From The Bowery: The World's Greatest Wrestling Managers

Posted by Robert Leighty Jr. on 09.04.2008

FUJI VICE!

The World’s Greatest Wrestling Managers

-As most know, managers are a dying breed these days, and have been since the 90s. The Golden Era was during the 80s and into the early 90s. Now, there aren’t really any managers, and instead we get Divas as eye candy. There is nothing wrong with some T&A to look at, but I still miss the days of actual managers. This DVD covers the main players and pioneers in the Managing business.

-Todd Grisham is our host for this DVD set. Was Gene busy?

-Various WWE Stars explain what makes a manager successful. Trish says the main goal of a manager was to get a win for their client. Cena says a manager’s success was based on gold and wins.

-The WWE Superstars each pick their favorite managers. Cena says he has to go for Slick because anyone with a doctorate is good with him. After all, he is the Doctor of Thuganomics. That degree can be found at West Newberry Community College from what I hear. I also think it is offered at Sam Houston Institute of Technology.

-The aspects of being a manager are covered: 1) You want to generate heat for your client, and yourself 2) You have to be able to outsmart a ref.

Freddie Blassie
-The God Father of wrestling managers, as he was the most hated man in wrestling. JR calls him the Babe Ruth of wrestling villains. Rock and Hogan put over the violence he brought as a pro-wrestler. After his in ring career ended he stayed in the game as a manager. Various clips are show, and he does draw some absolutely awesome heel heat. Vince puts over that Blassie’s main goal was to help his guys, and not himself. Volkoff was the 1st protégé of Blassie. Blassie was also the manager of Muhammad Ali when he wrestled Inoki in Japan. Hogan mentions that when he started in 1978 that Blassie was his manager, and he would constantly push him when he was in the ring. His most famous role when I was younger was as the manager of future WWF Champion, The Iron Shiek. Ayatollah Blassie was such an awesome gimmick, and generated nuclear crowd heat. After Hogan won the title, Sheik teamed his heat with the heat of Soviet, Nikolai Volkoff. They won the tag straps thanks to a timely cane shot from Blassie. Things wrap up as everyone puts over Blassie, and thank him for all he has done for the business. Freddie Blassie: 1918-2003.

The Grand Wizard
-McMahon puts over his quick wit, and Briscoe mentions the charisma he had. Wizard was the manager of Sgt Slaughter, Superstar Billy Graham, and many others. Briscoe mentions that Wizard gave Slaughter a different edge to his character. Things wrap up quickly as he is remembered as a professional man. Ernie Roth: 1929-1983.

-We get various clips of today’s Superstars putting over that managers must be able to talk. HHH mentions that guys who could not talk were often given a manager to speak for them. That would work today, and something they definitely should be utilizing. Great demonstrations of this were Bearer speaking for The Undertake and then Kane, and Heyman speaking for Lesnar.

Sunny
-She gets her start in Smokey Mountain with Candido. The WWF soon realizes she was ridiculously hot, and signed her and Candido. Everyone fawns over how smoking hot she was. Hearing Trish talk about hot Sunny was is just insane, and gives my dirty thoughts. They put over that she was a Diva before Divas became a staple on WWF TV. The problem (besides the drugs that came later) was that she got bigger than the guys she managed. She blew up in the WWF, and they used her wherever they could to keep her on TV. Seriously, she should have been the biggest thing ever, but it just didn’t pan out. Vince mentions he was very proud of her, but briefly mentions that she is a cautionary tale. They tip toe around the drug issue, as this is not really the type of DVD for that. A few last bikini shots and we are moving on. God bless DVD and the freeze frame button.

Jimmy Hart
-Hart says he always wanted to be at ringside with his guys. He says the emphasis should always be on his men, and not on himself. Hart was great at being annoying, and the megaphone was perfect for him. Countless numbers of wrestlers are shown as being managed by Hart. The megaphone was Vince’s idea as he brought one back from Japan and gave it to Jimmy. In a funny spot Hart mentions he was a wimp, and that his appeal was that the 5-year-old sitting front row could probably kick his ass. He also had no problem being embarrassed in front of a crowd because it entertained the fans, and made people remember Jimmy Hart. Jimmy puts over McMahon and the chance he was given in New York. He is still baffled that he got paid for doing what he did.

-Back to the studio as Grisham messes around with a cheap, plastic megaphone. He introduces clips of women managers.

