Xavier Woods Is the Modern-Day Version of 'Mouth of the South' Jimmy Hart

Watching The New Day's Xavier Woods chirp at his foes at ringside like a colorful, over-caffeinated bird, it's clear that he is of the same species as Jimmy Hart.

The Mouth of the South rose to WWE Hall of Fame status thanks largely to his artful annoyance. A buzzing, grating presence, Hart turned up the heel heat for a long list of clients. He was part cartoon character, part used car salesman. 

Woods is quickly becoming the second coming of Hart.

He is as high-energy and loud as Hart. He embraces looking ridiculous and emits a shrill laugh, just as The Mouth of the South did. And while Woods has a different weapon of choice—a trombone rather than Hart's megaphone—he carries on the tradition of being a blaring presence during a match.

It's no wonder then that Woods himself said he draws inspiration from the man who once managed Hulk Hogan. In an interview with Scott Fishman of the Miami Herald, Woods described his persona as "a mixture of Deadpool, Spider-Man and Jimmy Hart."

The third part of that character amalgam is the most obvious.

The resemblance begins with his over-the-top attire. Hart was famous for parading down the aisle in outlandish outfits. His suits bore anything from piano keys to leopard spots. 

And he certainly bolstered at least one airbrush artist's annual income.

Credit: WWE.com

Like the rest of The New Day, Woods steps toward the ring in splashy outfits of various colors. He often stands out from his brethren, though, thanks to his hair. While Hart made his jackets his canvas, Woods has turned to his coiffure to nab the audience's attention.

He has done his best "Rufio from Hook" impression with a red-tipped do. He's had his hair jutting out wildly. Woods also wore it relaxed, rocking an Andre 3000-like style.

Woods gets more consistent attention, however, due to how high he turns up his own volume.

While rooting on allies Big E and Kofi Kingston from their corner, he fires off insults, makes bold proclamations and generally just fills every space he can with noise. Adding a trombone to the mix has only added to his constant cacophony. 

He blasts the instrument in his foe's faces and even stops to play when he's wrestling in a match.

His identity as a blusterous pest is an ongoing homage to Hart. Whether he was managing The Hart Foundation or The Fabulous Rougeaus, The Mouth of the South spent much of the bout trying to drive both the opponents and the audience crazy.

His megaphone became the funnel for a constant stream of harping.  

Like Woods does today, he alternated between rallying his troops and cutting down the men on the opposite side of the ring. He didn't stop when he was part of the action, either. In a tag match against Andre the Giant and The Junkyard Dog, he clutched his megaphone, looking to anger the giant and the powerhouse whenever he could.

Hart made irritation his calling card. It was his means to needle the crowd, to make fans want the babyfaces to crush both him and his clients.

Woods abides by the same logic, although he and his crew are making their act too fun to hate them. As Jim Ross wrote on his blog, "New Day is 'this close' to being too entertaining to be heels. Why do I want to boo wrestlers who make me me laugh?"

The New Day's coach and soundtrack-provider also shares Hart's frenetic energy. 

Bouncing where he stood, wielding a high-pitched voice and a rapid-fire delivery, Hart made sure with every promo that the audience wasn't bored. He assured himself a reaction of some kind with his animated interviews.

Woods, as well as Big E and Kingston, has filled New Day's promos with a similar level of full-throttle pep. 

He's constantly giddy, grinning and seemingly shaking with excitement. There is a callback to the late '80s each time he and The New Day are interviewed.

Once the talking is over and it's time to start fighting, Woods doesn't lose that Hart-like energy. He is in constant motion, constantly traveling in high gear. That approach makes it clear that he has studied Hart at work.

Other than the fact that Woods is a far better wrestler than the lanky, weasel-like Hart, the biggest difference between the two thus far is the level of variety on their resumes. Woods has remained loyal to The New Day; Hart moved from client to client.

The Hall of Famer looked to guide Rhythm & Blues, Earthquake, The Hart Foundation, Dino Bravo and several others to success.

Should The New Day break up, WWE would be wise to let Woods continue his work as a cornerman and cheerleader. It's what he does best. The company should also let him extend his clientele, spreading his skills to a variety of Superstars.

In today's WWE, it would be refreshing for Woods to go on a Hart-esque run as a manager.

Aside from Paul Heyman, the roster today is bereft of great managers. It's mostly a lost art. Woods clearly has the skills to resurrect it.

He can help fill that manager void as he backs up his own stable of wrestlers, continuing in Hart's tradition of the loudmouth extraordinaire.