Overlooked Last Night: The Abraham Washington / Mark Henry Connection

[D-Man]

I like how KB isn't the only one who noticed that a few things happened on last night's Raw besides the Rock taking aim at the WWE championship, Santino retaining his title, Johnny Ace taking over, and the return of a wrestler... what was his name again?

In a short segment, Abraham Washington propositioned Mark Henry to become his new representation. Now, we've seen Abe proposition Henry before but his appearance last night means that this could become a realistic pairing. Once again, the WWE is showing signs of, once again, allowing a managerial role to return to WWE programming.

Although his "talk show" was complete and utter dogshit, the guy can talk circles around most wrestlers on the current roster. Pairing him with Mark Henry seems to be a really good decision and can really elevate Henry's current stock on the roster after he's declined a bit, post-world heavyweight championship. Plus, this connection is a bit ironic after Tony Atlas was both a manager to Henry in the past and was a mainstay on Washington's talk show.

So, where does everyone see this going? Do you like the pairing?

Discuss here.

 

[supernatural1981]

to be honest mate i dont really know a lot about abe washington cos when he was on ecw with his talkshow i was not a ecw fan, but i did see him a couple of times and i know he is good on the mic which can onlywork in mark henry's favour.

i think its good that wwe are starting to bring managers back onto the scene cos i loved the 80's when the likes of bobby heenan and sherri martell were in charge of some of my fave all time wrestlers.

so if they bring in managers who act as mouth peices for some stars who lack mic skills im all for that. one question though where in the hell is armando estrada?? cos i loved that guy

 

[BigRedPunk]

I was happy to see Abe show up last night. I always thought he was pretty good with his mic/talking skills. And Mark Henry being one of my personal favorites I can't wait to see Washington manage him.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

Washington working with Henry doesn't bother me, but I think it's unnecessary. Mark works really well as a stand-alone bad ass who doesn't need anyone helping him.

He has ran through just about anyone and everyone. Hell, he basically beat the WWE champion last night. Henry is probably the most dangerous (kayfabe) guy on the roster. These two hooking up won't bother me, at least I don't think it will, but I don't think it's needed.

 

[D-Man]

Washington working with Henry doesn't bother me, but I think it's unnecessary. Mark works really well as a stand-alone bad ass who doesn't need anyone helping him.

He has ran through just about anyone and everyone. Hell, he basically beat the WWE champion last night. Henry is probably the most dangerous (kayfabe) guy on the roster. These two hooking up won't bother me, at least I don't think it will, but I don't think it's needed.

You need to think of it this way, though... Henry may not need it but maybe Washington does. I think this is a big pat on the back to Henry who could possibly give a reverse effect to his (probable) new manager in Abe Washington.

In today's pro-wrestling world, the purpose of managers isn't just to get their wrestlers over; nowadays, managers need their counterparts to get THEM over.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

You need to think of it this way, though... Henry may not need it but maybe Washington does. I think this is a big pat on the back to Henry who could possibly give a reverse effect to his (probable) new manager in Abe Washington.

In today's pro-wrestling world, the purpose of managers isn't just to get their wrestlers over; nowadays, managers need their counterparts to get THEM over.

Sorry, I didn't even consider that. That's how little I care about Washington. Hmm.

Anyhow, yeah, that's great. If Washington doesn't hurt what Henry's doing, it won't bother me. If he begins getting in the way, and Henry isn't as awesome as he is without Washington, I'm sure I'll complain. I guarantee it. We'll see what happens, I suppose.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I thnk Henry is an interesting "first client" but I also remember hearing that Henry is likely on the outs in the next few months... so if that's the case it seems a bit redundant.

I can see Washington being a little bit like a modern Slick, with a stable of big men to back up his talk. Especially some of the FCW guys when they come up to the main roster, they can be presented as "finds" of Abe's...

As for those he could manage on the main roster, I don't see huge numbers, maybe Kofi Kingston would benefit from him as a manager, perhaps taking the "shortcuts" needed to get to the next level.

But, from what I see we now have Vicki, Ricardo, Abe, Sakamoto and AJ as "managers" in the WWE, which is more than there has been for a long long time...

 

[BreezyDaProtege]

I see this as a good pairing helping make Abe relevant to the roster. From what I seen in the past he is good on the mic and I attended Raw when they came to Albany and seen him in a dark match. He is cut like a bag off dope lol.

 

[xoxo French Kiss xoxo]

How many times in the past has Henry had a "manager" in his corner?

Henry's been far too good by himself over the past year to need Abraham Washington, who I find to be really fucking annoying. I figured Washington had been released since the last time I remember seeing him on WWE TV was on ECW.

