The Contentious Ten 04.26.10: Top 10 Managers

The Contentious Ten strikes again!

Strangely enough, as I was going through the archives of this column, John Peters, the initial writer never covered this topic. I find that odd as it is a common topic, especially now in the days were even passable managers are hard to find. You have to go into the indys to find good managers, such as Prince Nana or the outstanding Larry Sweeney. But in days gone by, there were many great managers, and today, I pay homage to the men (yes, men, read the last paragraph and I’ll explain) who managed champions, wrecked havoc in the ring and made us laugh.

Honorable Mentions:

Gary Hart: While Gary Hart’s biggest contribution to wrestling was as a booker for World Class in Texas during the company’s peak years, he was also a highly underrated manager. Whether it was in WCCW or later the NWA where he most famously managed Terry Funk during his feud with Ric Flair, Gary was always a major antagonist to the top babyfaces in whatever promotion he worked in.

James Mitchell: Managers are a dying breed, but Jim Mitchell was one of the last true great ones. Known as “The Sinister Minister”, Mitchell is equal parts Paul Bearer and Ted DiBiase. He managed Tajiri and Mikey Whipwreck in ECW, The New Church in the early days of TNA, and later became the excellent mouthpiece for Abyss before turning on him.

Mr. Fuji: Mr. Fuji managed many successful tag teams in wrestling during the late ’80’s and early ’90’s. Demolition, The Orient Express, and The Powers of Pain all benefited from his tutelage. The crown jewel was Yokozuna, who was a dominant WWE Champion for ten months in 1993 and 1994. Fuji has always been a sentimental favorite of mine.

Paul Ellering: Known as “Precious” Paul Ellering, he was the manager for the most successful tag team of all time, The Road Warriors. Always carrying around a copy of the Wall Street Journal, Ellering was great on the stick and complemented Hawk and Animal’s sometimes incomprehensible promos very well. He didn’t have any problems getting physically involved either, even taking part in the first War Games.

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Paul Bearersize=6>

While he was once known as Percy Pringle in the territories, William Moody’s claim to fame was as the ghastly manager of The Undertaker as the appropriately named Paul Bearer. A grotesque individual with shocking white make-up, an eerily high-pitched voice and a golden urn, perhaps no other manager was better suited to his charge. After taking over the management from Brother Love, Bearer would be at the side of Undertaker until the summer of 1996, leading him to his title run and sticking with him during his face-turn. During these years, Undertaker, along with Bret Hart, became the top stars in the WWF and helped keep it afloat during the dry years.

Bearer was always connected to the Undertaker. When he managed other wrestlers, like Vader and Mankind, they feuded with the Deadman. Bearer introduced Kane (his kayfabe son and Taker’s kayfabe brother) to the WWF in 1997, serving as Frankenstein while Kane served as the monster. Bearer would join the Undertaker’s side when Taker became the Satanic cult leader of the ministry, and accompanied men like Viscera, Mideon and the Acolytes as well. When Taker returned to his roots at Wrestlemania XX, Paul Bearer was there to welcome him and watched as the Phenom destroyed Kane. Bearer was abducted by Paul Heyman and the Dudleyz before Taker buried him at the Great American Bash. As I said, no manager was better suited to the wrestler he managed than Paul Bearer.

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Arnold Skaalandsize=6>

Arnold Skaaland is the antithesis of what we generally think of as a manager. He wasn’t brash, he wasn’t colorful or flamboyant, and he didn’t talk a lot or interfere in many matches. Instead, he gave advice to his charges and carefully watched the matches from the sidelines as they wrestled. A former wrestler himself who had held the WWF Tag Team Championship with Spiros Orion, Skaaland had a wealth of knowledge to pass onto his charges. He was actually closer to what a real-life manager would be, and he never overshadowed his charges.

Perhaps more managers should have followed his example. Skaaland managed two long-term world champions and absolute legends: Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund. These two wrestlers dominated the World Championship scene before the arrival of Hulk Hogan, and Skaaland was a large part of their success from a kayfabe standpoint. Skaaland’s most notable moment was in the video above, where he threw the towel in for Backlund in a controversial title loss to The Iron Sheik. “The Golden Boy” and his managerial accomplishments are recognized by his placement here.

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Paul Heymansize=6>

Most of Paul Heyman’s managing career was as Paul E. Dangerously, working in the CWA and AWA, managing Austin Idol, Tommy Rich, Eddie Gilbert and the “Original” Midnight Express. Heyman came to the NWA’s Jim Crockett Promotions in 1988 and feuded with Jim Cornette and his Midnight Express. Paul E. formed the Dangerous Alliance in 1991, a stable consisting of Rick Rude, Bobby Eaton, Larry Zbyszko and “Stunning” Steve Austin. This group feuded with the top stars of WCW: Sting, Ricky Steamboat, Barry Windham, The Steiner Brothers, Nikita Koloff and Dustin Runnels and competed in arguably the best War Games ever contested. Dangerously played himself, an obnoxious New York yuppie, and his signature weapon was a cell phone (which was more like a brick in the 1980’s and actually worked as a weapon).

