Lack of Managers??

[CCIV]

Anybody else feel the WWE needs the next Jimmy Hart and Bobby Heenan?? There has got to be a couple of guys on the indies who are right for these roles. You've got too many wrestlers in the WWE who are just lost in the shuffle in my opinion who could desperately use a manager. Plus the manager storylines were always cool to me. We need a face manager and a heel manager (other than Heyman) and let them fight for their clients opportunities and title shots. The Managers meetings with the shows GM and Commish would replace the awful backstage fake cell phone interruptions and might actually mean something. I don't want Hart or Heenan imitators. The new generation manager has to move and talk in their own style. Off the top of my head a Stroman, Sheamus, Corbin desperately need a manager. A Zayn, Cesaro, Crews could use the boost on the face side. The manager storylines create tag teams and survivor series
teams and on and on.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

Managers used to add a lot to the product, it's a shame they seem to be basically banned from WWE altogether. The death of kayfabe is huge part of it sadly. It's not believable that a wrestler would have a manager or an agent that acommpanies them to the ring. Case in point, Heyman is referred to ad nauseum as Lesnar's advocate.

Aside from charities and products, what individual person has an advocate? Who has managers and agents? Athletes.

We can all agree that managers can act as heat magnets for those unable (or not ready) to garner their own heat. The challenge with managers is that they're generally intelligent and non-coachable presences backstage.

Look at Jim Cornette or even Paul Heyman. A manager acts as a second mind who might question input from WWE's higher ups, which is stupid. WWE are primarily looking for coachable talent, aka yes men.

I'd say the death of kayfabe and a long tradition of intelligent and outspoken managers have left the role kind of in the dust. Imagine how much better certain talent would be if the had management. Apollo Crews might not be getting a jobber entrance during a Curt Hawkins segment.

 

[nwocongo]

We can all agree that managers can act as heat magnets for those unable (or not ready) to garner their own heat. The challenge with managers is that they're generally intelligent and non-coachable presences backstage.

Look at Jim Cornette or even Paul Heyman. A manager acts as a second mind who might question input from WWE's higher ups, which is stupid. WWE are primarily looking for coachable talent, aka yes men.

I think you hit the nail on the head. The higher ups feel that the need for managers is gone, which is dumb as hell. I used to hate Jim Cornette and Harvey Wippleman so much as a kid I couldn't look away, they added so much to the table.

I feel like There are several guys who would serve better the company as managers right now. For all intensive purposes Enzo and Xavier Woods are managers in my eyes (they can talk but are the shits in the ring). Instead of being in the spot of the useless third commentator couldn't Saxton or Otunga act as managers for someone? It's a shame they don't utilize things that have always been a staple of the wrasslin business .

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I think you hit the nail on the head. The higher ups feel that the need for managers is gone, which is dumb as hell. I used to hate Jim Cornette and Harvey Wippleman so much as a kid I couldn't look away, they added so much to the table.

I feel like There are several guys who would serve better the company as managers right now. For all intensive purposes Enzo and Xavier Woods are managers in my eyes (they can talk but are the shits in the ring). Instead of being in the spot of the useless third commentator couldn't Saxton or Otunga act as managers for someone? It's a shame they don't utilize things that have always been a staple of the wrasslin business .

Well first off, Xavier and Enzo are competent in the ring. Not great, but in Xavier's case he doesn't wrestle often so he rarely gets to showcase his talent and in Enzo's case he has only been wrestling for like 4 years. WWE literally signed him despite having no in ring experience. I do agree that they do feel like managers though. They are both terrific hype men for their respective teams.

Secondly, how could you hate Wippleman? The guy was so non menacing, even for me as a kid I just found him annoying more than hateable. Maybe it was because outside of that brief run where he played a doctor alongside Sid and his relationship with Bertha Faye, he didn't really see success for his clients.

To answer the original question, I think managers can be effective, especially as heels. You just have to make sure they don't overshadow their client, which can be very difficult. Just look at Rusev and Lana. Rusev is good in the ring and underrated on the mic, but people often clamor for Lana during their matches. Same with Del Rio and Ricardo when they were paired up. Ricardo did a lot of get Del Rio heat, but once they split people wanted Ricardo back. It happened to an extent in NXT with Blake and Murphy when they were with Alexa. You also have to make sure the manager isn't just there to stand around. Arm candy doesn't really work well anymore. Remember when Cesaro first came up and was paired with Aksana? I mostly remember her just standing around during his matches. She didn't add much to his character. So yeah, they can be effective, but with today's "smart" crowds they often overshadow the talent they manage.

