Memphis Wrestling: Dirty Rhodes and Harley Davidson

[Naitch35]

Somebody in Memphis listened to the "Footloose" soundtrack WAY too often. They also used "Let's Hear It For The Boy" for another tag team they were trying to get over later on (look up "Funniest Wrestling Beefcake Video Ever"). Didn't Jerry Jarrett or Lawler own other albums?! If they did, I'd be scared to know what they were. Maybe Boy Tony would be a clue?

[HogansDisciple]

dirty rhodes and harley davidson was a shot at harley race and dusty rohdes. lol classic memphis

[mguerra310]

Is Harley Davidson Kevin Nash's/Diesel dad? They kinda have the same resemblance, they enter the ring the same way by steping over the top rope and the big boot is the same as well...

[FerretJohn]

@mguerra310 Read the description. Harley was Hillbilly Jim aka Jim Morris, no relation whatsoever to Nash

[VancouverTVGuy]

I remember seeing Dirty Rhodes competing briefly in Stampede Wrestling in the late-'80s as Roger Rhodes. Still using the same Dusty-esque gimmick even then.

[diesel021234]

vince gave him the hillbilly jim gimmick to get him over with the fans. his memphis gimmick would have bombed up north. jim did the right thing and become a huge star.

[DeepSouthWrestling1]

This is an example of how humorously inept Jarrett could be sometimes... you got a tough Dusty-esque cowboy and a giant biker, so what song to you play for their video?? Why, a sugary-sweet pop song from a dance movie, of course!!! It's a wonder someone in the organization had the sense to put a rockin' song with the Fabs... I love that Memphis came off as unhip in situations like this...

[JKTube]

@DeepSouthWrestling1: That's nothing. There's a Bruiser Brody video on here that uses the John Parr song "Naughty Naughty." :rolls eyes:

[suliyimanmagnus]

Hillbilly Jim...I mean Harley Davidson. If Vince would have allow Jim to keep this gimmick...it would have been so cool. But know all we have is memories of Uncle Elmer's wedding...smh...

[Inflicter]

0:47 he farted and is breezing it away.

[tjs8n]

Damn Hillbilly Jim could have been a flat out AWESOME, a "WWF Friendly" Bruiser Brody.

He would have been 50% Brody 50% Road Warriors 10% Stone Cold for a total of 110% BAD ASS.

[dogcatmouse23]

Wow, They should of used Harly and Dirty in wwf. This is awesome

[pugnaciousVOID]

you could really see how good a worker Troy Graham was to caryy everyone in that match...

[tkshk1904]

NICE.....fake dusty, REAL HILLBILLY.keep up the good stuff.

[B44501xRacerEX]

I never knew Hillbilly Jim was in Memphis wrestling. He must have not stayed there long.

His gimmick here was pretty cool.

That other guy is too much like Dusty.

[takauthar]

i'll take a memphis gimmick or angle over vince's bullshit any day. i never knew about jim being harley davidson. i like that over fukin hillbilly jim. vince is a moron

[landinmycourt]

But I'd take vinces money over Memphis money ANYDAY!!!

[takauthar]

i cant argue with that

[DeepSouthWrestling1]

@landinmycourt : I dunno... a lot more wrestlers who took Vince's money are dead now as opposed to former Memphis performers...

[JKTube]

@landinmycourt: Yes, Lawler in Memphis drew very well for years, for one thing because pro wrestling was about the only pro "sport" there was in Tennessee for a long time, but obviously Lawler took most of the money. Jacqueline, who made her name there in the 1990s as Miss Texas, said on the "Come Get Some: The Women of the WWF" VHS release from 1999 that she was "starving" in Memphis.

[landinmycourt]

@JKTube I've also heard that Randy Savage who was main eventing with Lawler in Memphis, was living in a one bedroom apartment with just a matress. Of course that all changed when he went to the WWF.

[mamacornettesmoney]

LOL at 1:30

What a move!

[rtenny7]

Hillbilly Jim was a lot better as Harley Davidson.

I remember, actually believing he got his start as a fan.

Dirty had the personna but he was on Dusty's nuts a little too hard.

[havachuk]

Dirty was Roger Smith,he took Tom Renestos' place in the original Assassins,then became a Memphis version with Randy Colley aka Moondog Rex.Dirty was also an Assassin with Don Bass,and they were aka the A team,Interns,Fire and Flame as well.Dirty broke in with Buddy Landel.Colley was aka Nightmare(Mid South),Detroit Demolition,and original Smash.

[takauthar]

wow,good history lesson on dirty rhodes. i didn't know he did that much work. people make a big deal about him copying dusty rhodes but i don't think anyone was trying to hide that. look at the name dirty RHODES. i like his character,personally. i never got 2 c him except in the mags but i always liked that gimmick.

[havachuk]

thanks,I believe in 1980 Colley,Hamilton(Jody) and Smith also did a 3 Assassin gimmick in Florida,also when Dirty and Bass were The Interns they had one of the great unsung talkers in The Dream Machine,Troy Graham as their manager.

[nyctid]

I'm pretty sure Mr. Saito (of all people) was teaming with them as Assassin #4 for a little while.

[havachuk]

good way to get over

[CadillacL]

Dirty Rhodes was(think) one of the Assasins at one time, & orginal Smash of Demolition. I've also seen a pic that claims that Dusty himself as Assasin #2. Also forgot, Dirty Rhodes was also Moondog Rex.

[dwinyhc]

@CadillacL randy colley was the original smash

[Taintgun]

Hillbilly Jim was really a wasted gimmick, he had a great look here.

[lawlersarmy]

I beleive I read somewhere that Dirty Rhodes was one of the Assasins in Memphis, not for sure though.

[salanh]

Footloose??? I guess it's better than "Don't Go Messing with a Country Boy." Not by much, but still....

Who exactly was Dirty Rhodes? I know PWI (and the other Apter mags?) would constantly deride him for the obvious comparison? At one point, didn't he turn heel?

Thanks, as always, for posting.

[phatalbert73]

From what I remember, Dirty Rhodes and Don Bass were heels in a masked tag team called "Fire & Flame" and were in a feud with Lawler, which escalated after they had to unmask after losing a match to Lawler and ????? Help me out on this one.

[Nocholas4sale]

classic wrestling at its best

[havachuk]

yessir,Lawler and Tommy Rich feuded with them in 1986.They also had a 3rd member,Torch aka Larry Wright

[jimwyser]

Dirty Rhodes name is roger smith and he is a good friend of mine. He also teamed up and was known as fire as in fire and flame.

[TheToughBrets]

@jimwyser

He was an Assassin too. With Randy Colley.

[jimwyser]

Dirty Rhodes name is roger smith and he is a good friend of mine. He also teamed up and was known as fire as in fire and flame.