I can already see where this is headed. Washington will lead a stable of African American Superstars in a Nation of Domination type of heel group. the group will consist of Henry, Titus O'Neil, and maybe Big Zeke with Washington taking over on the mic. A tag team, and the Worlds Strongest Man....

 

[Ithil]

I'm afraid I have no idea who he is.

However, I am very much behind more managerial roles in WWE. Vickie is great in her role, but we need more of them.

Though I don't think Mark Henry personally needs a manager much, he's great on the mic.

 

[3:16]

You know I'm not sure about this either. Sure he is good on the mic but I thought Henry was fine by himself even with the steady decline post-world championship. I'm not sure how AW can enhance Mark Henry's career. Tbh dude can be annoying.

 

[JoonDaGr8One]

I like this alot, i believe Mark Henry is just the beginning for Abraham. I think he needs Mark Henry to make his stable seem credible, then he can add more guys like Kofi and Tyler Reks. I really think he can take Kofi to that next level, make Kofi feel slighted and make him be more serious. Kofi could have a match with Santino, lose a good match with a smile on his face and Mark Henry come beat him down on some tough love type of stuff. They could either make Kofi heel from this point or use Mark Henry as a springboard into the main event as a face but with more street cred now. I know i'm jumping the gun a bit but i really hope something big comes from this.

 

[D-Man]

How many times in the past has Henry had a "manager" in his corner?

Henry's been far too good by himself over the past year to need Abraham Washington, who I find to be really fucking annoying. I figured Washington had been released since the last time I remember seeing him on WWE TV was on ECW.

I can already see where this is headed. Washington will lead a stable of African American Superstars in a Nation of Domination type of heel group. the group will consist of Henry, Titus O'Neil, and maybe Big Zeke with Washington taking over on the mic. A tag team, and the Worlds Strongest Man....

You know I'm not sure about this either. Sure he is good on the mic but I thought Henry was fine by himself even with the steady decline post-world championship. I'm not sure how AW can enhance Mark Henry's career. Tbh dude can be annoying.

So, I guess you guys missed this post I made, earlier...

You need to think of it this way, though... Henry may not need it but maybe Washington does. I think this is a big pat on the back to Henry who could possibly give a reverse effect to his (probable) new manager in Abe Washington.

In today's pro-wrestling world, the purpose of managers isn't just to get their wrestlers over; nowadays, managers need their counterparts to get THEM over.

Once again, it's not always about the manager supporting and enhancing his/her wrestler. Sometimes, it's the other way around. Abe needs a strong entity to get his foot in the door on the mainstream WWE programs. Who better to do that than Mark Henry?

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Honestly I didn't realize it was Abraham Washington, its hard to recognize the guy without Tony Atlas' hearty laughter.

I have nothing against him being the manager of Henry and there is no doubt the guy is a good talker and could add something to Henry's character. I don't really think its necessary for Henry, although not a great talker he does enough to get by and has been doing fine on his own since his last heel turn. Still though, having a great mouthpiece can do stuff for Henry and will make his job of getting over a lot easier than by himself.

I agree with you D-Man that it does more for Abraham Washington than it does for Henry, having a guy like Henry is a good way to introduce him to the crowd as he isn't known as a manager, or even at all to much of the crowd. Its a good way to get him on camera and start off his managerial career. Even though it may not do tons for Henry is could certainly help other stars in the future.

 

[Remix]

Wasington is... an interesting guy. He's utter dogshit in the ring, terrible as a commentator and his show sucked ass. However, his one saving grace is that the man can flat out talk. Don't believe me? Behold, the viewing globe Rangers.

[youtube]cWSA616qmCU[/youtube]

So yeah Abe is a good fit for a managerial role since that's all he can do effectively.

As for Abe now, if he's going to be a manager, I don't believe Henry should be his only client and he shouldn't be aiming at recruiting a large number of wrestlers who aren't doing a lot or can't cut a promo. He should be used as a medium to indroduce new guys once Henry has gotten him established with Ace and the audience. Next week (or on SD) let's see Abe negotiate with Ace to get him a shot at Punk's title at Extreme Rules, perhaps piss off Punk a little. That sort of thing. Once his credentials as a manager have been sufficiently put over have him talk about a new client (or clients, if you want to go the tag team route) he's got, but not name him. Hype him up a lot to Ace, the audience and negotiate the new client to debut in a big match on PPV (let's say Leo Kruger competing for the IC title at Summerslam) and Abe's guy winning that match with a little outside help. Essentially use Abe as a tool to help new guys get over early and have then arrive in a different way to NXT or video packages. It could also allow for multiple guys to be hped at the same time (let's say while Abe is hyping Leo, WWE start airing packages for Dean Ambrose).

Or he could just be used like your common or garden manager. Either would work.

