Hillbilly Jim credits family, friends, fans for WWE Hall of Fame induction

It was hard work, and maybe a little luck, that turned Kentucky native Jim Morris into Hillbilly Jim.

"I happened to be one of those guys that was just born in the right decade," said Morris, who is getting ready to join the likes of Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, and Ric Flair in the WWE Hall of Fame.

"It's a bit, for me, overwhelming," he added.

Jim Morris was born in Scottsville, moved to Glasgow, then Bowling Green. However, "Hillbilly Jim" hails from Mudlick, Kentucky.

Today, colleagues flooded Bowling Green with congratulations for their Hillbilly brother.

"Don Muraco called me from Hawaii," he explained. "The Undertaker tried to call me. Mark Henry tried to call me, but e couldn't get in because I had too many messages on my machine."

Hillbilly Jim doesn't look to the future much, or the past for that matter, but it's an occasion like this that makes him think.

"I don't sit up a lot of times and think about my life and what I've done before because I've already done it and I lived it, until someone comes to me and we bring it up," he said, "and this Hall of Fame induction brings it all back around."

The Hall of Fame won't define him, but for Hillbilly Jim, it's a humbling experience.

"I've had a Hall of Fame life," he expressed. " I've had all of the wonderfulness of this business and this industry. I lived it. I got all the benefits from it, so this additional thing is just beyond what I expected."

True to his roots, this star, is still thankful for everyone that's ever crossed his path.

"I'm going into this Hall of Fame for the people," he started, "for my family, for my friends, my buddies, my loved ones I grew up here with in the state of Kentucky, and everybody that supported me everywhere, and all the fans, wherever they may be."

Channeling the late voice of the WKU Hilltoppers, Hillbilly Jim recalls just how lucky he was to have the right attitude and the right people in his life.

"I'm going to take a chapter from Wes Strader," he said, "and I'm going to say this in my induction. He said, 'I got to do what I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it, and where I wanted to do it at.' That's a lot like me. Amazing. Wes is right about that and as I thought about my life, more or less, I got to do that too."

Hillbilly Jim will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame April 6 in New Orleans.