Wrestling managers remain a fixed hallmark of professional wrestling for a reason. Like the wrestlers themselves, these managerial figures possess uncanny levels of theatricality, holding audiences’ interest through their colorful characters, impressive promo skills, and striking personalities.
In some cases, these wrestling managers even outshine the talent they appear alongside, elevating active wrestlers to untold new heights on primetime television.
Bobby Heenan
Who else but Bobby “The Brain” Heenan? The mastermind of the influential Heenan Family, Heenan managed some of the biggest wrestling stars of the 1980s and ‘90s, his clients including everyone from King Kong Bundy and André the Giant to Rick Rude and Mr. Perfect.
An all-around entertaining figure in NWA, WWE, and WCW, Heenan made the act of managing an art in and of itself, almost superseding the the wrestlers he took under his wing.
Paul Bearer
Next to Bobby Heenan, the wrestling industry has yet to see a manager as unique as Paul Bearer. The macabre manager of The Undertaker, Bearer’s dedication to his role as the Phenom’s sidekick established the two as a match made in heaven.
Sauntering down to the ring with his ghost-white complexion and squeaky-high voice, Bearer lorded over his clients like a voodoo practitioner summoning a vengeful spirit to the ring, as seen from his gothic relationships with ‘Taker, Kane, Mankind, and Vader.
Paul Heyman
The greatest manager of the modern era, one might describe Heyman as the spiritual successor to Bobby Heenan. Making a name for himself as Paul E. Dangerously in the late 1980s, Heyman has stood by the side of numerous up-and-coming competitors, including the Dangerous Alliance, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns.
Possessing imminent skills on the mic, Heyman proved himself able to spar with the best WWE had to offer, matching verbal jests with The Rock, Triple H, and John Cena, among many others.
Miss Elizabeth
By the 1980s, wrestlers had yet to have a female manager accompany them to the ring, the managerial landscape instead dominated by the so-called “Triumvirate of Terror” (more on them later).
In 1985, Miss Elizabeth changed all of that, breaking down barriers in more ways than one. The steadfast companion to her husband, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Elizabeth and Savage went together as well as Mickey and Minnie, Jim and Pam, or Rachel and Ross, leading the audience to rejoice every time they reunited.
Jimmy Hart
He earned the nickname “The Mouth of the South” for a reason, folks. With his giant megaphone and eye-catching attire, Jimmy Hart made for one of the loudest individuals in WWE’s Golden Age.
Bouncing around the ring like a sugar-addicted toddler and partnering with The Honky Tonk Man, Hulk Hogan, and The Hart Foundation, Hart’s buoyant energy got the blood of every wrestling fan pumping from the ‘80s into the late ‘90s.
Jim Cornette
An ingenious if somewhat controversial figure among current wrestling fans, Jim Cornette nevertheless made for one of the best managers ever seen on television. A brash, loud-mouthed Southern native, Cornette acted as the grating mouthpiece for such notable wrestlers as Vader, The Midnight Express, Owen Hart, and The British Bulldog.
An irksome devil on his clients’ shoulders, fans tuned in from one week to the next in hopes of seeing one of Cornette’s rivals shut him up once and for all.
“Classy” Freddie Blassie
The prototypical wrestling manager, “Classy” Freddie Blassie retired from a prestigious career as a world champion to serve as the mischievous mentor to such up-and-coming competitors as Nikolai Volkoff, The Iron Sheik, and a young Hulk Hogan.
Maintaining the same fiery wrestling personality he once possessed in the ring, Blassie committed to his bit as a heel manager with gusto, insulting the crowds and bashing his clients’ opponents in the head with his trusty cane.
Captain Lou Albano
Along with Freddie Blassie and The Grand Wizard, Captain Lou Albano appeared as a key member of the “Triumvirate of Terror”–the legendary name bestowed to the trio of wrestling managers.
Like each of his counterparts, Albano set the standard for wrestling managers moving forward, enlivening viewers with his grizzled appearance and dedicated character work. As evidence of his uncanny ability to entertain a crowd, just look at the fact that Albano became one of the first wrestlers to cross over into mainstream pop culture, appearing in Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” music video and voicing Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!
Sensational Sherri
In many ways, one might describe Sensational Sherri as the twisted version of Miss Elizabeth. Whereas Elizabeth won over crowds with her soft-spoken demeanor and humble attitude, Sherri earned the jeers of audiences through her constant interference and manipulative mentality.
Having served as the personal valet to Ted DiBiase, Ric Flair, Randy Savage, and a young Shawn Michaels, Sherri’s excellent character work seemed to mesh well with any client she found herself managing.
