Vince McMahon Told Jimmy Hart Not To Overdo It With His Megaphone

Jimmy Hart is considered to be one of the greatest managers of all time in professional wrestling. The 78-year-old managed the likes of Hulk Hogan, The Hart Foundation, and The Funks to name a few during a career that spanned a well over three decades.

Hart was known for his colorful attire as well as his iconic megaphone, two things that have now become synonymous with the legendary manager. In an interview with Caleb Beames of KTRE9, the WWE Hall of Famer talked about the origins of his iconic attire and mouthpiece.

“Well, a quick story here, two different parts of a story, one, is the reason I where the colorful jackets is because before I got into the world of wrestling, I was in a band called The Gentrys. We toured with Dick Clark back in the day with The Beach Boys, Sonny and Cher. It was all bus tours back then, and I remember something Dick Clark said once in a meeting.

“He said, ‘Look, some nights when you get on stage, you might not feel good. Do the best you can but you can always do one thing. When you’re on that stage, if you dress like the audience, one day you’re gonna be sitting in the audience. Be colorful. Give the people their money’s worth. They don’t want to buy a ticket to see somebody who looks like them.’ I remembered that, so when I went into this business, I made sure to wear colorful jackets.

Advertising

Advertising

“Number two, the megaphone, it’s been around the world two or three times. Vince McMahon was the one that brought this to me from Japan and said, ‘You can use this at ringside, just don’t over do it.’ I said, ‘Can I paint it,’ and he said, ‘Anything you want to with it.’ Two people who have helped out my career, Dick Clark and Vince McMahon.”

All these decades later, and Jimmy Hart is still overdoing it with his megaphone just like Vince McMahon asked him not to do.

The legendary manager also talked about his favorite WrestleMania moment that came at the iconic WrestleMania III in Detroit, Michigan. He recalled that he managed four different wrestlers, Honky Tonk Man, The Hart Foundation/w Danny Davis, and Adrian Adonis, on the same night.

Thanks to Wrestling Inc for the transcription. What’s your take on this story? Sound off in the comments!