Top 10 WWE Managers Of All Time

All sports stars have managers to handle their affairs, sorting those behind-the-scenes deals, angling for good paydays, maybe even bribing an official or two - who's to say? With professional wrestling having the pretence of a real legitimate sport then it's no big surprise that managers play a big role in the world of sports entertainment too, and can be that little ingredient to help a lukewarm feud become must-see action.

When it comes to managers in WWE, it's an inconsistent affair. From the highs of the 80s where several Hall of Fame-worthy agents looked after the interests of myriad stars, through the middling mid-2000s and beyond where traditional bosses became a rarity, and everyone on the roster had to lace up their boots to justify their paycheque, the role of managers and hangers-on has gone through many major changes.

From the Rock ’n' Wrestling Connection until present day, we've ranked the 10 best WWE Managers ever. Honourable mentions to The Grand Wizard and Arnold Skaaland who did their managerial work before WWE's 80s explosion.

10. Chyna

It is no hyperbole to say that Chyna changed the game when she arrived in 1997, with the Ninth Wonder of the World soon becoming one of the biggest stars in the industry.

Coming in as Triple H’s bodyguard, Chyna was instantly positioned as quite frankly, a hard-as-nails enforcer just begging for a fight. Didn’t matter who what where or why, if they got in Triple H’s way then Chyna would punch them square in the balls. And the crowd loved it.

As Triple H made his way up the card, Chyna’s visibility increased, and her propensity for testicular trauma ensured that Hunter won a litany of championships.

So effective was Chyna in the role that WWF eventually put her in the men’s singles division, as seemingly every other company on the planet debuted their own Chyna rip-offs – Asya we’re looking at you.

As Trips rode off with Stephanie McMahon, Chyna found herself the object of Eddie Guerrero’s affection, eventually succumbing to his charm and becoming his ‘Mamacita’ – a short-lived yet very popular pairing.

But it all comes back to that initial run with Triple H and D-Generation X, a role that set her on the path to superstardom, and earned a rightful place in the WWE Hall of Fame for Chyna.

9. Captain Lou Albano

A classic manager who did most of his work before WWF’s explosion in 1984, Captain Lou was the king of the tag scene, all but guaranteeing tag gold for whomever he was cornering.

Arguably Albano’s greatest contribution came as the catalyst for the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection, with Albano slap bang in the middle of the action as he feuded with pop star Cyndi Lauper.

Although Albano was eventually unsuccessful in his war with Lauper, his stock rose dramatically, with Captain Lou turning face and managing the likes of Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and any other faces who needed support against WWF’s ever-growing rogues gallery.

Captain Lou remained a tag specialist, first guiding the US Express to the tag titles, and later masterminding The British Bulldogs’ rise to the top, with Dynamite Kid and Davey Boy Smith defeating The Dream Team for the straps at WrestleMania 2.

After several years away from the company, Captain Lou would return in 1994 to oversee The Headshrinkers’ WWF Tag Title win with Afa, then would once again leave town, presumably returning to the Mushroom Kingdom. (He was Super Mario innit).

8. Miss Elizabeth

When Randy Savage made his grand arrival to the WWF in 1985, every manager in the game entered a bidding war for Savage’s signature, with Macho Man spurning all their advances in favour of the lovely Miss Elizabeth.

Pretty and demure, Elizabeth was a 180 from the wild and bombastic Macho Man, and watched on as Savage scooped up the Intercontinental Championship as he established himself as one of the greatest in-ring talents in the entire company.

Macho’s over-protectiveness of Elizabeth would be exploited by his opponents, and the nefarious Savage would even use Elizabeth as a shield in order to hit faces with a sly dig here and there.

As Savage moved up the card and turned face, Elizabeth stood by him every step of the way, watching on as Savage became WWF Champion at WrestleMania 4, and later managing the awesome Mega Powers as Savage teamed with Hulk Hogan.

Again, Randy’s possessiveness got the better of him, with Macho Man turning heel after ruthlessly attacking Hogan, thinking the Hulkster was making advances on Elizabeth.

Liz would walk away, but would return to Savage’s side several years later in one of WrestleMania’s most iconic moments.

In a world where everyone was an over-the-top caricature, Miss Elizabeth shone by being a normal human being, unafraid to show her vulnerability, as well as effortless class.

7. Mr. Fuji

A multi-time WWF Tag Team Champion, Mr. Fuji swapped his ring tights for a tuxedo and bowler hat in 1985, becoming part of the new breed of dastardly heel managers as the remaining members of the ‘Triumvirate of Terror’ wound down their careers.

With his trusty cane and a pocket full of blinding salt, Fuji managed the affairs of George Steele and Don Muraco before taking charge of the awesome Demolition.

With Fuji on hand to break the rules, Demolition marched to the top of the tag division, winning the WWF Tag Titles and holding them for a record-setting 478 days. Fuji would eventually turn on the team for the inferior Powers of Pain though, silly sod.