Stephanie McMahon
Living up to her elite family pedigree, Stephanie McMahon established herself as corrupt and vindictive an on-air personality as her father and brother–if not more so. Aligning herself with Triple H in late 1999, Stephanie used her influential position in WWE to her advantage, altering matches to suit her needs.
Whether leading the Alliance or the Authority, Stephanie made it oh-so easy for fans to boo and hiss whenever her entrance music began to play.
The Grand Wizard
While both Lou Albano and Freddie Blassie once reigned as world-class wrestlers in their own right, The Grand Wizard never had that distinction.
Yet even then, what The Wizard lacked in legitimate wrestling skills, he more than made up for with his idiosyncratic personality and eye-catching attire. With his distinct wardrobe and impassioned promos, The Wizard personified the essence of ‘70s wrestling, guiding pupils like “Superstar” Billy Graham and Stan Stasiak to career success.
Gary Hart
Another influential manager in the early years of WCW, Gary Hart used his vast showmanship as a former wrestler to embody his later role as an on-screen manager. An energetic–if somewhat unstable–mouthpiece for stars like The Great Kabuki, the One Man Gang, and the J-Tex Corporation, Hart’s intense interviews not only elevated his current clients; they also helped establish each one of Hart’s enemies as legitimate threats, as seen with the up-and-coming Von Erich family.
Vickie Guerrero
While the late 2000s and early 2010s had a dry spell in decent managers, Vickie Guerrero appeared as the exception. Appearing first as a meddling authority figure who favored her beloved Edge, Guerrero went on to act as the doting manager to Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger.
Enraging crowds with her high-pitched voice and liberal abuse of power, Guerrero proved herself as exceptional an entertainer as her late husband, Eddie.
Mr. Fuji
Yet another veteran wrestler who took on a managerial role, Mr. Fuji seemed like a demented Yoda to all his prospective pupils. Sporting his trademark bowler hat and tuxedo, Fuji helped lead many of his clients (especially Yokozuna) to career prominence in WWE.
Demanding absolute respect from the roster, the audience, and the wrestlers he mentored, Fuji also posed a legitimate threat to his wrestlers’ opponents, tripping them up with his cane or dowsing them a face full of blinding salt.
Arnold Skaaland
An early predecessor to Bobby Heenan, Freddie Blassie, and Lou Albano, Arnold Skaaland became known for standing side-by-side with heroic faces during a time when managers almost always stood alongside heels.
A veteran mentor to Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund, Skaaland’s formidable presence at ringside helped galvanize the two WWF World Heavyweight Champions whenever they needed inspiration.
Ric Flair
As with most notable managers, Ric Flair transitioned from a career as a world-class wrestler into a talented manager by the start of the 2000s. Aligning himself with Triple H and serving as a founding member of Evolution, Flair also enjoyed success in more recent years as well, managing the likes of AJ Styles and his daughter Charlotte.
As with all the best managers, Flair’s inherent showmanship made him a pure delight to watch any time he appeared in the ring-side area.
Sunny
While her more recent controversies have darkened her reputation, Sunny helped secure a larger presence for women in the world of 1990s wrestling. The prototypical “Diva,” Sunny’s influence in the Attitude Era transcended the limits of the WWE, with WCW and ECW modeling many of their female valets after this platinum-blonde bombshell.
Though known for her backstage antics with Shawn Michaels, Sunny also played a role in managing several tag team champions, including the Bodydonnas, the Godwinns, and the Legion of Doom 2000.
J.J. Dillon
In theory, it takes a strong personality to manage the likes of the Four Horsemen–yet J.J. Dillon had that in spades. Blending in with the suit-clad henchmen of Ric Flair, J.J. Dillon proved every bit as devious and conniving as his clients in the Horsemen. Annihilating crowds with his sharp tongue and doing his best to interfere in his talents’ matches, one can describe Dillon’s unsung role in the Horsemen as the equivalent to George Martin and The Beatles.
Harley Race
A legendary wrestler in his own right, Harley Race became a skilled manager upon his retirement in 1990, leading to a long and successful tenure in WCW. Best known for acting as the first manager for emerging WCW talent Big Van Vader, Race’s demonstrated the same sheer ruthlessness as his Mastodon client, often using Vader’s muscle to settle personal feuds against his pre-established rivals.
Petty, vindictive, and sadistic to no end, Race delighted in inflicting maximum damage on every one of Vader’s opponents.
Paul Ellering
In an interesting bit of trivia, Paul Ellering served as the manager to The Road Warriors both in front of and behind the camera, handling the duo’s contract negotiations and booking them into international shows in the U.S. and Japan.
A manager who blurred the lines between reality and scripted television, Ellering’s duties as an on-screen talent only began with Hawk and Animal, with Ellering also mentoring more contemporary stars like The Authors of Pain.
