.
Steven: Is there any truth to a past rumor that Ted Turner was interested
in purchasing part of the XWF?
Jimmy Hart: Brian Knobs and I
went to visit a man named Brian Shaw over the Christmas holidays. Mr. Shaw
invited us to come see him. I showed him our tapes and he loved them. I
didn’t know if anything would come of it, but he called me again about
two weeks later. Knobs and I jumped on a plane to go see Mr. Robert Wesler
in Atlanta. We talked with him for over an hour and had a great
conversation. We talked about what happened to WCW, the future of
wrestling, and what the XWF is trying to bring in. I can’t say too much
more about it, but at least it is good to know I have a friend that’s in
a position to possibly help us in the future.
Steven: Will the XWF begin to
develop multiple champions, such as tag champs, world champ, cruiserweight
champ, etc.?
Jimmy Hart: We are hoping that if we can get on TV, we will get together
some PPV’s. We’ve kept things up in the air so far with our belts.
Down the road, if we get on TV and people like what we are doing, we can
perform PPV’s at a reasonable price. We can then crown an XWF
Heavyweight Champion, Cruiserweight Champion, Ladies Champion, etc.
Steven: What do you consider your greatest experience while working in the
wrestling industry?
Jimmy Hart: What has really helped me in this business is coming from
Memphis for 5 years. We rode 4 to 5 people in a car from show to show. We
would stay in cheap motels and maybe even sleep in our cars. We ate cheese
and crackers and sat around telling wrestling stories. I know that may
sound corny, but I grew close to the guys I managed. I used to go out to
dinner with the guys I managed and we all seemed like a family. I think
those experiences are the best things to me. It gave us a chance to be
team. It wasn’t like we went out and did our job and then went our
separate ways. At the time, I didn’t think it was tremendous, but I
didn’t know any better.
Steven: When the XWF begins
to develop storylines, how many PPVs will the company perform?
Jimmy Hart: If we are lucky
enough to make PPV’s, I can assure you that we are going to be very
creative and do some things that other people may not do because we know
everything in wrestling has been done. We’ve seen people ran over by
motorcycles, cars, buses, trucks, etc; you name it, it’s been done. So,
we are going to stay away from things that make people say, “Oh my
God!” If we can just be basic and have fun again with talent that people
read about, talk about, and who deserve a push, then we have a chance for
survival. If you are not different, then you may not have a chance to make
it. What really hurt WCW was they were trying to do a weak version of the
WWF. We want to provide variety.
Steven: What are the long-term goals for the XWF? Where do you hope to see
the company 2 or 3 years down the road?
Jimmy Hart: If the Lord wants
us to get that far, all we want to do is be a breeding ground for younger
talent that can be with us and have fun. The XWF would like to have profit
sharing with the wrestlers. In the old WWF days, there were never any
contracts. It was an agreement that if you went on TV and busted your
butt, the fans would let you know who was the best. If we could work out
something where our guys could make a certain amount each night and the
one’s we really believe in and believe in themselves can profit off of
merchandise. Another possibility is having insurance for the wrestlers.
Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura had the greatest dream in the world. His
dream was to not have a union, but having something the talent could go to
work for. They can look at us and say, “Oh my God, with the XWF, we’ve
got insurance and profit sharing.” To me, I think it’s something that
has never been done in the wrestling business. Maybe it’s a stupid dream
by Jimmy Hart, but it’s a dream I’ve had for a long time. When it’s
all said and done, the XWF may not be anything but a training ground for
Vince or whoever else. So be it if that’s how it turns out.
Steven: Jimmy, thank you for
taking time out of your busy schedule to do this interview with me.
Jimmy Hart: That’s no problem at all. Thank you!!
|