-Trish says she can think of 1 or 2 things a female manager has over a male manager. Yeah, her breasts. HA! Wait, that’s what she meant. A Ms. Hancock clip is shown, and Dear Lord did I forgot how ridiculously gorgeous she looked back then. I must also say that Tommy Dreamer is one lucky son-of-a-bitch. Cena mentions that a female manager can get involved without getting the shit kicked out of them because they were females. Perhaps he didn’t watch a lot of ECW because Heyman loved seeing bitches get killed. Cole talks about Sable as getting more over than Mero, and blowing right by him. HHH puts over Chyna and Luna for their physical style. Highlights are shown of Chyna winning the IC Title. Trish puts herself over in a funny way, and we got clips of today’s crop of female managers: Sharmell (Kiwi footage from WCW), Melina, etc are all shown.

Paul Bearer
-Percy Pringle in Texas fashioned himself after Bobby Heenan. One day Heenan told him not to do that because it would not work. He told him that he must be himself. Paul is a certified mortician, and thus he was a natural fit with The Undertaker character. Bearer was instrumental is getting the Taker gimmick over. You have to remember that you were lead to believe this was basically a zombie wrestling in the ring. No matter how far fetched, Bearer was able to make things seem logical. Vince calls him the most unique manager in the history of the business. Damn, the package ends with no mention of his history with Kane. No wonder he is the psychologically repressed member of the family.

Arnold Skaaland
-Slaughter calls him the Greatest Manager of all time because he managed Sammartino when he was WWF Champ, and Backlund when he wore the strap. Arnie puts over that he never had to yell and scream to be effective like others. Slaughter and Skaaland mention that a manager is better served to have had a background in the ring. The moment that I remember Skaaland for is covered, and that’s when he threw in the towel to cost Backlund the strap, and hand it to Sheik. Patterson says Arnie did the right thing, and saved the career of Backlund (God Bless kayfabe). Shane McMahon inducts Skaaland into the Hall of Fame in the early years before it became a yearly honor.

-Now the question of if a manger is more successful if they had in ring experience is answered. The voting is split, and Cena brings up that being a great ball player doesn’t make you a great coach (ie: Magic Johnson). Tazz says some of the greatest managers are people who never stepped foot in the ring. I tend to think it doesn’t matter, but I’m sure it helps.

Sensational Sherri
-I should note this DVD is a few years old, and was released before her Hall of Fame induction and her untimely death. Shawn confesses to having a crush on her. Her early days as a wrestler and manager in AWA are covered. The Tag feud with Rose/Summers vs. The Rockers is covered, and Shawn finds it ironic that Sherri eventually became his manager in the WWF. Vince calls her a trailblazer for Women as managers. Vince puts over that she would do whatever he asked of her. Shawn discusses when he pulled Sherri into the way of the mirror on an episode of Super Stars when Jannetty tried to get revenge for the Barbershop incident. Shawn wraps things up by noting she was a huge boost for his career.

Jim Cornette
-Vince calls him one of the best, and puts over his verbal skills. This DVD is worth the price of admission just for the interviews shown here from Cornette. Not many people talk about Cornette as they let his interviews speak for themselves. Vince basically fawns over Cornette and explains how he was a master of the art of getting heat. Dibiase claims he was successful because people were waiting for someone to shut him up, and would pay to see that happen. Lawler calls him a momma’s boy and that it worked for him. The feud between Heyman and Cornette is discussed, and footage from their tuxedo match is show. (The match is included as an extra on this disc). Lawler says Cornette’s greatest gift was that he could talk people into the arena.

-Back to Todd in the studio, and now he messes around with a tennis racket.

-The Art of Cheating is discussed. Heenan says there is 3 things to be successful at cheating 1) Distraction 2) Tripping the Guy 3) Pass a Foreign Object.

Paul Heyman
-He started as Paul E Dangerously in the AWA. Kennedy calls him The Greatest Manager of All Time in his opinion. For some reason, that does not shock me. Joey Styles says he enjoyed Paul Dangerously (NWA/WCW) more than Paul Heyman (WWE). Heyman’s weapon of choice was the Zack Morris Cell Phone. Joey credits him as the most famous manager in ECW even though he was the Boss. Joey explains that by the time he came to the WWE he had to be known as Paul Heyman because he was more famous for that than for being the Psycho Yuppie, Paul E Dangerously. Vince says Heyman could step back in the picture today and not miss a beat. Why TNA has never thrown a wad of cash as the man is baffling to me.