 

[nwocongo]

Well first off, Xavier and Enzo are competent in the ring. Not great, but in Xavier's case he doesn't wrestle often so he rarely gets to showcase his talent and in Enzo's case he has only been wrestling for like 4 years. WWE literally signed him despite having no in ring experience. I do agree that they do feel like managers though. They are both terrific hype men for their respective teams.

Secondly, how could you hate Wippleman? The guy was so non menacing, even for me as a kid I just found him annoying more than hateable. Maybe it was because outside of that brief run where he played a doctor alongside Sid and his relationship with Bertha Faye, he didn't really see success for his clients.

To answer the original question, I think managers can be effective, especially as heels. You just have to make sure they don't overshadow their client, which can be very difficult. Just look at Rusev and Lana. Rusev is good in the ring and underrated on the mic, but people often clamor for Lana during their matches. Same with Del Rio and Ricardo when they were paired up. Ricardo did a lot of get Del Rio heat, but once they split people wanted Ricardo back. It happened to an extent in NXT with Blake and Murphy when they were with Alexa. You also have to make sure the manager isn't just there to stand around. Arm candy doesn't really work well anymore. Remember when Cesaro first came up and was paired with Aksana? I mostly remember her just standing around during his matches. She didn't add much to his character. So yeah, they can be effective, but with today's "smart" crowds they often overshadow the talent they manage.

I was a little harsh on Woods, he isn't spectacular or anything but he isn't terrible his mic and trombone skills just overshadow anything he does in the ring, I stand by Enzo being garbage, he may be able to improve over time but I haven't seen it yet.

My reason for hating Wippleman, I didn't like how he and Kim Chee treated Kamala and I didn't like when he was fucking with Fink. I was a dumb little kid and he was a heel, dumb little kids irrationally hate heels, simple as that.

Definitely agree with you about managers outshining the talent. I know he wasn't technically a manager, but look at how much more over Sandow was than the Miz during that angle.

 

[enviousdominous]

I see it as a risky game when you try to invest in the potential of a hot-shot manager. Ideally, you would have a character who's so over-the-top that they can generate buzz on their own and thus share that buzz with a struggling newcomer. Once the newbie finds his or her footing, they can transition away from their manager and the manager can move onto someone else. The risk involved is -- as was pointed out already -- that some managers become too charismatic on their own to allow anyone to recognize the talents of their clientele. If you're stuck with one of those, then the whole investment has been for shit.

I think what we miss is the kind of manager who would draw the kind of heat that made you hate them as much as you respected them. Paul Heyman is too charismatic to qualify as a "bad guy", I would say that he's far from that status. Maybe if Miz decides to hang up the boots early, he could play a manager who ends up scamming his performers or pulls a Dixie Carter when he sells a performer's contract to another manager.

On the flip-side, we haven't had a manager like Miss Elizabeth (rest her soul) since she left the WWF. A face manager who can bring out the softer side of a hard-nosed heel.

Blah, I'm hambre. I'm gonna' eat some memberberries.

 

[Radical]

I think WWE is missing managers and more teams and factions for that matter, but that's for a different conversation.

In WWE you never say never so I think managers could come back to WWE a little more in time and it could be a very good thing.

I do not think it is bad for some wrestlers to have managers. Obviously a manager has to be a person who can talk on the mic and evoke a response from the crowd.

I miss the days of great managers like Bobby Heenan, Jimmy Hart and I don't care what they want us to call Heyman but he is a damn manager and he's a damn good one.

I think what is kind of happening in WWE now is they realize they want even would-be our could-be managers to be able to go in the ring. This is where you get guys like Enzo and Xavier Woods who could be managers but they also perform in the ring. Maybe that's not such a bad thing. But there is something missing a little if there aren't some older managers who can tend to garner more credibility because of their years of experience.

