10 Things You Didn’t Know About Jim Neidhart

by Jamie Kennedy

1. Anvil Spent Time In The Same Prison As Charles Manson

Charles Manson
Ventura California PD

Back before he was a WWF star travelling the globe, young Jim Neidhart got himself into bother with the law for (according to his comments during the RF shoot) "attempted extortion" of Long Beach State. The school were worried that Jim had been collecting scholarship money despite not attending for six months.

That was enough to land him in the same prison as infamous cult-leader Charles Manson.

Neidhart served 21 days of a 30-day sentence in Los Angeles' County Jail. Whilst incarcerated, he watched Manson walk by with several guards. That had to be bone-chilling, not least because Neidhart was imprisoned on a technicality, not because he'd done anything on the level of fellow inmates.

Due to his imposing size, Jim was largely left alone. In fact, he recalled some others thinking he was a "lifer" because of his intimidating look. He'd never forget seeing Manson innocently strut past his cell, and he couldn't wait to get out of the place.

-

What else do you know about the late Jim Neidhart? Let us know your thoughts and memories down in the comments section below!

Advertisement
In this post: 
Jim Neidhart
 
Posted On: 
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.