One of the most beloved managers from the '80s WWE is "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart. However, that love is based on his place in the business. In the '80s, fans loved to hate Hart, who was loud, obnoxious, and managed some of the most hated men in WWE at the time.
Hart got his start in Memphis, where Jerry "The King" Lawler helped him break into the business, knowing that Hart was someone who could get fans to turn against anyone he managed. Hart even managed Andy Kaufman in his notorious feud with Lawler before The Mouth moved on to WWE to great success.
10 Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine was one of the toughest and most rugged wrestlers of the '80s. A no-nonsense grappler, he worked as a top talent in the NWA and WWE in the '80s and held several titles along the way. Jimmy Hart actually managed Valentine on two different occasions.
Most fans might not know that Valentine was the first man that Hart managed in WWE. Valentine moved on to Johnny Valiant but then returned to Hart's stable as one-half of Rhythm and Blues with Honky Tonk Man.
9 King Kong Bundy
Most WWE fans remember the giant King Kong Bundy as a member of the Bobby Heenan Family, and that is because his biggest success came when Heenan managed him to the main event of WrestleMania II against Hulk Hogan in a steel cage match. However, one year before that, Bundy wrestled and beat S.D. Jones at the first WrestleMania, and at that time, his manager was Jimmy Hart. The Mouth of the South traded Bundy to Heenan for The Missing Link and Adrian Adonis.
8 Adrian Adonis
Adrian Adonis was managed by Bobby "The Brain" Heenan until Jimmy Hart traded King Kong Bundy for him and The Missing Link. While Missing Link was never a big star in WWE, Adrian Adonis went on to huge things. He came to WWE with Jesse Ventura with leather jackets and a biker gimmick. However, when he joined Hart, he started wearing makeup and pink and became a top heel.
7 Terry Funk
There might not be a more mismatched manager-wrestler combo than The Mouth of the South Jimmy Hart and the Funk Brothers. With Hart managing guys like Adorable Adrian Adonis and Honky Tonk Man, seeing him with two of the toughest Texans in the world seems strange.
Hart managed the Funks in 1985, and this included Terry Funk, Dory Funk Jr., and their "brother" Jimmy Jack Funk (in reality Jesse Barr). This was around the time that Terry Funk was branding people after beating them.
6 The Million Dollar Man
"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase was a major manager in his own right, leading the Million Dollar Corporation with wrestlers like Andre the Giant and "The Ringmaster" Steve Austin. He was also the first manager of The Undertaker. However, in 1992, Jimmy Hart managed the tag team of Money, Inc — Ted DiBiase & IRS. He led them to the WWF Tag Team Titles and ended up leaving them and turning babyface when they beat down Brutus Beefcake in a heinous attack.
5 Macho Man Randy Savage
In WWE, "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart almost exclusively managed wrestlers fighting "Macho Man" Randy Savage. He managed Honky Tonk Man when he and Savage feuded. He also managed Ric Flair to a world title win over Savage in WCW. However, before Hart arrived in WWE, he worked in Memphis against Jerry Lawler, and during this time, he managed Savage as he feuded with The King.
4 Brutus Beefcake
Jimmy Hart made his babyface turn in WWE thanks to Brutus Beefcake. The man known as The Barber was in a parasailing accident and had to have his face reconstructed. When he returned to WWE, Money, Inc. attacked him and beat him down, and Hart broke things off with his team as a result. He then managed Beefcake for a short time in WWE.
When Hart moved to WCW, he was in Hulk Hogan's corner, but then he turned heel and ended up managing The Dungeon of Doom. It was then that Beefcake came in and joined as The Zodiac, back with Hart again.
3 Ric Flair
In WCW, Jimmy Hart was against Hulk Hogan for quite a while. During much of that time, Hart managed the Dungeon of Doom alongside Kevin Sullivan. However, he was also working against Hogan when he wrestled Ric Flair as well. After turning on Hogan, he worked alongside Ric Flair in his feud against "Macho Man" Randy Savage and managed Flair to a win over Savage at Starrcade '95 for the WCW World Title.
2 Natural Disasters
In WWE, it seemed that "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart specialized in managing tag teams. He had his most success with The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart), but he also managed teams to title wins like The Nasty Boys and Money, Inc. One team that some people overlook was when he managed the Natural Disasters, Earthquake & Typhoon. This combination broke up when Hart managed Money, Inc. to the WWF Tag Titles, and they left his side.
1 Heath Slater & Tyson Kidd
There is one tag team that no one will likely remember that The Mouth of the South Jimmy Hart managed. On April 10, 2012, WWE broadcasted a special episode of SmackDown, "Blast from the Past." This was an episode that is much like the Legends episode that aired on Raw at the start of 2021. On this show, legends returned for special moments, and Hart was back as a manager again as he managed Heath Slater and Tyson Kidd. After Mick Foley attacked Hart, The Usos beat Slater and Kidd.