Fuji would bounce from client to client until 1992, when he ditched the tux for a kimono and ushered the terrifying Yokozuna into the mainstream. With Fuji once again on hand to chuck salt in opponent’s eyes, Yoko bulldozed the entire roster to win the Royal Rumble, land two WWF Championships, crush Lex Luger’s main event hopes, and ended up tagging with Owen Hart to land the tag titles for fun.

Fuji would stay at Yoko’s side, even when he was usurped by Jim Cornette, and would corner Yoko going into WrestleMania 12 before retiring from the business.

6. Jim Cornette

Everyone’s favourite internet curmudgeon, Jim Cornette is undoubtedly one of the finest managers in wrestling history.

After his legendary run in the NWA, Jim formed SMW and eventually made his way to the WWF, serving as the ‘American Spokesman’ for WWF Champion Yokozuna.

Dressed in ugly suits and ready to smack someone with his tennis racket, Cornette would get heat like few could, working in tandem with Mr. Fuji as Yoko mowed down everyone in sight.

Off the back of this, Cornette formed Camp Cornette, with Yoko, Owen Hart, and The British Bulldog serving as the de facto heel crew of the New Generation, holding two tag titles during their run. Not satisfied with the amount of beef at his disposal, Cornette only went and brought in Vader, with ‘The Mastodon’ debuting by clattering Gorilla Monsoon before marching his way into the main event scene.

After Camp Cornette, James E. would serve as the mouthpiece for the odd NWA invasion of 1997 which was… something, before bringing actual killing machine Dan Severn into the WWF, complete with about fifteen championship title belts.

Whilst his WWF run never reached the heights of his run with the Midnight Express, Cornette packed as much in as he could, and if you needed a bombastic hyper mic man then you could do worse than give Jim a call.

5. Sensational Sherri

With Vince McMahon deciding that he was bored of women’s wrestling, Sherri Martel was left in limbo, with the former WWF Women’s Champion transitioning full-time into a managerial role after moonlighting for several years.

First cornering Intercontinental Champion Honky Tonk Man as ‘Peggy Sue’, Martel would truly flourish as the frankly bonkers Queen Sherri at the side of the 'Macho King' Randy Savage.

Whereas Miss Elizabeth juxtaposed Savage’s madness with her calming presence, Sensational Sherri exacerbated it, screaming loads of twaddle about evil magic and destruction, whilst occasionally painted like a cat.

Absolutely bonkers.

After kicking Savage to the curb after he lost a retirement match to The Ultimate Warrior, Sherri would shack up with Ted DiBiase, and although Ted was past his prime he was still a massive star, and the always aggro Sherri would step in to give someone a literal shoeing when needed.

Sherri’s last major run in WWF came at the side of the newly heel singles breakout star Shawn Michaels, with Sherri besotted with the ‘sexy boy’. Shawn - being a horrible little man - pulled Sherri in harms way when Marty Jannetty attempted to smash his head in with a mirror, and Sherri would take a bash to the head so hard that she’d abandon both Rockers and corner Tatanka instead. Yikes.

4. Jimmy Hart

After making his name in Memphis as the chief foil to Jerry Lawler, Jimmy Hart made his way to WWF in 1985 and instantly added some pedigree to his client base, cornering Intercontinental Champion Greg Valentine.

The Mouth of the South would also guide The Dream Team with Johnny V, before forming a new team to take the tag division by storm when he brought Jim Neidhart and Bret Hart together as The Hart Foundation.

Hart would also manage The Funks at this time, and would dub himself ‘The Colonel’ when cornering a newly heel Honky Tonk Man, keeping a close eye as he became a record-breaking Intercontinental Champion.

Clearly, Jimmy Hart had the golden touch.

Incessantly screaming into his megaphone made sure he was roundly booed week-in and week-out, and when his charges were at a disadvantage then Jimmy wouldn’t hesitate to use it as a weapon.

His chicanery ensured that The Nasty Boys wrangled the belts away from Bret and Anvil at WrestleMania 7, with Jimmy using his helmet as a foreign object.

Weirdly, Hart would end up fulfilling the rare role of a babyface manager in WWF, when after runs with The Natural Disasters and tag champs Money Inc., Jimmy would begin to represent Brutus Beefcake and Hulk Hogan, cornering the Hulkster for his WWF Championship win at WrestleMania 9.

Oh, and he wrote Shawn Michaels’ theme too. Legend.

3. Paul Bearer

Quite frankly, The Undertaker and Brother Love pairing wasn't a good fit. What The Deadman needed was some kind of mortuary assistant, or a pallbearer to look after his affairs.

Step forward Paul Bearer - ohhh now I get it - a pasty-faced grim mortician plucked straight from a Universal Horror flick and plonked next to ‘The Phenom’, complete with a mystical urn that contained either fog, smoke, a massive light, or actual human ashes depending on what day it was.