Heyman would go to ECW and manage Sabu and 911 during the early years before and increased workload booking the promotion led to him mostly staying off screen. He would resurface as a manager in 2002 as the brain behind the brawn of Brock Lesnar. In five months, Heyman and Lesnar captured the WWE Championship. Heyman would screw Lesnar out of the title, working as an agent for Kurt Angle to conspire to get the belt off of Lesnar and onto the Big Show. Heyman became the first manager to manage three successive World Champions. In 2004, Heyman engaged in a war with Undertaker (who had a history of feuding with managers) and managed The Dudley Boys and Heidenreich in their wars with him. As long as money wasn’t involved, Heyman excelled at everything he did, and managing was no different.

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J.J. Dillonsize=6>

Considering that the Original Four Horsemen consisted of Ric Flair, Ole Anderson, Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard, four tremendous promos who never needed a mouthpiece, the manager they chose to have would have to be equally brilliant on the mic. James J. Dillon was that man. Dillon was part cheerleader and part strategist for the Horsemen. He also battled alongside them, joining them in gang-style beatdowns and competing in the first War Games (and losing).

Managing the greatest stable of all time and helping all of them win numerous titles is enough to justify Dillon’s placement on this list. Dillon and Jim Cornette were the NWA’s answer to Bobby Heenan and Jimmy Hart, managing the top heels in the 1980’s and constantly drawing the ire of fans. Dillon did his job very, very well, and deserves to be mentioned along with other great managers of his day.

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The Grand Wizardsize=6>

After making the natural transition from radio disc jockey to professional wrestling manager, Ernie Roth would become one of the most influential and memorable characters in the history of the business. His first major gig was as Abdullah Farouk, managing The Original Sheik. As if The Sheik needed any more heat, Farouk constantly interfered in his matches, one of the first managers to do so. Since he was doing this in the 1960’s when kayfabe was alive and well, it was a miracle he made it out of some cities alive. However, it would be in the WWWF where Roth took on his most notorious persona, The Grand Wizard of Wrestling. Along with Fred Blassie and Lou Albano, Roth would become one of the most hated and successful managers in the company during the 1970’s.

To say The Grand Wizard stood out in a crowd would be a huge understatement. Wearing deliberately mismatched sequined jackets, enormous glasses and a turban decorated with jewels and feathers, The Wizard was one of the most colorful managers of all time. Talking the jive from his past career, Roth was able to come up with memorable one-liner after memorable one-liner for his clients. The Wizard led two wrestlers to world titles: Stan Stasiak and “Superstar” Billy Graham. Other notable men managed by Roth include Sgt. Slaughter, Ken Patera, Greg Valentine, Don Muraco, Ernie Ladd, Killer Kawalski and Bob Orton, Jr. Tragically, Roth passed away just before the Hogan era propelled wrestling to unknown heights; if he had continued managing throughout the 1980’s, he may have found himself in the top five.

THE BONUS LIST!color=blue>size=6>
And here is a random break from the seriousness with a totally unimportant and completely arbitrary list that I could never write a full column on. And if you don’t know who these guys are…you have a computer!

Top Ten Clotheslinessize=4>
10. Jake Roberts’ Short-Arm Clothesline
9. Chris Benoit’s Hooking Lariat
8. Hiroshi Tanahashi’s Slingblade
7. Nigel McGuinness’ Jawbreaker Lariat
6. AJ Styles’ Discus Lariat
5. Brian Pillman’s Springboard Clothesline
4. Kenta Kobashi’s Burning Lariat
3. Road Warrior Hawk’s Doomsday Device Clothesline
2. John Bradshaw Layfield’s Clothesline from Hell
1. Stan Hansen’s Lariat

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Jimmy Hartsize=6>

Very few mangers could claim to be more annoying than Jimmy Hart. Dressed in colorful tuxedos that were usually decorated with a musical theme, sunglasses and a manic smile, Hart was an absolute twerp of a manager who certainly stood out in a crowd. As if he needed anything augmenting his grating voice that gave rapid-fire insults to foes and rabid encouragement to his clients, Jimmy’s trademark megaphone put him more over the top. Whether he was talking a wrestler’s ear off or lending the megaphone to be used by a team, Hart was always a thorn in the side of wrestlers. And when it came time for payback, Jimmy took as good a beating as any manager would.

“The Mouth of the South” got his start in Memphis as a manager for Jerry Lawler before leading many villains against him, such as Randy Savage, King Kong Bundy and Rick Rude. In the WWF, Hart became a highly prolific manager of tag teams: The Dream Team, The Natural Disasters, Money, Inc., The Fabulous Rougeaus, The Nasty Boys, The Funks and most notably the Hart Foundation all found success working with Hart. In the early 1990’s Hart started managing his good friend Hulk Hogan and was with him when Hogan won the WCW Title from Ric Flair. Hart also managed the Dungeon of Doom, helping The Giant became a champion, and leading Kevin Sullivan and the Faces of Fear to success as well. One of the most recognizable and memorable managers ever.

