What Happen To The Great Managers Of Wrestling ?

[Karl Kox]

     I watch wrestling now and I think what happend to the Managers in wrestling ? How did they fade from great wrestling personalites, to Divas , to not being around at all ?  I think thats one of the things thats missing from the business today.  Think back of all the great managers over the years like Freddie Blassie, Lou Albano, the great Bobby Heenan, Gary Hart, Jim Cornnette, Jimmy Hart, The Genius, Harvey Wippleman, Mr. Fuji, the great Percy Pringle III, Sherri Martel, and Slick.  There is not one manager now days that is even comparable to any of these guys. I can't even really think of any managers at all now to tell you the truth.  I think it is kinda sad. Managers used to play a very important roll in getting  wrestlers over.  Look at what Bobby Heenan did for the Andre  Hogan feud at
Wrestlemainia III, and the role Elizabeth played in the Hogan  Macho feud at Wrestlemainia 5.   They used to put managers with wrestlers who may not be good on the microphone, or who just need to add a little something to their character.  Then some how managers changed. It went from guys like Jim Cornette, to Divas like Women, and Trish Stratus . And now they are gone completely.  In a way I have to blame it on Vince McMahon. I feel he thinks he needs to make wrestling more appealing with good looking women.  The fact is if you don't like wrestling , you simply don't like it.  If anything he has turned people away from it.

     I don't know about you guys but I really miss the promos of guys like Bobby Heenan, and Jim Cornette.  Will Managers make a come back ?  I  hope so.
   

[ATHEIST]

i remember so many good ones. Mr Fuji, Cornette with his tennis racket, Jimmy Hart and a whole bunch of others

[mass 04]

I think a lot of the guys today could benefit from one. Shelton for example is one of the most athletic and entertaining guys on the roster but isn't that great on the mic though he has improved. Give him a mouthpiece and he could be in the title picture.

[leonp1981]

I think a lot of the guys today could benefit from one. Shelton for example is one of the most athletic and entertaining guys on the roster but isn't that great on the mic though he has improved. Give him a mouthpiece and he could be in the title picture.

Agreed.  I'd like to see more managers about.  The last one I can remember was Armando Estrada with Umaga.

[Karl Kox]

Agreed.  I'd like to see more managers about.  The last one I can remember was Armando Estrada with Umaga.

he was ok I guess

[leonp1981]

he was ok I guess

He wasn't great by any stretch, but probably the only one worth a mention in the last 5 years.

[Andy Griffin]

    I watch wrestling now and I think what happend to the Managers in wrestling ? How did they fade from great wrestling personalites, to Divas , to not being around at all ?  I think thats one of the things thats missing from the business today.  Think back of all the great managers over the years like Freddie Blassie, Lou Albano, the great Bobby Heenan, Gary Hart, Jim Cornnette, Jimmy Hart, The Genius, Harvey Wippleman, Mr. Fuji, the great Percy Pringle III, Sherri Martel, and Slick.  There is not one manager now days that is even comparable to any of these guys. I can't even really think of any managers at all now to tell you the truth.  I think it is kinda sad. Managers used to play a very important roll in getting  wrestlers over.  Look at what Bobby Heenan did for the Andre  Hogan feud at
Wrestlemainia III, and the role Elizabeth played in the Hogan  Macho feud at Wrestlemainia 5.   They used to put managers with wrestlers who may not be good on the microphone, or who just need to add a little something to their character.  Then some how managers changed. It went from guys like Jim Cornette, to Divas like Women, and Trish Stratus . And now they are gone completely.  In a way I have to blame it on Vince McMahon. I feel he thinks he needs to make wrestling more appealing with good looking women.  The fact is if you don't like wrestling , you simply don't like it.  If anything he has turned people away from it.

     I don't know about you guys but I really miss the promos of guys like Bobby Heenan, and Jim Cornette.  Will Managers make a come back ?  I  hope so.
   

I enjoyed the roles the managers played.  I'm afraid those days can't return, though.  You just can't "go back" on things like this.  I think that is why so many of us on this board are fellows who used to watch wrestling rather than current viewers.  I always liked Boris Malenko's managing The Superstar in Mid-Atlantic and I thought Gary Hart rocked.  Looked like a cool guy.

[Montague]

Nobody really knows how to be a manager anymore…
Primarily because nobody knows how to “work.”

Guys used to be able to draw heat by pulling the good guy’s hair, or blasting him with a bar of soap wrapped in tape and calling it a “foreign object.”

I realize that audiences and their demands have changed and the business has changed with it, but the evolution has seen good storytelling fall by the wayside.

[Ex Coelis]

Bill Alfonso always made me laugh - even his name sounds funny

[Hulkster]

harvey wippleman was not a great manager.

even if he DID manage Warlord for a while. lol