So yeah, there's scope for Abe to be a valuable, or at least useful guy in the near future, because god knows being a manager is all he's good for.

 

[Maximus9000]

I agree with the other poster who said that this could be the beginnings of a future stable, so I like the idea. Henry doesn't need a manager at all as he has proven himself a lot and is one of the few big guys who can actually wrestle and sell, but it will be good for Washington and perhaps the new stable could contain Henry, a tag team pairing, another singles competitor and maybe even a female wrestler (sorry, hate the term "diva").

 

[Peoples_Champ]

You need to think of it this way, though... Henry may not need it but maybe Washington does. I think this is a big pat on the back to Henry who could possibly give a reverse effect to his (probable) new manager in Abe Washington.

In today's pro-wrestling world, the purpose of managers isn't just to get their wrestlers over; nowadays, managers need their counterparts to get THEM over.

I was thinking this too. I was rewatching some WM highlights in the past couple weeks and I forgot how much of a catalyst a manager can be. Just being seen with Bobby Heenan turned Andre into a heel. Every wrestler Heenan managed had increased credibility, even the lower midcard guys. Having a good talker like Washington give witty promos could help build interest in a Mark Henry match (which had been waning, at least prior to him beating the WWE Champ last night). I don't think Mark Henry needs help delivering the intense promos, but then again, that's probably not what AW is there for.

Managers and valets are so under utilized, I would love to see them make a comeback. Someone like Vickie Guerrero could take some of the lower midcarders from Raw and Smackdown and get them exposure in Dolph & Ziggler matches. Hell, she could go to NXT and say she's recruiting, helping the enhancement talent get noticed.

The only question I have is if this means Mark Henry got re-signed. I know there was talk about him not continuing with the WWE because of injuries and whatnot. I would love to see Henry get another title run and begin to ensure his spot in the WWE HOF. Having a talker like AW can definitely help him get some more attention.

 

[The Crock]

I was happy to see this on Raw last night. I've always liked Abraham Washington and pairing him with Mark Henry could work very well -- for both men. I understand that Mark Henry doesn't really need a manager, but this adds a different dimension to him as a character, he'll have a mouthpiece; Mark Henry can come off looking even more dangerous if all he does is smash people, while Washington does the talking. The effect on Washington will be clear, he'll have one of the top guys on the roster in his corner, he'll have that association to build off of. This is an effective way to bring Abraham Washington back up to the main roster and immediately give him something to do; Washington won't have to toil on NXT, like so many others in his position have to.

Storyline-wise, having Mark Henry in his corner will also be a potential bargaining chip Washington can use to gain the services of other wrestlers on the roster, if need be. Washington can either use Henry as the centerpiece of a stable of sorts or as his lone client, but I definitely think this is heading toward a stable. A good stable that can dominate across both rosters will definitely be an interesting story to follow, if they choose to head in that direction. Nexus was one of the best things running not too long ago and if they can replicate that level of dominance, but with more established guys -- they'll be on to something.

Regardless of what happens from here on out, I like that the WWE brought Abraham Washington back up in a managerial capacity. Washington's got some real talent and I'm excited to see how it is applied. Furthermore, I'm interested in seeing if Washington appears on Smackdown and goes after more talent or if Mark Henry is the main prize he is after. Good on the WWE for actually getting me interested in this, especially since it was on such a stacked Raw and had barely any TV time.

 

[Diet Soda]

In today's pro-wrestling world, the purpose of managers isn't just to get their wrestlers over; nowadays, managers need their counterparts to get THEM over.

True, it's essentially what David Otunga has been doing recently, but riding the coat-tails of the GM rather than a wrestler.

 

[jameswalsh292]

Im just glad that it seems as though creative has found something for Henry. I have to admit that I have been really enjoying his character over the last year. I was getting worried when he was in the raw v smackdown match as I was hoping he would of had his own storyline.

It does seem as though creative has plans for Henry. He looked great against Punk on Raw. If he does intend to leave WWE in the next few months expect him to be built up strong only to be destroyed by Brock in his last match. (witch i hope does not happen as I want Henry to stay).

Good for washington to be associated with an over superstar.

Ice Tigers are What? Go

 

[DirtyD79]

I can see Washington being a little bit like a modern Slick, with a stable of big men to back up his talk. Especially some of the FCW guys when they come up to the main roster, they can be presented as "finds" of Abe's...

I think that would be a good way to use him and debut new heels. You can also turn them face by having them turn against him. Just don't bring back those god awful talk show segments.

 

[The Eighties]

I don't think Henry needs a manager but at the same time I don't think it would hurt his act, it certainly seems as if he's getting a renewed push after last nights Raw and the manager angle will be something fresh for him.