Five greatest managers of all time in Wrestling

Most of the time, in the world of pro wrestling, people forget that there are other people who make equal contributions as those who are involved in a match, whether it be the play by play (or color) commentators, whose job is to inject some life, some reality into a match, or the valets, who stand by their men to make the match or a feud more interesting. One of those contributors are the managers, those who ‘manage’ wrestlers. Many people don’t understand the concept of a manager. When you have a youngster, you normally pair him up with either an established superstar, or give him a mouth piece, and this is where the role of a manager is so important. If you didn’t have Paul Heyman with a guy like Brock Lesnar at the beginning of his career, just imagine how big a loss that would have been for the WWE. In the same way, it would have been a big if you didn’t have a Jimmy Hart when Bret was a youngster.

Many times, people fail to realize just how important a managerial role is. Think of it this way. If you didn’t have a Sensational Sherri, you wouldn’t have had a Heart Break Kid. That’s how important a manager is. I’m not saying Sherri made ‘HBK’, but in the truest sense, Shawn was ‘HBK’ because of Sherri. That’s what her role was, and this gives you a picture of how important that part is. Over the years, you had many guys managing people, starting from the Eric Bischoffs to the Teddy Longs. They have all been managers at one point or the other. I picked 5 such managers depending upon their importance and the roles they played in shaping a superstar’s career.

5. Jim Cornette

Jim Cornette is known as one of the most entertaining people in the wrestling circuit. His rants on the internet about Vince Russo are legendary, with even a meme coming out as the ‘Cornette face’. But he was also one of the best managers of all time, other than being one of the best promoters and bookers in the industry, working for WWF, WCW, Smokey Mountain, TNA etc, before settling down with Ring of Honour. Cornette was responsible for the rise of many youngsters to super-stardom,  and has been known to be one of the best talkers in the industry. One of the best features of JC is that even though he’s one of the best talkers on the mic, he has never taken away the spotlight from the talent, which is one of the most important things to do as a manager. He managed several stars like Yokozuna, The British Bulldog, Owen Hart, Christopher Daniels etc., and was responsible for their rise to fame. Jim has a brilliant business sense, and has a knack for business like the Vince McMahons or the Paul Heymans.

4. Jimmy Hart

Dubbed ‘The mouth of the South’, Jimmy brought something special into the wrestling business, and that was the whacky, singer-esque gimmick. Few know that he was originally a part of a music band, but Jimmy was one of the characters who introduced the flashy outfits and the colourful image in the wrestling industry. Jimmy Hart is seen as one of the biggest legends in the wrestling business, and rightly so. He had managed some of the biggest names in the business, like the Hogans and the Flairs. He was also the one who managed Bret Hart, and brought him into his stable when Bret began his career in the WWF. Needless to say, Jimmy has been one of the finest managers in the history of professional wrestling, whether it be in WWF, WCW or even TNA.

One thing that set Jimmy Hart apart from the rest of the managers during his time, was the use of his megaphone as an object. This gave him a whole new dimension, and Jimmy Hart knew just how to use it during the matches, making him one of the biggest villains during the 80s.

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3. Ms. Elizabeth

At a time when the WWF was completely male dominated, one person changed the perspectives of the fans, as well as becoming the heartthrob for a million of us guys around the world. Ms. Elizabeth was considered to be a goddess among mortals, a pure soul in the industry. Many people who met her tell stories of how soothing a personality she had, and how pure a soul she had. She changed the business in a way that no other female could’ve done. She is also known as the ‘First lady of professional wrestling’, and everyone agrees to it. Although her time in WCW isn’t as memorable, she always had an aura around her, and the people she managed always benefited from that.

Ms. Elizabeth was also one of the finest managers of all time, and she dedicated most of her tenure being the manager of ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage. Many still remember Macho Man proposing her, and how that felt so real. That was one of the true ‘crossing the line to reality’ moments in the world of professional wrestling. She also managed some of the biggest names in pro wrestling, like Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Sting, Dusty and so on.

2. Paul Heyman

Getting down to one of my favorite people in the business, Paul Heyman is a true genius. I could go on and write a 2000 word article about this gentleman, and still be at a loss of words. Paul Heyman is one reason why professional wrestling became what it is, and was one the main reasons for the Attitude Era to take shape. He was a visionary. He brought guys like Benoit, Jericho, Eddie, Malenko, Rey etc., to the United States, and was responsible for their careers to take off. Not only that, he was also one of the best talkers in the business, and one of the best color commentators. I absolutely enjoyed his work behind the booth when he was a part of the commentary team.

Paul Heyman will also be known as one of the best managers in the history of the business. Forget about the status quo of Punk, but how many of us still remember Paul Heyman introducing a guy, who is perhaps the most dominant figure to ever step inside the squared circle, the one and only Brock Lesnar? The answer, not surprisingly, is almost all of us who were fortunate enough to witness something special. And as Punk even mentioned, he was a ‘Paul Heyman guy’. Paul Heyman always knew what was best for the business. The reason he walked away from the ECW was because he knew it was going down the drain. A decade of his work, his blood, sweat and tears was being flushed down the toilet, and he had no other option but to quit the business for a while. Regardless, Paul Heyman finds himself at number 2 in my list of the greatest managers of all time.

1. Bobby Heenan

And at number 1 is a guy whom most of the fans now wouldn’t have even heard of. But I’m one of the biggest fans of his. He called himself “The Brain”, and very rightly so. People called him a “Weasel” for his antics as a manager. He is perhaps the most entertaining personality in the history of professional wrestling (Sorry Dwayne). He is also considered to be the best commentator in history, as well as the best manager to ever grace a wrestling ring.

When I think about Bobby Heenan, I am reminded why we’re so lucky to be associated with this business as fans. In the later stages of his career, he had to battle cancer, and he has been successful in doing that till now. Bobby Heenan formed the best commentary partnership with Gorilla Monsoon, often coming up with the most hilarious jokes, and being a ‘heel’, ripped on the good guys and the crowd. He was also a former wrestler, but perhaps he is best remembered for his managerial stint. He managed guys like Nick Bockwinkel, Adrian Adonis, King Kong Bundy, Andre the Giant, Harley Race, Rick Rude, Ric Flair, etc. The most memorable moment though was with “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, when Paul fired Bobby Heenan on screen.

This completes my top 5 list. If you’re interested about Bobby Heenan, I urge you to listen to more of his commentary work from WWF, and also from WCW.