• Hillbilly Jim On Hulk Hogan’s Impact, The Origin Of His Gimmick, WWE Hall Of Fame Induction
During a recent interview with College Heights Herald, WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2018 inductee Hillbilly Jim talked about starting his WWF career with “The Immortal” Hulk Hogan, who came up with the idea of Hillbilly Jim character, and his Hall of Fame induction.
Below are the highlights:
On starting his WWF career with Hulk Hogan:
“Hulk Hogan was like Elvis in the wrestling business, so when they had him start acting like he was training me, it was over. When people look at you you’ve got to have something to connect to them, and because I had that charisma the fans really loved me. I knew I wasn’t a hillbilly, but I became the best hillbilly that I could be.”
On who came up with the idea of Hillbilly Jim character:
“Chief Jay Strongbow told Vince that there hadn’t been a hillbilly in the business for a long time. Vince asked me where they could say I was from, and I came up with Mud Lick, Kentucky. Vince said, ‘That’s great, Hillbilly Jim from Mud Lick, Kentucky,’ and that’s exactly how it began.”
On his Hall of Fame induction:
“This business doesn’t owe me anything because I’ve already had a Hall of Fame life. I’ve already had my glory, so this induction is in my name, but I’m accepting it for my family, my friends and the fans. Nobody makes it by themselves, and this whole thing wouldn’t have happened for me without help from a lot of different people.”
• Roman Reigns On Who Should Be Blamed For His Match With The Undertaker Not Living Up To Expectations
During a recent appearance on CBS Sports’ In This Corner podcast, “The Big Dog” Roman Reigns talked about his match with The Undertaker in the main event of last year’s WrestleMania. Below are the highlights:
On if his match with The Undertaker lived up to his personal expectations:
“I don’t think it ever could, really. It’s a hard spot for The Undertaker to have such a storied career, to have such a huge list of ridiculously good matches, and to have that respect, and to have that mystique, and to have that reputation as the godfather of the professional wrestling and sports entertainment business. So, everyone’s thought about what it would be like to be in a match with The Undertaker at WrestleMania to where you hype it up so much that it’s almost unfair to him.”
On why the match with The Undertaker was hard for him:
“For me, what made it so hard was how heavy it was. You know, if I wrestled The Undertaker 20 years ago at the beginning or the middle of his career, probably not. But the position I found myself in, it just felt really heavy and so much more emotional than I was ready for it to be, so I think that was the hardest thing… but, you know, the coolest thing because I think that just shows the gravity of the situation, the responsibility of the placement [on the card] and just who I was sharing the ring with. And that’s just how special he is.
I just feel like maybe I wasn’t good enough or maybe it could have been better on my behalf, but I always hold The Undertaker so high in that regard that I just feel like maybe I could have done better. But I enjoyed it. I really learned a huge amount in the ring with him. To be in the ring with him for one singles match and to have it be at that level, to be able to pick something up in just 30-40 minutes from another performer – it just goes to show how good he is.”
