Where have all the good managers gone???

**Ruggy** · 09-02-2010, 07:03 AM

Harping back to "The Good Old Days"....

A manager used to be integral to the success of a Tag-team or singles competitor...

Managers also had a habit of switching allegiances at a drop of a hat, especially when their "clients" lost a title.

A manger used to be outlandish and generally a name in their own right, I'm not talking about a valet, whom generally these days are just divas....

My favourites were, Bobby Heenan, Jimmy Hart and Paul Bearer. There were plenty more like the The Genius, Paul Ellering, Mr Fuji, Jim Corenette, Slick, Harvey Wippleman and even the girls got in on the act with Sensational Sherri and Elizabeth.

Managers were an integral part of any superstar, they were part of the love or hate factor, which is sadly missing today. I for one would love to see a few more manager emerge in their own right.

**westy** · 09-02-2010, 08:21 AM

Your right they are missing. But I feel wrestling has changed so much from the days you were refering to. Days I really do miss. In todays enviroment a wrestler needs to have good mic skills before they are to be considered for a company such as WWE or TNA. Back then, nobody cared too much, today wrestlers are more like actors and so tend to do movies after wrestling.

Bobby Heenan was great.

Wow so many good memories, cool post man!

**TLK** · 09-02-2010, 05:13 PM

Most of the Managers the WWF/WWE utilised during the mid 80's and mid 90's either were released and defected to ECW/WCW like Jimmy Hart, Bobby Heenan, Sunny and Sherri, while the likes of Slick who became an Ordained Minister, Jim Cornette is now GM of Ring of Honor but still has his style of being very outspoken, Cpt Lou Albano, Freddie Blassie and Mr Fuji became too old for active management duties and retired.

Most of the WWE managers disappeared during the Mid 90's when WCW had the financial clout and started getting all the big name talent and managers and became less prominent when the monday night wars started and the Attitude Era took over.

Percy Pringle AKA Paul Bearer was pretty much the only prolific manager in the WWE after most of them went to ECW/WCW or retired and he Disappeared when his health was getting worse due to massive weight gain and had a Gastric Bypass op in 2003. The cement entombing angle involving the Dudleys and Paul Heyman in 2004 when Bearer returned after his operations was pretty much the end of the Paul Bearer gimmick when Taker entombed him in "cement".

I actually miss the managers as the shady things they got up to to get the edge over the faces was one of the good aspects of how good Wrestling in general was. Now it is not a patch on what it is today.

**Tommy Thunder** · 09-02-2010, 05:46 PM

The time when wrestlers had managers is long gone. TNA have Flair managing Fortune (making great use of Flair's awesome promo cutting), and they still have Jimmy Hart on their books, they should assign him to manage someone or a stable. WWE have Ranjin Sing and Vikie Guerrero (that says it all!).
I do see scope for Paul Bearer to return in the not to distant future! He has recently returned to activity with NWA. I see a storyline where Taker brings Bearer and the urn 'back from the dead' to give him the power to beat Kane (Taker is selling the fact he's weak after Kane's 'attack' on him). But this would obviously be a one night only return.
The days of proper managers (Mr Fuji, Harvey Wippleman, Bearer in his hayday etc) are over.

**Rangers_Chosen_Hun** · 09-02-2010, 05:56 PM

managers of been gone for years i miss them they brought something and could be a mouth piece like heyman was with brock that was probs the last good manager wwe has had. I liked when bearer came back in 2004 when undrtaker came back and thought that would last a long time but he left a few months after wonder what torylines that would have had

at the moment the wrestling manager is dead but will come back one day i think hopefully after pg

**Ruggy** · 09-02-2010, 06:20 PM

Sad thing is.... There is no AWA or anywhere to get these managers from. I don't think there is a living to be made in the old sense. Anyone who watched the Road Warriors DVD saw that Paul Ellering did everything a manager should do i.e. get the gig, work it out, set the match. It is sad. I would love it for 1 manager to emerge.

**mwinfie** · 09-02-2010, 07:01 PM

Sinister Minister was last great manager used on TV (aka james Mitchel). His feud with Ravena and the deciples of the new church was awesome.

The decline of managers is just a decline with everything to do with the 'Wrasslin' buisness, basically the NWA. Even hot up and coming promotions like dragons gate and roh focus on the intigration and combination of styles, chiefly displays of athleticism.
The managers time came and went with the rise and fall of character focused wrestling. People tell their stories in the ring now. they dont need someone to do it outside.
besides which with Hogan and Mcmahon the twin powers in wrestling right now if you cant talk they wont get someone to do it for you, they'll fire your ass

**Robstar** · 09-02-2010, 07:33 PM

I miss managers but not the cartoony aspect that WWE played up towards the end. More like your Bobby Heenans and JJ Dillons.

The business has moved more towards performers who can do it all, or at least attempt to - talk smack on the mic and have the in-ring skills; the very best performers you will notice can sell with body language alone, such as Jericho. In times gone by, when wrestlers were meathead gym junkies or drunken mountain men who couldn't string five words together, managers were necessary as a mouthpiece. Their other important functions was interfering in matches or, most importantly of all, they could sell a wrestler as a face simply by turning on them. It was the easiest way to determine heels and faces - like the Heenan/Andre story where The Brain got in Andre's ear and 'turned' him against Hogan.