Top 5 Greatest Managers of All Time

[Xemmy]

Please post the managers that make your Top Five. Not just your personal favorites favorites, but those that actually deserve it.

Here are mine.

5. Paul Bearer
Pringle, who worked as both a heel and a babyface during his run in Texas, could talk and had great bug-eyed facial expressions. Those mannerisms, as well as a high-pitched voice, served him well in his role as Bearer. He did most of the talking for The Undertaker throughout the ’90s and also feuded with “The Dead Man” at times. Bearer managed Mankind, and is currently the manager of The World Heavyweight Champion- Kane.

4. Paul E. Dangerously
He made a big impact in the business under his real name (Paul Heyman) as the promoter and creative force of ECW, but Dangerously first made his mark as a heel manager. The fast-talking Dangerously’s promo style was a combination of Jim Cornette and Roddy Piper. His first high-profile run was in WCW as the leader of The Dangerous Alliance, a heel stable that featured Rick Rude, “Stunning” Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, Larry Zbyszko, Bobby Eaton and Madusa. Using his real name in 2002, he served as the mouthpiece for Brock Lesnar, who went on to become WWE champion with Heyman by his side. He's managed several of his former ECW stars on several occasions.

3. "The Mouth of The South" Jimmy Hart
Just when it seemed that the motor-mouthed manager with the loud clothes and high-pitched voice couldn’t be any more annoying, he began carrying around a megaphone shortly after he signed with the WWF in the mid-1980s. The aptly named “Mouth of the South” used the prop as a foreign object to aid his men, and also to get on fans’ nerves with his constant chattering. Before coming to the WWF, Hart had a lengthy run in Memphis as the archrival of Jerry Lawler. Hart managed Andy Kaufman in the comedian’s infamous match against Lawler in 1982, and at various times, he served as the babyface manager of Hulk Hogan.

2.Jim Cornette
He was one of the best promo guys in the history of the business. Thanks in large part to the tennis racket-wielding Cornette, The Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton and later Eaton and Stan Lane) are regarded as one of wrestling’s greatest tag teams. All three wrestlers were accomplished workers, but it was Cornette’s antics and incredible gift of gab that really got the act over. Cornette was able to entertain the fans while also getting under their skin so much that they would buy a ticket in the hopes of seeing him get his comeuppance.

And ofcourse, what list would be complete without....

1.Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

“The Brain” was the man you loved to hate. Thanks to his quick wit, he could make fans laugh while simultaneously getting them to boo him. As former wrestler, Heenan was a great bump-taker as a manager. Heenan, of course, is most known for his run in the WWF, where he managed a number of challengers to Hulk Hogan’s world title, including King Kong Bundy at WrestleMania 2 (1986) and Andre The Giant at WrestleMania III (1987).

So that's my list. What's yours?

 

[thebrownmenace]

5. Mr. Fuji- A great heal manager who adapted to the gimmicks of his wrestlers very well. He sported the face paint with demolition and the powers of pain, and then when he managed Yokozuna he would be dressed up in the kimono. He always knew how to draw heat by becoming involved in the matches at the appropriate times.

4. Sherri Martel- Ted Dibiase, Macho King, Shawn Michaels, and Harlem heat are just a few of the many stars that Sherri managed and she always seemed to fit with whomever she was standing next to. Her role with Shawn Michaels really impressed me because she was able to give him credibility as a fairly unaccomplished singles star. I don't know if Michaels could have been considered a title contender without her help. I think that speaks volumes about her ability to propel young guys into higher levels.

3.Jimmy Hart- This guy knew how to play his part as the loud-mouth annoying manager so well that it made people want to jump the guardrail and choke him with one of his funky colored ties. He was particularly great when he was managing tag teams. So many finishes involved him and his megaphone.

2. Miss Elizabeth- She is primarily linked to the Macho Man and does not really have a very long list of wrestlers she managed, but what is so important about her is the way she was able to draw emotion from the crowds. She was universally adored by both men and women, and story lines were created that completely revolved around her. I remember seeing women absolutely balling at the end of Savage's match with the Warrior at Wrestlemania 7. I do not think she gets enough credit for her impact as a face manager and how important she was at building heat for the heels in main event programs.

1. Bobby Heenan- The Weasel, The Brain, greatest ever-nuff said.

 

[Dyno Kid]

For me these are my picks:

1) Jim Cornette- Funny as hell and was a super heat getter ! Had many run-ins with fans who wanted to kill him !

2) Bobby the Brain- Great manager and announcer, maybe the best ever in WWF history !

3) J.J. Dillion- The perfect fit with the 4 Horsemen plus was a successful manager before that in Florida as well.

