10 Ridiculous Wrestling Gimmicks Which Are Actually TRUE
2. Jimmy Hart
When Honky Tonk Man turned his Elvis evil following a landslide fan vote in 1986, the in situ Jimmy Hart was immediately installed as his manager. There couldn't have been a more perfect fit to play the tribute 'King's Colonel Tom Parker; not only was the 'Mouth of the South' in the habit of decking himself out in musically-themed polyester, boasting loud note motifs and piano key lapels, but he was already billed from Memphis, Tennessee.
What's more, this sensible appointment wasn't simply superficial. The megaphone-wielding manager was no mega-phony; before entering the wrestling industry, Hart was the leading man in a rock 'n' roll troupe known as The Gentrys. Whilst Hart couldn't fire Rhythm and Blues' 'Hunka Hunka Hunka Honky Love' up the charts, his own band was a brief sensation, shake, rattling and rolling their way to over a million records sold with bopper Keep On Dancing.
The motormouth from Memphis (actually Mississippi) put his musical background to good use behind the scenes too, notably composing the themes of Shawn Michaels and Dusty Rhodes. Several years after Hart's time with Honky, WCW introduced their own Tom Parker knock-off in the form of Colonel. Robert Parker. Did they pair him with their own ersatz Elvis? Nope: he was bizarrely stuck with Steve Austin, of all people.