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Freddie Blassiesize=6>

Arguably the most successful wrestler turned manager, Blassie actually became a manager because he was too old to renew his wrestling license. Blassie had already distinguished himself as one of the most despicable villains in wrestling history and wasn’t about to stop contributing to the product. And whether he was “Classy” or “Ayatollah”, Freddie Blassie proved that he was just as good as a mouthpiece and a manager as he had been as a wrestler.

Blassie’s most famous charge was Hulk Hogan, who he managed in Hogan’s first go around in the WWF. He managed The Iron Sheik to a short-lived and controversial run with the WWF Championship. He was involved in the first title change in Wrestlemania history, using his cane to assist Shiek and partner Nikolai Volkoff in capturing the Tag Team Championships from the U.S. Express. Blassie was one of the all time great talkers and made the phrase “Pencil-Necked Geeks” part of the wrestling lexicon. He set the bar for what a great manager should be, and only a select few have done it better.

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Captain Lou Albanosize=6>

“The Guiding Light”. Often imitated, never duplicated. The most hated manager in wrestling during the 1970’s and arguably the most beloved during the 1980’s. Albano was a major part of the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection thanks to his involvement with Cyndi Lauper. In the WWE since day one, Albano was perhaps the most successful manager in terms of successfully guiding his clients to success. When Ivan Koloff shockingly ended the first reign of Bruno Sammartino, Albano was in the Russian’s corner. Pat Patterson, Don Muraco and Greg Valentine all found Intercontinental Gold under his guidance. That’s not to mention over a dozen tag teams, from The Valiant Brothers to the British Bulldogs and from the Wild Samoans to the Headshrinkers, who Albano led to tag team gold.

Albano was one of the most colorful personalities in or outside the ring. Having wild hair and rubber bands sticking out of the side of his face, clothed in Hawaiian shirts and never at a loss for words, Lou was a vital part of getting his clients over. He truly was one of the great managers of all time and is sadly overlooked for others that had their prime in the 1980’s and onwards. But Albano finds himself near the top of my list, eclipsed only by the very best of the best.

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Jim Cornettesize=6>

Best known for managing The Midnight Express in their heyday, Cornette was born to be a manager. A huge wrestling geek who got into the business at the young age of fourteen doing odd jobs for regional promoters, Jim could talk the talk, but he wasn’t going to be a wrestler. In 1982, Jerry Jarrett gave Cornette the gimmick of an inept manager who was fired by wrestlers after a single match. Ironically, Jim would become one of the very best managers in the history of the business. Like all great heel managers, Cornette was a master of making crowds angry, inciting riots at his worst. His other signature was his ever-present tennis racket, perhaps the most iconic weapon of any manager (Santa Claus Racket not withstanding.)

Cornette’s most famous role was as the manager for The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton with either Dennis Condrey or Stan Lane), whose rivalries with The Rock ‘n’ Roll Express and The Road Warriors are the stuff of legend. Some would argue that they are the very best heel team, and fans loved watching The Midnights and Cornette be abused. Later, Cornette would become a major thorn in the sides of Bret Hart, Diesel and Shawn Michaels, managing wrestlers like Yokozuna, Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith and Vader against them in major matches. Cornette has spent the last decade or so playing the role of authority figure, but he has lent his expertise to Jay and Mark Briscoe and usually accompanies The Midnight Express at reunion shows.

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Bobby “The Brain” Heenansize=6>

Whenever I see the word “manager”, I instantly think of Bobby Heenan. Whether you called him “The Brain” or “The Weasel”, Heenan holds a special place in the history of pro wrestling. Bobby was one of the most gifted promo men in the business, and he served as the mouthpiece for many intimidating men that weren’t very gifted on the mic. One could argue that he was Hulk Hogan’s greatest rival; almost every one who challenged Hogan’s reign of dominance had “The Brain” at their side. It’s no coincidence that when Hulk and Andre battled at Wrestlemania III in the biggest match in history, Bobby was out there with them. He deserved to be there.

The list of people Bobby managed is a who’s who of the 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s. Ric Flair. Andre the Giant. Harley Race. Nick Bockwinkel. Curt Hennig. Rick Rude. The Blackjacks. Paul Orndorff. Big John Studd. Haku. The Brain Busters. The Barbarian. King Kong Bundy. Hercules Hernandez. Adrian Adonis. The list goes on, but there’s a reason he was so prolific. He was the very best at what he did. He was a heat machine who incited crowds with his wit and got the wrestlers over by talking up the bad guys and taken lumps from the good guys. He is the gold standard of managing.

*****

Conspicuous by her absence on this list is “Sensational” Sherri Martel. You may think it is a glaring oversight, but in fact, I have my reason for it. Generally would people make lists of all time great managers, women are given the shaft, despite such notable managers as Sunny, Woman, Luna Vachon and of course Miss Elizabeth. So, while the term might not be the most appropriate, next week’s topic will be the Top Ten Valets.