4) Gary Hart- He ooozed evil ! Manager of such greats as the Great Kabuki, the Great Muta, Terry Funk, Chris Adams, King Kong Bundy, and the Spoiler to name a few. Very underrated !

5) Jimmy Hart(pre-WWF)-Before he caame to work with Vince in 1985 he was on fire in Memphis as one of the best heel managers in the business from 1980-1985 !! The Hart First family was tremendous and if you haven't seen his work in Memphis then you should go out of your way to find it ! Sadly his work was toned down when he came to work for Vince.

 

[My Couch Pulls Out But I Don't]

Nobody has mentioned Captain Lou Albano. Albano guided 15 different tag teams and four singles competitors to championship gold. How can he not be in someones top 5 let alone #1?

 

[fenfool]

1. Bobby Heenan - Funniest, most sincere heel manager ever. And he was right about Hogan!!!

2. Jim Cornette - Perfected the pacing, foreign object-toting manager role for all followers to try to copy.

3. Jimmy Hart - The enthusiasm of a face, the screaming obnoxiousness of a heel.

4. Mr. Fuji - His facial expressions and tone just created a dark, creepy atmosphere. Like a less cartoon-ish Paul Bearer.

5. Tough call, but I will go with Paul Bearer. His face is like silly putty, it does things the human body should not be able to! And he has survived the passing of the age of managers, which should say something about him.

Honorable mentions to Slick, Paul E & JJ Dillon

 

[In & Out]

# 1

paul ellering - he managed the greatest tag team ever.....literally handling their booking, travel, money, etc.......he wasn't a punk himself and could believably hold his own against any wrestler.

# 2

captain lou albano

who the hell didn't he manage?.......he was like king midas.....if he touched your career it turned to a gold belt.

# 3

mr. fuji

he managed dope wrestlers and he was just hilarious.....i mean think about it....alotta wrestlers have these animated articulate managers to make up for the fact that they themselves are horrible on the mic.....fuji wasn't full of energy and screaming all over the place ....he was calm and mystic and carried himself like a wrestler on the mic well b/c he was a former wrestler and damn good one apparently......his laugh is classic.

# 4

the mouth of the south.....jimmy hart

i wouldn't know where to start or end.......he even made the nasty boys look great for christ's sakes......did they ever look the same w/o him?

# 5

classy freddy blassie

if you don't know about him then you're a pencil neck geek....no flip flop......he managed heels......and yes that would include muhammad ali for anyone who wants to go there.......and for you simpletons who will wikipedia him and see hogan's name just know that hogan was a heel then too buddy.


honorable mentions to colonel robert parker, paul bearer, bobby heenan, jim cornette, aaaaaaaaaaaaand slick

 

[tru_overdose]

while there are tons of great managers in the history of wrestling, if heenan, isnt your clear cut number 1, you really cant be taken seriously. he truly is, unarguably, the best wrestling manager of all time. there just isn't any grey area. nobody comes close.

1 bobby the brain heenan. obviously. he was just great all around. his character, while true to life, was also larger than life. its sad to see him struggling with the cancer.

2. jimmy hart. the mouth of the south. literally. he was phenomenal on the mic. played a great heel manager. thats where i think he was the most golden. i also found his absolutely atrocious jackets to be entertaining.

3. sherri martel. more of a valet than a manager, but im assuming this isnt that specific. shes my favorite female manager because she was just simply good at what she did. interfering/distracting the ref. combined being sexy and being evil and did it easy.

4. jim cornette. he is a complete tool. an absolute prick. yet, you cant really dispute his track record. he managed some of the greatest tag teams of all time. i think for just as many people as he rubbed wrong in his day, he probably helped tons of talents get where they are today.

5.lou albano. this is another guy that was larger than life. i credit him for making wrestling viable to me. had a great look and was a great talker. its a bummer a lot of the younger wrestling fans arent aware of the impact on the popularity of wrestling that he had.

 

[AttitudeAJM]

I'd go with:

5: JJ Dillon - The annoying manager of the 4 horsemen. He did a great job being an annoying shit that you wanted to see get hit in every match.

4: Gary Hart - Without this man, Great Muta wouldn't have the aura he has today. The man was one of the best evil managers ever.

3: Jimmy Hart - The man knew how to get his guys over. Managers played a key role back in the day and Jimmy made sure that he did that without becoming too much of the center of attention.

2: Paul E. Dangerously - Anything Paul touched turned to gold. He legitimized Brock Lesnar and The Big Show in the same year. He plays the evil coward like no one else. Most of all he can pull off sleazy like no one the business has ever seen.

1: Bobby Heenan - The bench mark that all managers should be compared to.

