I was lookin at the product of both WWE and TNA and i realize that there is literally NO managers anymore. What happened?! I think managers are or at least WERE a major part of the business. Think about it all of the great Tag Teams had a manager to help get them over. It was like that one voice would speak for both men and get them over together. The same goes for single competitors. If you have a guy with the look, in-ring skill, and charisma he just lacks the mic work...insert manager and you have the next Sycho Sid, Andre the Giant, Yokozuna, hell even The Undertaker and Hulk Hogan had managers. You could even have Managerial Stables (i.e.), The Heenan Family or Million Dollar Inc. Think what a manager would to to the Tag Team Division now. Every great Tag Team used managers to get there. Who do you feel could use the benefit of a manager right now Singles or Tag Team?
What happened to Managers in Pro Wrestling?
- Thread starter Pone
- Start date
Having managers doesn't necessarily mean every team cheat's to win, but it helps to give different finishes for matches instead of the same ol ones. It gives talent with little to no mic skills a chance to shine cause there managers do the talking. (Like the great Khali in WWE), and if giving the right managers they can teach them the mic skills needed. I love having Managers in the wrestling biz, but they are few and far between.
XgringolocoX
Championship Contender
Managers don't exist anymore for a couple reasons.
1) Money. If the wrestler does the talkin there's no need to pay an extra guy.
2) Lack of talanted people.
Sure there are a few managers around, but are they any good? Flair is ok, as long as he doesn't bust a blood vessel during a promo. The others are kinda ho-hum. Khali's manager sucked. Natalya is doing just fine in the Hart Dynasty...but she belongs there anyway. There's not a manager today that I can point to and say they're awesome!
I don't expect this aspect of the business to change anytime soon.
1) Money. If the wrestler does the talkin there's no need to pay an extra guy.
2) Lack of talanted people.
Sure there are a few managers around, but are they any good? Flair is ok, as long as he doesn't bust a blood vessel during a promo. The others are kinda ho-hum. Khali's manager sucked. Natalya is doing just fine in the Hart Dynasty...but she belongs there anyway. There's not a manager today that I can point to and say they're awesome!
I don't expect this aspect of the business to change anytime soon.
Managers, unfortunately, are a dying breed. Guys like Jimmy Hart, Bobby Heenan, Paul Heyman, Sherri Martel, Freddie Blassie, etc all got their guys over. The guys they worked with all learned how to talk and eventually branched out on their own. I think they should be used more often. When used properly, they can get a guy noticed. Hell even in Evolution, Flair and HHH helped Orton and Batista learn how to connect with a crowd and got them noticed. A young guy having a mouthpiece doesn't ever hurt.
goldbergiswrestling
Pre-Show Stalwart
you do have managers here and there every once in a while but its rare, u had Tony Atlas with Mark Henry, but befoer that the last one I remember was Paul Heyman, and he did good with everybody he was paired with, look how quickly brock rose with Paul as his manager. and he did great work with Angle and with the dudleys
i think the majority of the reason for not having managers anymore is no one has the "it" factor of a manager. wwe has gone the route of valet's as opposed to managers. the whole reason for having a manager is either to be a mouthpiece or to garner heat/response for the wrestler. if people are too focus on the body of the "manager" then it tajes away from everything else. tony atlas really made no sense at all as he can't really work the mic, and i'd argue that he could even work too well in the ring. in my opinion, tony atlas was almost like an ahmed johnson for his time, big guy, decent wrestler, but no real flash.
Spidey Revivey
Porn is okay here long as it ain't dudes.
Managers are a rare find, but I assure you there are many examples of them in WWE and especially TNA that ppl over-look.
Khali's manager (what's-his-name), Atlas helped Mark Henry, (valet-turned-champion) Melina had Morrison and Mercury, etc. I believe WWE is trancending the use of managers to actual competitors now. In a way SES manage CM Punk tho he can definitely speak for himself. It's just there isn't much use for a manager unless WWE is pushing talent that is athletic but not charismatic.
Last time I watched TNA they had managers plenty. Nasty Boys (now gone) had legendary manager Jimmy Hart. Sinister Minister once managed Abyss not Hogan is working w him. Valets, partners, etc are not in short supply here.
Khali's manager (what's-his-name), Atlas helped Mark Henry, (valet-turned-champion) Melina had Morrison and Mercury, etc. I believe WWE is trancending the use of managers to actual competitors now. In a way SES manage CM Punk tho he can definitely speak for himself. It's just there isn't much use for a manager unless WWE is pushing talent that is athletic but not charismatic.
Last time I watched TNA they had managers plenty. Nasty Boys (now gone) had legendary manager Jimmy Hart. Sinister Minister once managed Abyss not Hogan is working w him. Valets, partners, etc are not in short supply here.
I think there is one simple reason as to why we don't have managers anymore, and that is simply because Vince McMahon doesn't see the use in them.
They were handy for him to give new wrestlers for Hogan to fight a nudge up the card but, when they went to Raw, it became more a case of guys being able to talk was the way to go and, as has usually been the case, all the other companies followed suit and, sadly, after Jimmy Cornette and Paul Bearer are finished I don't think there'll be much chance of them ever making a major level impact on wrestling again, which is a shame as so many guys could benefit from them
They were handy for him to give new wrestlers for Hogan to fight a nudge up the card but, when they went to Raw, it became more a case of guys being able to talk was the way to go and, as has usually been the case, all the other companies followed suit and, sadly, after Jimmy Cornette and Paul Bearer are finished I don't think there'll be much chance of them ever making a major level impact on wrestling again, which is a shame as so many guys could benefit from them
The point of managers is not, nor has it ever been, to be the mouthpiece of a wrestler. They are a relic from the territories days when the wrestlers would move around the country as they got stale in a region, and the managers would stay put so that debting heels kept their heat. The same went in the 1980s, when all a gy had to do to be perceived as a threat to Hulk Hogan was be managed by Bobby Heenan. Wrestlers have to get themselves over now, and generally speaking heels are no longer generic muscle men with an axe to grind. Managers will never come back, because there's no point. People are around long enough to get themselves over now, and there's no point in paying people to do it for them. Imagine how diluted CM Punk would be if he came to the ring with Slick Johnson or something.
BillAlfonso
Getting Noticed By Management
First, read my user name to see how I feel about this. Now, managers are definitely necessary because some guys just don't have it. If Batista hasn't improved his mic skills after all these years, he never will.
Ruthless-RKO
F*ck Friends, Rather die wiv ma AK!
great thread..
10 years ago, every wrestler had a manager...well not everyone, you know what i mean....most managers for heels helped them cheat, now heels cheat for themselves, others just used to talk, have good mic skills, now we don't see managers like we used to...they used to really get involved in the feuds...im talking about female valets as well..
i'm guessing just like many other things in pro wrestling, managers is just a thing of the past...its been phased out...
10 years ago, every wrestler had a manager...well not everyone, you know what i mean....most managers for heels helped them cheat, now heels cheat for themselves, others just used to talk, have good mic skills, now we don't see managers like we used to...they used to really get involved in the feuds...im talking about female valets as well..
i'm guessing just like many other things in pro wrestling, managers is just a thing of the past...its been phased out...
