13 Questions With The Honky Tonk Man

The Honky Tonk Man was introduced to WWF fans as a babyface in July 1986. This was Vince McMahon’s decision. You were opposed to it.

“Yes, because I had developed this Elvis persona, with sideburns, black hair, jumpsuit, guitar, and I had worked on it and perfected it as a bad guy. I spent almost four years on it before I ever appeared on international television, and it worked very, very well as a bad guy, and I never attempted to make it as a good guy.

“I wanted to go along with what Vince wanted to do because he had plans for [Honky Tonk Man] merchandise: jumpsuits and wigs and sunglasses and little toy guitars for kids. The merchandising idea was fabulous. And he said, ‘We’ll put you with [Hulk] Hogan, and you’ll have a run together as a tag team.’

“I said, ‘Sure.’ But I knew in the back of my mind it wouldn’t work. I tried the best I could to make it work — I really tried — but the fans just did not buy into it.

“I think one of the reasons why is my first television taping of three or four weeks of television was taped in Toronto. I had been on Canadian television for about two years as this Honky Tonk Man character, a dastardly bad guy with a guitar, a jumpsuit and sideburns, and when I showed up for the TV tapings, the whole building booed me. Even using a soundtrack, they couldn’t take the boos out. So, when all these tapes aired in America, all the viewers couldn’t hear was [fans] booing me.

“I remember they asked me, ‘Why are they booing you so bad here?’ And I told them everyone knew me as a bad guy.”