The addition of Bearer completed the Taker gimmick, with Bearer creepily praising ‘his’ Undertaker, cutting the promos whilst Taker just stood there being all tall and dead. The two remained together for six years, with Taker lifting the WWF Championship during this time, before Bearer betrayed Taker and sided with the deranged Mankind, as well as a short spell with Vader.

With Mankind, Bearer changed his act somewhat, but was still a creepy little ghoul of a man, with his wretchedness going to new heights when he unleashed Kane on the world at Badd Blood 1997.

Don’t worry though, because, after Kane Bearer settled down… sorry no he didn’t, he formed the Ministry of Darkness with Taker and tried embalming people on live TV.

Bearer was campy, over the top, and utterly ridiculous, but that’s why he was so good. He made us believe that a pair of 7ft magic zombies could squash a combat league, and could command the audience simply by saying “ooooohhhhh yessssss”.

2. Paul Heyman

Quite simply one of the greatest talkers and most brilliant minds in wrestling history, Paul Heyman was the mastermind behind the awesome Dangerous Alliance in WCW before changing the entire industry with ECW in the mid-1990s.

After ECW died and was bought by WWF, Heyman joined WWF, first as a commentator, then as the mouthpiece for the disastrous WCW/ECW Alliance with Shane and Stephanie McMahon.

However, as an on-screen force in WWE, Heyman was just getting started and further changed the landscape of the business when he brought Brock Lesnar to our screens.

Presiding over the ‘Next Big Thing’s’ affairs, Heyman did the deals and the talking as Brock literally ate everyone who challenged him in the fed.

Heyman would also look after main event talents The Big Show and Kurt Angle, then after Brock left town, Heyman would depart the company, returning to run the ill-fated WWE ECW, including a second stint as ECW Champion Big Show’s manager.

However, it wasn’t until Brock Lesnar returned that Heyman truly cemented himself as the best in the business, advocating for ‘The Beast’ as Brock snapped arms and collected championships for fun.

With Brock only working when he could be bothered, Heyman made himself useful by joining biggest star in the company CM Punk which was also incredible.

Ok so his runs with Curtis Axel and Cesaro were false dawns, but Heyman always fit Brock well, and when a newly heel Roman Reigns needed a special counsel, who else was fit for the job than Heyman?

A once-in-a-generation talker who masterminded dozens of world title wins, Heyman is for many the greatest manager of all time.

But for us there’s one better….

1. Bobby Heenan

The measuring stick by which all managers are compared to, Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan could make chicken salad out of chicken sludge, and could turn a great talent into a legend.

The brains behind the nefarious Heenan Family in the AWA and WWF, Bobby surrounded himself with winners and future hall of famers, throwing his weight behind the likes of Harley Race, The Brainbusters, ‘Ravishing’ Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect, Paul Orndorff, Haku, and a little known talent called Andre the Giant.

Indeed, it was Heenan’s corrupting of career babyface Andre that was his greatest work, getting inside the legend’s head as he sought to use him as a weapon in his fight against Hulkamania, with Heenan advising Andre for his monumental clash with Hogan at WrestleMania 3.

Quick-witted, oozing credibility, and not afraid to look like a tit and bump like a madman to get the face over, ‘The Weasel’ turned the role of a wrestling manager into an art form, whilst also cementing himself as one of the greatest colour commentators of all time too, the show-off.

Although Brain would concentrate more on his announcing work as the 90s rolled on, he would still retain some impressive clients, bringing in the ‘Real World’s Champion’ Ric Flair to the WWF in 1991, and later following that with the introduction of ‘The Narcissist’ Lex Luger.

Quite simply, no one could do it quite like Heenan, and whilst many have come close, none will ever possess ‘The Brain’ that Bobby Heenan had.

1. Bobby Heenan

The measuring stick by which all managers are compared to, Bobby ‘The Brain’ Heenan could make chicken salad out of chicken sludge, and could turn a great talent into a legend.

The brains behind the nefarious Heenan Family in the AWA and WWF, Bobby surrounded himself with winners and future hall of famers, throwing his weight behind the likes of Harley Race, The Brainbusters, ‘Ravishing’ Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect, Paul Orndorff, Haku, and a little known talent called Andre the Giant.

Indeed, it was Heenan’s corrupting of career babyface Andre that was his greatest work, getting inside the legend’s head as he sought to use him as a weapon in his fight against Hulkamania, with Heenan advising Andre for his monumental clash with Hogan at WrestleMania 3.

Quick-witted, oozing credibility, and not afraid to look like a tit and bump like a madman to get the face over, ‘The Weasel’ turned the role of a wrestling manager into an art form, whilst also cementing himself as one of the greatest colour commentators of all time too, the show-off.

Although Brain would concentrate more on his announcing work as the 90s rolled on, he would still retain some impressive clients, bringing in the ‘Real World’s Champion’ Ric Flair to the WWF in 1991, and later following that with the introduction of ‘The Narcissist’ Lex Luger.

Quite simply, no one could do it quite like Heenan, and whilst many have come close, none will ever possess ‘The Brain’ that Bobby Heenan had.