Discussing the current managers of WWE, and how they should be a mainstay in wrestling programming

Recently, the WWE have had a renewed focus on the sports aspect of ‘sports-entertainment’. Between the tournament brackets of 205 Live and SmackDown and the hiring of UFC athletes to further legitimise the roster, the change is tack is apparent.

Though one particularly underrated aspect of wrestling that is currently being brought back across all brands is the manager.

Managers are themselves distinctive characters and often curate the impression of the wrestler or team they are representing. Often or not, they can be the figurehead. Whether it be wrestling managers like Paul Heyman or even football managers like Jose Mourhino or Alex Ferguson, animated, captivating individuals can assist in bringing the spotlight to a single or group of athletes.

Obviously the most famous example of this is Paul Heyman, the advocate of Brock Lesnar, and arguably the reason why Brock, other than his freakish strength and physique, is still regarded as a draw. Heyman is a master manager and epitomises the role; a mouthpiece that draws the attention of the audience to the competitor.

But the word ‘manager’ itself is a bit of a dirty term in WWE, to the point where any synonym possible is used in its place. Business associate, hype man, life coach – each take is just a little different, but still fulfils the same basic role.

Regardless, a new wave of managers (whatever they may be called) are now emerging.

The Vega resurgence

In my opinion, the person who really ushered in the resurgence of  manager importance is Zelina Vega, and how she helped with the revival of former NXT Champion Andrade ‘Cien’ Almas, actively assisting his ascension to the top of the black and yellow brand.

Thanks to her talents, she is now a mouthpiece for him (bridging the language divide), given him much needed development, and has shown restrained glimpses of inter-gender wrestling in the current PG WWE product. She has defied what it means to be a female manager.

She is not infatuated with Almas, their relationship is strictly business. She doesn’t need to resort the tactics Melina used for Batista, nor does she need to seduce her client’s opponents with bodily charms à la female managers of the Attitude Era. She is smart, calculating, and tactical.

Not to say she wouldn’t reach this level on her own, or that Almas wouldn’t have been to find a career renaissance by himself, but it can be argued that both of these performer’s careers were helped by the manager role in professional wrestling.

Now does every struggling wrestler need a manager? No. Like anything in wrestling (or life itself, really) overexposure ruins speciality. If Titus Worldwide represented the entirety of the midcard, that would render the services of Mr. O’Neil rather useless.

Titus is a good example of repurposing a wrestler to become a manager. Which he was, then isn’t now, but should be. Although not the best of wrestlers, Titus has got a tonne of charisma and is a great representative and speaker. Given the same treatment Vega, he could be a great manager.

Something to do

Making a wrestler into a manager also solves a current problem in WWE of wrestlers having nothing to do or not clicking with the audience. Managerial services are a great way for wrestlers to keep on gaining exposure, and when there is a limited time for matches, it would be productive to make use of that talent.

The ideal wrestler who would need a manager are those who are tremendous athletes, or are vastly perceived as underrated, but need someone to speak on their behalf and muster some reaction from the crowd.

This is currently being done by Lio Rush, who is the hype man of Bobby Lashley. Rush’s annoying and grating remarks, coupled with Lashley’s brute force, have made the pair interesting, and given both something to play with on the main roster.

At the same time, having a manager does not automatically mean success. Paul Heyman has worked for CM Punk and Brock Lesnar, but also for Ryback and Heidenreich, and it’s easy to say which one of those two pairings are more successful.

There is also the risk of gimmick-heavy managers. The best managers, like Paul Heyman, Bobby Heenan or Jimmy Hart, worked because they were able to adapt to whatever client they choose to align themselves with. Managers who have the same gimmick as their own wrestler will find it more difficult to offer their services.

For example, when Daivari started managing Kurt Angle, it was a massive contradiction to both of their characters, but in a clunky, awkward way rather than anything that enriched their characters. These gimmick-based managers are a pretty much one-and-done character if their main wrestler fails to get over (also see Ricardo Rodriguez when he started wearing baggy Rob Van Dam shirts or when Hornswoggle joined DX).

Nor should women wrestlers simply be paired with their male counterparts for the sake of it. Gone are the days when female valets simply wandered with the guys just to be distracting. With the Women’s Evolution still happening, managers, whether male or female, should have characters and personalities of their own, extending that to the wrestlers that they manage.

A great commodity

I personally hope there is a resurgence of managers in WWE. We have previously seen Lana excel in her role as leash-holder for Rusev and James Ellsworth as the scrawny yes-man of Carmella. Gone are the days when managers were in surplus, but they are a great commodity to have. With fantastic feats of athleticism in the ring, managers can inject that spark of personality that is at times often vacant from some WWE matches.

They are and will always be an entertaining aspect of wrestling when used correctly, and the current revival is welcome.

What do you think? Should there be more managers in the current WWE product and would they enhance? Who could be a good possible pairing?