Hillbilly Jim
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 286 Lbs
From: Parts Louisville Kentucky
Finishing Move: Big Leg Drop
He was one of the World Wrestling Federation's most popular wrestlers of the mid-to-late 1980s.
Before appearing in the WWF as Hillbilly Jim, Jim Morris wrestled 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.
In late 1984 Jim first appeared in the WWF as a wrestling fan who routinely sat in the front row of live events, who eventually decided to try his hand at wrestling himself. A series of vignettes were aired on WWF's TV programming in the early weeks of 1985, showing Hulk Hogan training Jim and providing him with his first set of wrestling boots. And thus was introduced the character of Hillbilly Jim, a simple-minded, shaggy-bearded Appalachian hillbilly clad in bib overalls, and claiming to hail from Mud Lick, Kentucky, a fictional town said to be in the remote Appalachian Mountains. In reality, Mud Lick is a small town in Monroe County, Kentucky where Morris is originally from.
Hillbilly Jim appeared in a few tag team matches with friend Hulk Hogan, and had his first high-profile singles match at the War To Settle The Score event on February 18, 1985 in which he defeated Rene Goulet. Unfortunately, Jim would be sidelined by an injury a few days later. At a show in San Diego, he appeared in Hogan's corner in a match between Hogan and Brutus Beefcake. While chasing Beefcake's manager Johnny V around ringside, Jim slipped on a wet spot and (legitimately) broke his leg. To help fill in the seven months during his recovery, similarly-dressed "family" members Uncle Elmer and Cousin Junior were introduced for Jim to accompany to ringside as a manager.
When his in-ring career resumed, Jim often either tag teamed with his family, or fellow big man André the Giant. He was traditionally matched up against the WWF's monster heels of the era, such as Big John Studd and King Kong Bundy. He also had a short feud with Mr. Fuji, and wrestled him in a series of tuxedo matches in late 1986.
Hillbilly Jim was generally kept as a "fun" character, rarely getting involved in any serious storylines. His only Wrestlemania appearance outside of battle royals was a novelty match in Wrestlemania III involving King Kong Bundy and midget wrestlers. His theme music was a folksy barn dance tune called "Don't Go Messin' With a Country Boy", which Jim would dance along to with his partners (or the ring announcer) while the audience clapped along.
Hillbilly Jim continued to appear regularly in WWF matches until the summer of 1990. He returned in December 1995 as a guest referee, and a month later became manager of Henry O. and Phineas I. Godwinn, "cousins" who were pig farmers. Morris later worked as a road agent and participated in the "Gimmick Battle Royal" in 2001 at WrestleMania X-Seven. He hosted the WWE's "Road to WrestleMania 21" publicity tour.
In 2005, Sirius Satellite Radio added "Hilllbilly Jim's Moonshine Matinee" as a weekly program on its Outlaw Country channel 63. Every Saturday, Morris plays a wide variety of classic country music and Southern rock. Between records, he tells stories of his days with the WWF.
