Sage advice from the Mouth of the South

I'm sorry to say I never did follow through on my plan to become the Ric Flair of AM radio.

Here's the conundrum: I understand many of the "bad guys" in the WWE universe are often the most engaging and charming in real life.

Which brings us to the Mouth of the South, Jimmy Hart.

The Mouth of the South had some things he wanted to get off his chest, so we had a Zoom this week. He was making plans to attend the WrestleMania's party to celebrate tickets going on sale at AT&T Stadium. Say what you will about professional wrestling: They know how to sell tickets.

"Let's have a party to celebrate selling tickets to another party!"

Despite the screenshot of us both scowling, we had a solid conversation that lasted entirely too long for the whole thing to run on the air [you can listen to a chunk if you click on that link a couple paragraphs up].

But no one stops me from rambling on #ScaiaBlog, so I'm posting bits of it here. I appreciated him putting the megaphone in the shot. In this time of unrest and uncertainty, it's comforting to see things that are familiar. And that was the first thing I told him.

I appreciated the effort getting ready for a Zoom at 7 am. Even for a radio guy instead of TV, he still put on the jacket and sunglasses and got the megaphone out.

He talked about that, though: "You don't get a second chance to make a first impression. Buddy, when you come on, you better have your stuff together."

Back in college, my punk friends and I [when we weren’t attending Wayne Newton concerts] would gather to watch the WWE shows during the week. One of those associates brags he's got a very impressive streak of WrestleMania attendance dating back to college. I texted him to ask if he had any questions for the Mouth of the South.

He suggested asking who would be on Jimmy Hart's Mt. Rushmore of the greatest managers. And the Mouth of the South didn't even include himself.

You'll notice he focuses on guys who know how to hold attention and work a crowd.

He's at the WrestleMania On-Sale party tonight signing autographs at AT&T Stadium. I asked him, since wrestlers need to connect with the crowd, if it's tougher working at such a large venue.

He says the great showmen learn how to keep attention even from the people in the back.

The Mouth of the South has been in North Texas a few days and was even at the Mavs' game Monday night. He says that work to establish connections with the crowd, whether you're a "good guy" or "bad guy" helped him become memorable.

Tonight, the Undertaker is joining him at the autograph session.

Which brought up another thought: Will Hulk Hogan return? Hart said he had just called Hogan because he saw so many Hulkamaniacs dressed up for Halloween. He said he'd love a Hulk Hogan fan appreciation tour, not a farewell tour. Farewell tours, he explains, rarely actually involve farewells.

The Mouth of the South also relayed advice from Dick Clark: People might only see you once, and they won't care if you're having an off-night. To have staying power, you always need to put in the effort.

So the Mouth of the South and Dick Clark agree: I should start wearing that robe.