For me, the thing is, there never was a LOT of managers in WWE. In the Attitude Era there were hardly any that I can think of because the AE was heavy on factions and teams and The Corporation vs others. So if there were any managers it was basically Vince and his other suit lackeys.

Even look at a guy like Steven Richards who started as a manager for Right to Censor but fairly soon after he started wrestling with them too. Kind of like Xavier Woods with New Day. I think that's kind of the new way of having managers.

However, traditional managers still have a place in WWE. I thought Zeb Colter was a good manager for Jack Swagger and then with the Real Americans. And that wasn't all that long ago.

So it's not as if there was ever a ton of managers in WWE, but I think its important for WWE to keep the door open for managers when it can be very useful. If a wrestler isn't great on the mic, give them a manager. Doesn't mean the wrestler can't talk but they don't have to talk as much and then they can slowly and surely develop their mic skills while still being put over by their manager.

Just thinking in the current WWE of who might or could use some sort of managers:

Titus O'Neil - Personally, not very interested in his character. I think he needs a reinvention of his look but I think having an agent or manager would be helpful. The manager and agent could generate heat for him and deflect and spin the fallout from losses instead of the pretty uninteresting press conferences he is doing now.

For Titus O'Neil I'm really not sure what they even what out of him but I don't think a manager could hurt.

Vaudvillains (Gotch & English) - They are alright on the mic themselves but I think a manager would help. In fact, a manager the type of guy on their entrance video with a long mega-phone and a loud voice could do the kind of circus side show hype shtick that could help generate more reaction from the crowd especially before and during a match.

Baron Corbin - Again, another guy who isn't that bad on the mic but having a more expressive and dynamic manager could help him gain more credibility and attention. Corbin could use a manager who really sings the praises of Corbin's abilities. I mean, the guy is a former NFL player so he could get a manger who is like an agent of his reminding everyone his athletic abilities and attitude.

The good thing about a manager is someone's early career is it gives them more avenues for storylines and ultimately excuses for when they eventually do lose matches. The star athlete can blame their manager and reinvigorate their mean streak in the eyes of the audience and either get a new/better manager or go solo.



Again, there never was a LOT of managers in WWE so a few more could be a good thing. You can also basically say Lana, Bob Backlund and Paul Heyman are managers. Despite what the WWE may want us to believe those characters play the role of managers for their counterparts.


The only other ones who might use managers is The Ascension but there have been already so many things wrong with how they've been handled there isn't much that can be salvaged there until they are kind of repackaged with a purpose or make a big jump to join a faction that actually gets some credibility.

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

Vanilla Midget makes a great point about the possibility for lack of managers being the "death of kayfabe". Looking at the roster Heyman is called Lesnar's "advocate", Backlund is called Young's "life coach", and Lana is Rusev's wife. Then you have guys like Enzo, Woods, and Bray that wrestle with their partners as well as manage them. I don't recall wwe using the word "manager" to describe any of them, though I tend to ignore the commentary as much as possible.

One would think with the absence of charisma/mic skills/"larger than life" appeal, the new generation lacks, wwe would be all for managers.

1-3 more managers should be added to the roster, men and WOMEN(NOT A VALET!) would be great.
The Ascension,Vaudevillians, Nia Jax, and Titus being given managers could be that little fix to their gimmick that they need to be relevant.
Then there are guys like Neville, Cesaro, and Crews who are amazingly gifted, but lack mic skills/intrigue, which with the right manager could cover for.

*Also, maybe someone knows what I am talking about and can tell me what happpen?*:
I remember there was a report last year of a woman in a mask managing someone on nxt live events. Can't remember who they were, but I was intrigued. It was something different, sadly it seems like that idea was nixed.

 

[FromGlasgow]

I completely agree about needing more managers in wrestling and thought this for a long time, Theres so many wrestlers on the roster right now who could benefit from a manager and having someone to talk for them, Managers like Heenan, Albano and Blassie etc used to bring so much to a match back in the day theres loads of heels who wouldn't have been even half as effective without the managers talking for them difficult to imagine someone as great as Andre the Giant turning heel around 1987 without having Bobby Heenan there with him, Whenever talented managers where involved the storylines seem to just write themselves so I can't understand why WWE have almost turned their back on the manager days.