Capt. Lou Albano
-His look was his distinguishing feature. I grew up with Albano as the Manager of Champions, but as a child I will always remember him for being Super Mario in the Super Mario Bros. Super Show. I miss that show, and I am still pissed he wasn’t picked as the man to play Mario in the Super Mario Bros Movie. Albano puts over that he managed 18 different Tag Team Champions, which is pretty damn impressive. He says his look came because he managed the Samoans and Snuka and just adopted the island shirt because it was comfortable. He puts over the talent for making him so successful. He struck while the iron was hot and got on MTV with Cindi Lauper’s music video, and as noted became the voice of Mario. Albano says he would gladly do it all over again.

-The Battle of the Managers: We get clips of when the Managers had to step in the ring to wrestle. It wasn’t always pretty, but it was effective because the fans wanted to see them get their ass kicked. Starrcade 1986 is covered, and specifically they discuss the scaffold match where Cornette blew out both knees. Cornette thanks hitting his head on Bubba’s knee for knocking him out for a few seconds so that he didn’t feel the initial pain. The Weasel Suit match with Heenan is discussed. Heenan started using it in the AWA with Greg Gagne, and wanted to use it with Hogan in the WWF, but it was given to the Warrior instead. The Greatest Manager vs. Manager match ever is briefly covered: Beulah vs. Bill Alfonzo. Seriously, check that match out if you can. It saved Fonzie’s job, and made for one hell of a brawl. Now while most of the matches sucked, you always felt good about the match because someone you hated got their ass kicked.

Miss Elizabeth
-I’m not going to lie, this is the main reason I bought the DVD. Everyone says nothing but good things about Liz. Hogan mentions that anytime she got involved it was magnified because it didn’t happen often. Briscoe calls her a pioneer, and Trish calls her the Ultimate Female Manager. Seriously, this is bringing a smile to my face watching this old footage of her. Heenan mentions she was nothing but class. Stephanie McMahon said she always looked up to Liz as a child growing up in the business. The SummerSlam wedding is touched on, as it was a way to bring their real life marriage to television. Sadly, they divorced shortly after their on-screen wedding. The relationship on screen between the two was so great because it was real. Now things get sad as various official and stars remember Liz. Elizabeth Heulette: 1960-2003.

-It’s still a sore spot to me that we were robbed of her at such a young age. She needs to be inducted into the Hall of Fame ASAP, and though she may never get her own DVD, she should be a big part of a Savage DVD (assuming one is released in the next 50 years).

Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
-Best Manager Ever! Heenan started as a manager, and was called Pretty Boy Bobby Heenan. He hated the name because everyone had nicknames that reflected how they looked. Soon he was known as The Brain. Heenan hated the term “stable” because he always pictured horses when he thought of stables. He liked the term “Family” better because it invoked images of Charles Manson and the Manson Family. He gets a break in the AWA, and heads to the WWF after making a call to Hulk Hogan. Originally he was scheduled to manage Ventura, but injuries ended his career, and Heenan took on Big John Studd. The Brooklyn Brawler says he felt like he hit the lottery when he was told Heenan was going to manage him. Heenan puts over Perfect, Wonderful, and Flair (“Ric was the Larry Flynt of our business”). He says he never made anybody, but they helped make each other. The WWE actually gets Bob Costas to give a sound bite on Heenan. That’s how awesome Heenan is. The Weasel chant is covered, and Bobby had no problem with the chant, and agrees that his character was a weasel. His last day in the WWF was on RAW when Monsoon tossed him out of the building. Heenan said that was a show of respect, and wouldn’t want any other way to go out. Vince calls him the Greatest of All Time, and I whole-heartedly agree.

-Todd puts a close on the main program of the disc.

Extras

Capt Lou Albano vs. Arnold Skaaland
MSG: 12/19/77

-Story is that Skaaland was given the award for manager of the Year, and it pissed off Albano. Good heat from the crowd towards Capt Lou, and Skaaland has the full support of the fans in the arena. Skaaland throws punches to jump-start the match, and Albano bails to the floor and heads to the dressing room. He returns with a foreign object and nails Skaaland. He continues to use the foreign object and hides it from the ref by tucking it into his tights. More punching as the crowd starts to get bored. The ref checks Albano and doesn’t find the mysterious object. We are 3 minutes into the match, and all we have seen is about a dozen right hands. I mean I am not expecting a classic, but damn. Albano drops the object and Skaaland uses it in plain view of the ref. Capt Lou gets pummeled until he is a bloody mess. Nice visual as Skaaland’s fist is covered in the blood of Capt Lou. The match ends when Albano heads to the back and is counted out @ 4:38.

