Why Managers Matter Now More Than Ever

What a Great Manager Can Do

Why were guys like Bobby Heenan and Jimmy Hart so great? Was it because they came up with a ton of clever one-liners? Writers can do that. Is it because they looked good on camera? Bobby Heenan might say that, and I like his sparkly black jacket as much as anyone, but that’s not it. It’s because they got their talent over, more than the wrestler could have done on his or her own.

A great manager can not only make the audience laugh and entertain the commentary team, but can transform a fairly normal guy or gal into a larger-than-life force. Along with their wrestler(s), they can create a spectacle. Think of Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth, or Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express. Fans enjoyed the theater of the whole situation – not just the simulated combat, but the interactions between the managers, the wrestlers, and the referee (and sometimes even the bloodthirsty fans).

It Still Works Today

Andrade “Cien” Almas and Zelina Vega. While La Sombra is an incredibly gifted wrestler, there is no doubt that his WWE incarnation would have been much less effective without his business manager and head-scissors specialist Zelina Vega. The greatest indicator of their successful pairing was the outcry from NXT fans when they thought that Almas would be heading to SmackDown without Vega. How often do you hear of fans begging to see more of a narcissistic heel manager?

And what about Aiden English? While not strictly a manager, Aiden has been just as instrumental to the “Rusev Day” craze as the Bulgarian Brute himself. Remember that Rusev had been a WWE mainstay for several years with varying degrees of success before English and his Hamilton-inspired raps came into play. Add in those rhythmic shoulder twitches, and suddenly Rusev has become one of WWE’s most popular superstars. While fans willingly interrupt unrelated matches with “Rusev Day” chants, they stay patiently silent throughout English’s introductions. Aiden’s work has been so good that he’s even been given double duty as the man to get Lana over as an in-ring competitor. Don’t forget that just a year ago, this guy was a Vaudevillain (his partner is no longer with WWE). Now, English is one of the company’s most valuable players. That’s the power of a good manager.

That Extra Something

There are plenty of superstars who do not have the extra oomph they need to move to the next level. A manager could be the answer. The Revival, for example, is a very talented tag team in the ring. But as several Redditors have pointed out, they are less over than Matt Hardy’s lawnmower.

Now, imagine Jim Cornette in their corner. You can bet he’d have a lot to say about the other teams on RAW, but aside from just being entertaining, he’d be able to point fans to his team’s strengths in a creative and effective way that doesn’t feel forced. The Revival would go from having an every-other-week filler position on RAW, to becoming a legitimate force in the company.

Corny might be retired now, but there are many talented indie managers who have yet to receive a big break (i.e. Wrestling With Wregret’s Brian Zane) with no major company looking to hire them. If “Rusev Day” and Andrade Almas’ success doesn’t open up the game to more managers, then a practical need likely will. Unless some radical changes to WWE programming come soon, much of RAW and SmackDown will continue to be nonstop talking. And that’s fine, as long as there is someone talented and passionate to make those segments great.

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