 

[TREE24K]

5. James J. Dillion - managed the single best, most elite stable ever. While this stable were all great talkers in their own, there was actually room for him too. Just based on the fact that this stable DIDN'T need a mouth piece gets him points.

4. Slick - this one is more of a guilty pleasure. While he always had a good stable, I can't recall him actually getting any of them to the "promised land". Never-the-less, he was always entertaining and had the greatest name ever!

3. Paul E. Dangerously - could arguably rival Jimmy Hart for the number two spot and both are the only two that give number one a run for his money. Paul E managed some of the best names in the biz. Hell lets face it, he was more or less the manager for ECW as a whole. What other manager had that credential? One could argue James Cornett but I won't.

2. Jimmy Hart - Was the there ever a more twerpy manager? Oh right, Havery Whippleman. The "Mouth of the South" truly earned his moniker. This guy has managed everybody. Hell, I think he was even my manger for a tic. The megaphone of his has to be the best prop any manager has ever had. Wardrobe was second to none. Always matched which ever talent he was leading out to the ring. And in a lot of cases, several talents a night.

1. Bobby Heenan - the Hulk Hogan of managers. This guy is is hands down the best ever at his craft. More hated then any single wrestler in his stable. In most instances against Hogan, it was Hulk v.s. which ever crony the Brain was getting over that week/ month. Got the jobber Steve Lambardi over as the Brooklyn Brawler. Probably managed more wrestlers in World Title loses than any other manager. Yes the Weasel was truly a legend and since the death of the manager in modern wrestling will very likely never be replaced. Kudos to you Mr. Heenan.

 

[8thwotwATG]

My picks for the 5 greatest managers are as follows:
5: J.J. Dillon. Manager of the four horseman, all of whom could handle themselves on the stick, decent bump taker also.
4:The manager of champions, The Grand Wizard of Wrestling. The late great Ernie Roth, while not a bump taker, was absolute hilarity on the mic, delivering promos that were both intense and direct and to the point in selling his wrestler or a storyline. Also managed the original Shiek as Abdullah Farouk. Mr. Roth was one of the all time greats, a forgotten name of managers. Also managed the one and only Superstar Billy Graham, another talent that didn't need a mouthpiece.
3:Classy Fred Blassie. The man who had once been one of the most hated heels in the history of the wrestling business almost seamlessly made the transition to manager once his career wound down. Blassie was a specialist in managing foreign heels, notably Killer Khan, and of course, the Iron Shiek. his skill on the mic was absolutely instrumental in getting over guys that were not, shall we say, articulate. In my book, Blassie was underated as a manager.
2: Capt. Lou Albano. I almost put "the guiding light" in the #1 spot because he was that damn good as a manager. Albano was hilarious in interviews, he was hilarious in his look, his actions at ringside were always an attention getter and he put wrestlers over the top like no one else did during his prime years. Albano managed some 17 teams to the WWF/E tag titles, Don Muraco to the intercontinenta title, Ivan Koloff to the WWWF championship, and probably a few others that I can't think of right now. In addition to being not only funny as hell, Albano also could be vicious and ruthless in his actions in order to draw fan heat and sympathy for what evr face he was up against. Truly one of the greatest managers in the history of the wrestling business.
1: Bobby "the Brain" Heenan. In the interest of not being redundant, suffice it to say that Bobby Heenan was probably the single greatest manager in wrestling history. Manager of Nick Bockwinkel as AWA champion, manager of a couple dozen guys that went up against Hulk Hogan during his prime years, managed Andre during his heel turn. The benchmark to which all others aspire.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

The same names are being thrown out by everyone here, and I am no execption. You cant look any further than the likes of

Paul Bearer- his character is synonomous with the Undertaker, has has been for a hell of a long time. Plus, he can come back from the dead. What other manager can do that?! lol

Lou Albano- The sheer number of title victories speaks for itself, unbelievable

Jimmy Hart- Iconic, instantly recognisable and has an important role in the career of the biggest star the industry has ever seen

Jim Cornette- The man you wanted to reach through your tv and strangle. He was the perfect heel manager

Sherri- Was a really great manager, and have instant credibility to any young star she managed. She really helped Shawn Michaels when he became a singles wrestler.

It is sad that there is a severe lack of managers in the modern era, as they can really benefit a young wrestler with limited promo skills. So James Mitchell is my pick for the best manager in the modern wrestling business. There is noone that comes close. He is a wonderful talker, and no other manager has ever looked as evil as Mitchell. His cackle and appearance are just pure evil, which is perfect for the role he plays. He really helped out Abyss before Chris Parks was allowed to talk, and without Mitchell I do not think Abyss would have made it as a main eventer. Yes he may not be one of the best ever, but he is the best around now.