Underrated Managers

[justtxyank]

So the thread about Heenan v Heyman got me thinking about this. Normally manager discussions always involve those two with Jim Cornette thrown in and then a 22 year old mentioning The Grand Wizard like he actually saw him, or Freddie Blassie, etc.

But forget all of those guys. Who are some guys you consider to be underrated? Set aside the great ones and let's think about some managers who were outstanding but have never gotten credit.

First one for me is Col. Robert Parker. Guy was a heat magnet in the South, but to most of the modern audience he is probably best remembered as the loser Tennessee Lee in the WWF with Jeff Jarrett. But Robert Fuller was a heat machine. The Stud Stable, both in regional promotions and WCW, was a lot of fun.

 

[WBL]

I don't think Don Callis gets a ton of respect for the role he played in a couple federations. Starting out in the WWE as leader of the Truth Commission... yeah, the Truth Commission was useless, but YOU try doing something with Bull Buchanan, Kurrgan and Mantaur.

Later on, he kept Kurrgan on as part of the Oddities with Silva and John "Earthquate" Tenta, but got booted out when the frigging ICP decided to do what they always do, before managing the team that would eventually be known as the Acolytes, who would eventually be known as A.P.A., who would eventually be known as JBL and DAMN.

Then he did what he could in later-day ECW, portraying a symbol of Heyman's problems with TNN as Cyrus the Virus, a network executive, where he formed a stable with Steve Corino, Jack Victory, Tajiri and Rhyno.

Tna blah blah blah Erik Watts blah blah blah

After managing some pretty decent names, I'm surprised we don't hear more about him.

 

[The Butcher]

Harvey Whippleman (that's Dr. Harvey Whippleman to you) was a personal favorite. Great for his time, for sure, as he was a good fit for cartoon characters like Bully Busick, Adam Bomb, and Giant Gonzalez. I especially enjoyed his run with Sid. As I said in a Sid thread a while back, I always liked him despite his many flaws, but I failed to credit Harvey for being an able mouthpiece that could cover for Sid. At least Harvey knew when a promo was live or pre-taped. The fact that Whippleman was an ugly, troll-like little man also made for a good visual presentation when he was paired with leviathans like Sid, Bomb, and Gonzalez.

Spoiler

I'd definitely say Harvey is underrated.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

I'm going to go with James J. Dillon. Dillon was every bit as solid on the mic during the 80s and provided a lot of heat for guys like Buddy Landel, Black Bart, and Tully Blanchard well before he became the manager for The Four Horsemen. He may not have been as loud and scathing as guys like Cornette and Heenan, but to my mind, he was the original "Authority". He was that guy in the business suit that you just absolutely loathed and you instantly hated any guy with him. I think Dillon's largely forgotten because so much of the focus was on guys like Flair and Arn Anderson, who really didn't need a spokesman anyways, but Dillon was excellent.

 

[Wolf Pac]

I loved Oscar of Men On A Mission. He complimented the team very well. Mabel and Mo weren't spectacular wrestlers in the ring, but Oscar could get the fans on their side and chant for them during matches. His raps in MOM's entrances were crowd-pleasing.

Also, Joel Gertner. He was brilliant on the mic and very popular with his sexual innuendo limericks. Along with The Dudleyz, he could get under the crowd's skin and nearly cause them to riot. He could also take a beating for the team e.g the Total Elimination from The Eliminators, which forced him to wear the infamous neckbrace. Don't know why he still continues to wear it though, lol.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

I always enjoyed Slick (or the reverend Slick as he was later called). Managing the likes of Akeem, Big Boss Man, Warlord , Power and Glory and Kamala among others, he was a genuine heat magnet. He made me as a kid genuinely hate the wrestlers that he managed with his schtick. Today I wish that there were more managers like him

 

[FlairFan2003]

I'm going to go with James J. Dillon. Dillon was every bit as solid on the mic during the 80s and provided a lot of heat for guys like Buddy Landel, Black Bart, and Tully Blanchard well before he became the manager for The Four Horsemen. He may not have been as loud and scathing as guys like Cornette and Heenan, but to my mind, he was the original "Authority". He was that guy in the business suit that you just absolutely loathed and you instantly hated any guy with him. I think Dillon's largely forgotten because so much of the focus was on guys like Flair and Arn Anderson, who really didn't need a spokesman anyways, but Dillon was excellent.

JJ Dillon Under rated ?? On who's list ??? I haven't seen a discussion that stretches back before 1990 that doesn't have Dillon near the top of the list of best managers.

