The 2018 Hall of Fame class now has its fifth member.
Hillbilly Jim will be part of 2018's WWE Hall of Fame class of inductees alongside Ivory, The Dudley Boys, Jeff Jarrett, and Goldberg. Hillbilly Jim spent over a decade in WWE working as a wrestler, a manager, and sometime broadcaster for the company. He told Bleacher Report he was surprised about joining the Hall of Fame.
"I didn't have that on my mind whatsoever. For a moment or two, I was knocked back on my heels. Basically, I was speechless. It was a whole lot for me to digest quickly," said Hillbilly Jim.
WWE officially announced the induction on WWE.com and Twitter.
BREAKING NEWS: As first reported by @BleacherReport, #HillbillyJim is the newest inductee in the @WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018. #WWEHOF https://t.co/JhfOWkYj8b
— WWE (@WWE) March 5, 2018
In 1985, Hillbilly Jim started wrestling at WWE but before that he had appeared as Harley Davidson in WWE and other promotions. As Hillbilly Jim, he was billed from Mudlick, Kentucky which is unincorporated territory near Tompkinsville, Kentucky, he wrestled in overalls, and wore a large brown leather hat. At one point, he formed a stable of other Hillbillies with Uncle Elmer, Cousin Luke, and Cousin Junior but he also went on to be the manager of The Godwinns and helped them to a World Tag-Team Championship.
At Wrestlemania 17, Hillbilly Jim returned to WWE television when he took part in the Gimmick Battle Royale where he was eliminated by the winner The Iron Sheik.
In 2014, Hillbilly Jim was part of WWE Legends House which was a WWE Network special that took place in one house with several WWE Legends living together including Roddy Piper, Gene Oakerlund, and Pat Patterson.
The WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony takes place on April 6th which is two days before Wrestlemania 34.