Arnold Skaaland over Capt Lou Albano via count-out at 4:38
-Well it was short, but it didn’t really serve a purpose. Albano didn’t really take that much of an ass kicking, and instead of a wrestling match all we got some punches thrown, and a little blood. The ending was crap as well since the paying customers didn’t get a finish. I know it was included because it was a manager vs. manager match from early in the WWF days, but it still sucked. DUD

Weasel Suit Match: Bobby Heenan vs. Greg Gagne
-AWA 08/17/80

-The match is joined in progress. The camera stays panned out, and it is hard to see what is going on when they are outside. According to the announcer Gagne wrapped Heenan’s arm around the post. Gagne continues to work Heenan over in the corner, but the Brain fights back. Heenan uses the power of his cast to get a 2 count. He uses the cast again, and gets another 2 count. Gagne does a good job of selling the damage from the cast. Ugly spot as they collide near the ropes, and both men are down. The crowd is pretty hot for this one, and Gagne gets the advantage. He delivers a high knee as the Brain bumps all over the place. Heenan tries to punch, but is caught in the Sleeper to a huge pop. Since he is The Brain, Heenan uses his cast to break the hold, and gets another 2 count. An ugly pin fall reversal sequence is done with both men getting a 2 count. Gagne hits the drop kick, and Heenan is sent hard into the ring post (a spot he would repeat with The Rooster at WM V). Heenan argues with the ref and Gagne hits a middle rope crossbody for the pin @ 6:14 (shown).

Greg Gagne over Bobby Heenan via crossbody for the pin at 6:14
-The crowd starts a massive weasel chant, and Heenan is forced into the suit after Gagne uses the sleeper to subdue him. The crowd has a good laugh when Heenan comes to and realizes what has happened to him.

-This match had the added benefit of a hot crowd, and featured more than just punching for 4 minutes. The match was still pretty bad, but the crowd got what they wanted, and that is the point of these types of matches. *

Tuxedo Match: Jim Cornette vs. Paul E. Dangerously
-The Great American Bash 07/23/89

-This was part of what many feel is the greatest PPV of all time: The 1989 Great American Bash. Rules are simply that the loser is the 1st man to have his tuxedo ripped off by his opponent. Thank God they came to their senses in the 90s and started having hot women do the exact same match in either evening gowns, or just until one had on a bra and some panties. Paul E tries to jump Cornette, but gets caught, and quickly his coat gets ripped off. Dangerously throws powder into the eyes of Cornette to get the advantage. Some actual psychology as Dangerously goes for Cornette’s injured knee by blasting it with his cell phone. Cornette loses his coat as he sells the knee. Ross gets his gay jokes in about Paul E. The knee work continues as Dangerously wraps the knee around the middle rope. For some reason Dangerously takes off his cummerbund and his bow tie. He uses the cummerbund to strangle Cornette. The action spills to the floor, and to his credit Paul E continues beating the hell out of the knee. Also to his credit Cornette is selling the knee like a champ. Paul E plays to the crowd as Cornette crawls back in the ring. Bitch slaps from Paul E follow, as this is becoming a shit kicking. Cornette Hulks up, and fires away with right hands. Dangerously loses his shirt, and it’s not the prettiest of pictures. More powder, but this time it backfires and gets kicked in his face. Since Dangerously is blind, Cornette is able to rip off his pants to get the win @ 6:26. Dangerously scurries up the ramp in his underwear to the delight of the crowd.

Jim Cornette via stripping Dangerously at 6:26
Again, this served its purpose, and while not classic, it was pretty damn intense. I love the fact that Cornette sold the knee for the entire match, and basically took a beating because he only had 1 leg. **

Interviews, Vignettes, Music Videos

-Vince McMahon interviews Nikolai Volkoff w/ Freddy Blassie on All Star Wresting. Good pencil neck geek interview from Blassie who puts over his man, and threatens Bruno Sammartino, Chief Jay Strongbow, Haystack Calhoun, and Gorilla Monsoon. Funny promo from Blassie here as he insults the crowd seemingly one by one. He finishes by putting over Volkoff.