 

[Cena Is A Punk Rocker]

I'm gonna throw out a couple names. Gary Hart and Harley Race. Gary Hart was a very underrated heel manager, in my opinion, And Race was by Vaders side during his most dominant period.
So those would be two for me.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

JJ Dillon Under rated ?? On who's list ??? I haven't seen a discussion that stretches back before 1990 that doesn't have Dillon near the top of the list of best managers.

Your name belies your bias, FlairFan.

Dillon's been forgotten by a couple of generations of wrestling fans who hear the names Heenan, Cornette, Heyman, and Hart over and over, but you very rarely hear Dillon's name come up in the conversation. Again, part of that is because it's really easy being the front man for a guy like Ric Flair, though that's hardly scratches the surface of the guys he managed. Hell, I've seen the Grand Wizard brought up recently! Dillon's just not that manager that people think of when great managers comes up in conversation, and that's a shame, because he was awesome in the role.

 

[justtxyank]

Most of the generations that will be on this site will have no reference point for jj Dillon outside of his time as the befuddled commissioner of wcw.

Another name I'll throw out is john tolos. Maybe you remember him as the coach in the wwf, but the golden Greek was a talented manager that also had a run in herbs uwf.

 

[No Count Pup]

Johnny Polo had a brief run with the Quebecers. He actually made those two idiotas fun to watch! JP was also a great corner man at WrestleMania X opposite Oscar. Managing the Tag Team Champions on that stage is pretty darn cool in my book.

Of course his legacy as a manager was overshadowed by an acclaimed wrestling career. The guy had range!

 

[Makaveli31]

I would say Sunny (Tammy Lynn Sytch) she was much more manager than valet ( a al Liz, Sable, etc....) she generated SO MUCH heat during the New Generation Era jumping from the Bodydonnas to the Godwinns to the Smoking Gunns playing the role of managing gold digger. She got physically involved in storylines (like getting slopped by the Goddwinns) and never shied away from using her sexuality to 'get what she wants". She was more than just eye candy. She had personality.

It's too bad McMahon and Russo dumped her in favor of talentless Rena Mero/Lesnar. Sunny could've been managment gold with her look and mic skills.

 

[Pedigree1]

I love Harvey Whippleman! He was such a slimy weasel that literally you wanted to slap him.. But a very underrated manager of his time.. Guys like Sid,adam Bomb from Three Mile Island,and the late Giant Gonzalez.. He did a terrific job with all three.. He made all those guys superstars outside of Sid who was a great big guy.. That damn tuxedo match with Finkel was just pure comedy

 

[Jonyboyuk2]

The top managers are people like Paul Heyman, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Jim Cornette. One of the often missed managers in these discussions is the late Paul Bearer. He managed Undertaker, Rick Rude and Steve Austin in their early careers. Paul was a great manager and added so much. I especially liked his 1997 heel turn; he helped establish Kane as a monster and rebooted the Undertakers career with his part he played in Takers feud with Mankind.

That in mind, there are 2 others who stand out for me; Harvey Whippleman; he was a villian that kind of reminded me of a Batman comic henchman from New York. Good promo man. The other was Mr Fuji. His interference disrupted matches whena babyface was winning and you can't forget his salt throwing and his use of a cane or walking stick when a babyface ran off the ropes and they'd take a shot to the back. Proper villianary behaviour. Also have to remember that Fuji was a great in ring talent too. This is what wrestling lacks these days.

 

[LBGetBack]

Sunny. She was very charismatic, great mic skills, great reactions.....both her arrogance when things were going well and her flipping out when they weren't were always on the mark and entertaining. Obviously she was great to look at back then too.

She was never given much to work with though as far as successful wrestlers getting pushed. She had the run of bouncing around from tag champs to tag champs and briefly had the LOD, but no real singles run. Would've liked to see her get to manage at least an IC champ, if not a main eventer. And I also think she could have been incredible in the Attitude Era.....she was really only around for the first few months of it and her role had been lessened by that point.

Would've loved to see her involved in major angles from 98-01. As good as she was in the safer 1995-96 era, I think her character would've fit into the attitude era very well. It's a shame that her career went the path that it did.

 

[The Boss]

George "The Animal" Steele's "Mine". This strange individual was the perfect match to the strange Steele. From it's bald head, green tongue and furry body he was practically Steele's twin. Perhaps that is why George felt Mine to be trustworthy. Clearly George appreciated Mine's advice. I'm not really sure on what level he heard Mine but George always responded with "nice".

And let's not over look Mine's big secret. Hanging from the top rope as he always did, Mine was able to get closer to the action than any other manager. As a result George no doubt was able to better hear the instructions of his manager.

And then their was Mine's business sense. In the era where merchandising was becoming very lucrative, Mine got George his first unique piece of merchandise - a stuffed animal of himself! Now George no longer had to rely on just being one of many figures or T-shirts. He now had his own peace of merchandise from which to make money.