Jimmy Hart Recalls Being Starstruck At The First WrestleMania

Jimmy Hart is excited for WrestleMania season, baby!

“The Mouth Of The South” Jimmy Hart spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard to promote his appearance at the WrestleMania On-Sale Party at AT&T Stadium this Wednesday. Hart spoke about his excitement for this year’s WrestleMania festivities in Texas as well as what WWE’s marquee event means to him.

“I’ve been so blessed for almost 38 years because this is WrestleMania 38 coming up on April the 2nd and 3rd, but to be part of the first WrestleMania,” Hart noted, “how many people are still around and still doing it that were a part of the first WrestleMania? So, I pinch myself every day when I wake up and look into the mirror, like, ‘have I really gotten paid for doing this for 38 years?’”

Hart was at the “show of shows” at its inception and appeared at many more, providing several memorable moments for the fans watching. Some of these highlights include the in-ring incident with Alice Cooper and Jake “The Snake” Roberts at WrestleMania III, getting his hair cut at WrestleMania IV, and managing the Nasty Boys and Money Inc to victory at their respective appearances at WrestleMania VII and VIII. Asked if he had a favorite WrestleMania moment or one that stood out most, Hart said he had to look back to the first one and shared just how special that one was for him.

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“I have a couple, but being part of WrestleMania 1 was so special, coming from Memphis, Tennessee at the time with Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler and Andy Kaufman and all the stars down there, but when I got the phone call to join the WWF back then, of course, the WWE now, I had a choice to make. I thought to myself, ‘Gosh I have it pretty good down here in Memphis but this gives me a chance to branch out,’” Hart noted, “so I made the choice to jump on a plane and head for New York.

“I didn’t know if it was going to last one day, one week, one month, one year or whatever, so I took a big chance. But it really paid off because can’t you imagine coming from Memphis and going to Madison Square Garden, WrestleMania 1,” Hart explained, “I walk in the building and all of the sudden I look over and there’s Liberace, there’s Billy Martin, there’s Cyndi Lauper standing next to Dick Clark, who I knew from a long time ago when I was in the group The Gentrys, we did all those Dick Clark tours in the day, in the ‘60s, and Mr. T was there. So, I was just so starstruck right off the bat, and to be able to go out twice during WrestleMania, not knowing if it was going to last but it turned out, so far, pretty good.”

Jimmy Hart will appear alongside The Undertaker, Street Profits, Rhea Ripley, Big E, Dana Brooke, Doudrop, Nikki A.S.H. and Reginald; the event will also feature live wrestling matches with current NXT talent. Check out our full interview at the top of this post where Hart also talks about the current WWE talent he has his eye on, his favorite WrestleMania ring attire, his impact on the business, his Baywatch appearances and more.

More information about the WrestleMania On-Sale Party can be viewed at this link. Tickets are available now via pre-sale on SeatGeek; tickets will go on sale to the public on Friday, November 12, at 10 a.m. CST. WrestleMania 38 will take place on Saturday, April 2, and Sunday, April 3, from AT&T Stadium in Dallas/Arlington, Texas.