Managers; Still neccesary? Or a waste of time?

[The Legend Killer]

Take a look back at some of the greats. Ted DiBiase with Virgil, Bobbby Heenan with Andre the Giant, Ultimo Dragon with Sonny Onoo, Macho Man Randy Savage with Elizabeth, etc. Looking at those names, do you wonder if managers can really only work with heels? I wouldn't call Sonny Onoo and Ultimo Dragon heels, and they worked out. This column will talk alot about WWE, and some about WCW. I don't know much about other promotions, so, please keep that in mind, and I apologize that i'm not an expert. OI'm only a fan, and this is from the thoughts of a fan. Take a look at some of the managers, or manager types they have today. AJ Lee with Dolph Ziggler, Melina with M&M, etc. I do realize Melina and M&M are old news now, but, the point I'm getting at is the managers or manager typrs that WWE has today. When was the last time you really felt something between the wrestler and the manager? When was the last time a manager came out and you just wanted to kick your TV?

With the time that WWE dedicates to wrestlers giving promos, are managers even really neccesary? I say yes. Some wrestlers are great on the mic, or at least don't need much help. Guys like Joh nCena, Randy Orton, CM Punk, The Miz, Triple H, etc. Then you look at guys who could use some help on the mic, or could at least do with someone helping them. For example, I can't stand Dolph Ziggler, I think he's beyond boring on the mic, and can't stand anything he has to say, i'm not even interested in the current angle with him and AJ Lee, but, I do say it works. Even Big E Langston. All of them have their purpose, and all of them do it well. Dolph Ziggler is supposed to be the wrestler, AJ Lee is supposed to be kind of irritating, and Big E Langston is supposed to just look tough. Yes, when they came out, you can almost guarantee what will happen, but, you're still kind of interested to see where it goes.

When you think back at some of the great moments involving managers, do you remember the emotion you felt? Remember Randy Savage carrying Elizabeth on his shoulders at WrestleMania? Anytime Bobby Heenan would get involved in the match to help his superstar? Sonny Onoos comments he'd make about how great the Ultimo Dragon is? Ted DiBiase treating Virgil like crap? Virgil finally standing up to Ted DiBiase? Remember all of those great moments, and how you felt, and think of today. Today, would you really care much if Dolph Ziggler turned on AJ Lee? Would you have cared if Melina left M&M? I'm not saying none of those moments would be memorable, i'm just saying that would it really be one of those moments that wrestling fans will remember forever?

I do think managers are still necessary, but, I do believe it's a waste of time now almost. The hard part is this, what exactly is it that tells you the manager and superstar work well together? Is it a storyline? Is it promos? Is it hype? Is it championships? Or could it simply just be luck? For example, look back at Ted DiBiase and Virgil (yes, I talk about them alot!). A wrestler treats his manager like crap, the manager allows it, the manager starts to seem annoyed, the manager finally gets mad. It's a storyline that has been done 200 trillion times. So what made that manager and superstar so fun to see? It's one of my fav. teams in the history of the WWE, and I couldn't even tell you.

Another funny thing to think about, would some of these superstars even work well with a manager? Could you imagine John Cena with a manager? People say he says the same crap on the mic, and does the same crap in the ring, so why wouldn't he need a manager? I'm not a fan of him, and even I wouldn't say he would work well with a manager. I think he does fine by himself. Strangely though, look at someone like Randy Orton. Again, he gets the same crap John Cena does. People say he says the same crap in his promos, and he does the same crap in the ring, however, I do believe he could work well with a manager. So again, what is it that makes a team successful? Again, I still don't know. Maybe it works easier with the heels? So, then why were Ultimo Dragon and Sonny Onoo a good team?

So again I ask you, are managers still neccesary? Or a waste of time now? Think back to all of the faces and heels in recent history that have had managers, and tell me if you t hink they will be remembered by wrestling fans forever. Have managers just taken the backseat to long promos? Or is it just something that isn't working at the moment?

For now, TLK out. Thanks for reading.

[WWE Gary]

Without a doubt , yes , we still need managers and managers will never be a waste of time. For every Brock Lesnar , you need a Paul Heyman . And we definitley need someone on the outside of the ring to create a distraction now and again and to interfere . Managers are a way of creating great heat during a match . Remember when Rick Rude beat Ultimate Warrior at Wrestlemania V , with Bobby Heenan holding the Warriors leg down to prevent him kicking out . Stuff like that is crucial to the psycology ofthe sport . How successful would Yoko Zuna be if he didn't have Jim Cornette by his side for all those promos when he was WWE Champion back in 1993/94.

What doesn't make sense is when an athlete , who is already a master on the mike is put with a manager who he doesn't really need . CM Punk and Heyman is one example . Punk can do just fine on his own when it comes to talking the talk . There are lots of guys that could use Heyman . Take a big man like Tensai . Great career in Japan where its mainly wrestling based and not 20 minute promos . He comes back to America and gets squashed . Why ? Because he doesn't work well on the mike . Imagine if a guy with Paul Heyman's mike skills could manage him . I would say he'd become a force to reckon with . Never a main eventer , but certainly not just some jobber to the stars like he is now . That's what a big difference a manager can make .

So no , I don't believe managers are a waste of time .

[The Legend Killer]

aH DAMN, I meant to add the thing about CM Punk and Paul Heyman. I said something about it in another post about how Paul Heyman being CM Punks manager seems pointless. CM Punk does great all by himself. I think Paul Heyman and The Big Show would be amazing together. Big Show isn't very good on the mic at all, even his matches aren't anything special,. but, if he had someone like Paul Heyman as his manager, I think it would do nothing but help The Big Show. It's funny you mention Yokozuna with Jim Cornette. I was watching a WrestleMania that had them on it (I forget which one, Donnie Wahlberg was the guest ring announcer), and thinking, "Damn that's a good team".