11 Legendary Wrestling Managers

Bobby the Brain Heenan

Bobby the Brain Heenan is arguably the most famous and most decorated managers of the 1980′s. Heenan was a great talker and could get under every wrestler and fan’s skin. In fact, he was so great at talking, he did a lot of commentary work alongside Gorilla Monsoon. The Heenan Family was a stable of wrestlers managed by one of the best talkers in wrestling, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. The stable included legends Andre the Giant, Haku, Paul Orndorff, King Kong Bundy, Big John Studd, Ravishing Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect, The Brain Busters (Arn Anderson and Tully Blanchard) and more. Heenan was also and advisor to Ric Flair, helping him win the WWF heavyweight championship belt.

Paul Bearer

The legendary high-pitched squealer Paul Bearer is famous for managing the Undertaker for many years. In 1990, Paul Bearer entered the World Wrestling Federation as a ghostly, plump, urn-bearing manager to the other ghostly character, the Undertaker. After The Undertaker lit Paul Bearer on fire, Bearer introduced the Undertaker’s younger brother, Kane, at the In Your House Bad Blood pay per view event. Paul Bearer supposedly had an affair with the Undertaker’s mother resulting in the Undertaker’s half-brother Kane.

Mr. Fuji

Mr. Fuji was a fantastic heel manager in the 1980′s, managing great tag teams of the generation, like Demolition, Powers of Pain and the Orient Express. He also managed lengendary WWF champion, Yokozuna. He would blind competitors by throwing salt in their eyes when the referee wasn’t looking.

Miss Elizabeth

Miss Elizabeth was a main-event caliber manager, managing major superstars like The Macho Man Randy Savage (Also known during the time as “Macho King” Randy Savage) and Hulk Hogan. Elizabeth managed Hogan and Savage together as a tag team who were known as “The Mega Powers”.

Jimmy Hart

Jimmy “Mouth of the South” Hart’s signature accessory was the megaphone, which he constantly used at ringside and in promo videos. Hart also had custom sport coats and ties made to match each wrestler he managed. Hart managed many legends like intercontinental champion, the Honky Tonk Man and Greg “the Hammer” Valentine (Rhythm and Blues), Bret “the Hitman” Hart and Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart (The Hart Foundation), King Kong Bundy, The Nasty Boys, The Natural Disasters (Earthquake & Typhoon), Ric Flair, among others.

Slick

“The Doctor of Style” Slick was primarily a heel manger, managing the like of the Twin Towers (The Big Boss Man and Akeem) along with The Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff and Hercules Hernandez in 1986 after taking over managerial duties from “Classy” Freddie Blassie, when Slick purchased 50% ownership in Blassie’s stable.

Sensational Sherri

The greatest female manager of all time, Sensation Sherri, sometimes known as Scary Sherri managed main-event superstars, Macho Man Randy Savage and Shawn Michaels. Sherri was a great villain and was usually found ringside creating chaos and screaming at the top of her lungs.

Captain Lou Albano

Besides managing Oscar “Crusher” Verdu, “Russian Bear” Ivan Koloff, Pat Patterson, Don Muraco and Greg “the Hammer” Valentine, the rubberband-faced manager starred in Cyndi Lauper music videos and in the animated series, Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling.

Jim Cornette

Jim Cornette (James E. Cornette) has one of the longest managerial resumes in professional wrestling. Having managed in every major promotion and territory in the United states since the 1980′s. Cornette became famous for carrying a tennis racquet and managing the Midnight Express, Jeff Jarrett and Barry Windham in the NWA. Cornette moved on to the WWF where he most notably managed Yokozuna, along with “Camp Cornette”, a stable of wrestlers including Vader, Owen Hart, and The British Bulldog

Virgil

Virgil was that manager that every underdog rooted for in the 80′s. He was initially the bodyguard for The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, who insisted on disrespecting Virgil in the center of the ring. Until one day when Virgil refused to take it any more. Virgil went on to eventually win the Million Dollar Belt from DiBiase and have a wrestling career.

Harvey Wippleman

Wippleman managed Sid Justice, Kamala and introduced Giant González, who interfered and eliminated the Undertake in the 1993 Royal Rumble. Wippleman played the classic weasel heel role, similar to the style of Bobby “the Brain” Heenan.