-Tony Schiavone interviews Jim Cornette: NWA World Championship Wrestling (06/29/85). This was after the debut of the Midnight Express on The Super Station. Great line from Cornette: These 2 men rank right up with polio and arthritis as great cripplers of men. Awesome stuff from Cornette as he doesn’t miss a beat while putting over himself, the Midnight Express, while insulting the fans.

-Fuji Vice: Tuesday Night Titans (05/07/86). This is rather famous, and really words can’t do it justice. I’ll try my best. The story goers that Fuji and Muraco are called on to solve the case when a body turns on the beach. How anyone was able to do this with a straight face was beyond me.

-Vince McMahon interviews The Grand Wizard and Bob Duncam: All Star Wrestling (04/02/75). The interview takes place from the arena in Hamburg, PA. The Grand Wizard busts out the word plebian years before Backlund made it commonplace. Bob Duncam according to the Grand Wizard is the man that breaks shoulders. Keep Randy Orton away from him then.

-Mean Gene Okerlund visits the Hart Foundation: I was expecting to see Calgary, but apparently the World Offices of the Hart Foundation are in New York City. This was a Coliseum Video Exclusive, and was an Investigative Report of the Hart Foundation. Gene actually calls the telephone operator a bimbo. Lots of stupid running gags in this segment, but certain parts are pretty funny. Basically, Gene gets the run around from bimbos as he looks for the Foundation and Jimmy Hart. The payoff is the Hart Foundation and Danny Davis playing with dolls behind closed doors. The Harts wearing their wrestling gear while sporting minks around their necks is kind of awesome.

-Bobby Heenan wins the 1976 Manager of the Year Award: AWA All Star Wrestling (12/25/76). Bill Apter presents the award to Heenan. Bill informs the crowd that this is the 3rd consecutive year Heenan has won the award. Ray Stevens tries to congratulate Heenan, but he gets ignored. This leads to Stevens leaving the Family and destroying Heenan, and the trophy. The rest of the Heenan Family jump Stevens from behind. Various baby faces make the save.

-Capt Lou Albano wins the 1985 Manager of the Year Award: Tuesday Night Titans (09/27/85). No Apter this time as Gene does the honors of giving the award. The 2 finalists are Heenan and Albano. Over a million votes were received according to Okerlund. No number fudging there. Heenan says all the heel managers pledged the votes they received to him. Heenan thinks he has it won, but Hillbilly Jim gives his votes to Albano and that puts him over Heenan. I call shenanigans. Heenan destroys the trophy, and then Studd/Bundy squash Jim. Various rednecks make the save.

-Larry Nelson interviews Paul E Dangerously: AWA Championship Wrestling (09/30/87). Great intense interview as Paul threatens Tommy Rich and vows he will be destroyed by the Dangerous Alliance. After watching this interview it is easy to see that Paul was the right man for ECW.

-SummerSlam 1991: Liz and Randy Savage get married (in WWE cannon). We don’t get the ceremony, but we do get the Music Video: “Together.” The WWE has broken out that song for various weddings ever since. Having followed the history of the 2 characters since I was a kid, this is a pretty cool video. Wrestling can be sensitive you know. It would have been great had the WWE included the in ring proposal from Savage on Superstars. I still smile hearing Roddy Piper scream from the announce position: “Get down on your knee.”

-Sensational Sherri visits The Funeral Parlor (02/01/92). Sherri was the manager of Ted Dibiase at this point. It’s always a good day when you can hear Ted’s theme song. Sherri confesses to being in love with Shawn Michaels, and we get the start of their alliance. We get footage from the Rockers split on the Barbershop. Another reason to get this DVD. Bearer asks about Dibiase, and apparently Ted is a classy pimp, as he has no problems sharing Sherri.

-Bruno Sammartino interviews Arnold Skaaland: Championship Wrestling (05/27/80)
This was exactly one year to the day of my birth. Quick facts about me: I share a birthday with Eric Bischoff, and Vince McMahon Sr. passed away on my birthday. The sound isn’t that great as the crowd drowns out what Bruno and Arnie are trying to say. The reason this is included is it sets the path for Arnie becoming the manager of a young upstart named Bob Backlund. I think having Skaaland in his corner will turn out well for Bob.

-We wrap up the extras with Sunny singing “Happy Birthday” like Marilyn Monroe on Presidents Day 1996.

The 411: This is a fun DVD that will be greatly enjoyed by wrestling fans of the 80s and early 90s. Nobody is buried, as this is just a light hearted piece that gives mangers their place in the sun. The extras could have been better, but everything served a purpose.

Final Score:  7.0   [ Good ]