In
professional wrestlingProfessional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is an athletic performing art where matches are prearranged by the promotion's booking staff. It is a non-competitive sport which contains strong elements of theatre, mock combat, and catch wrestling. Wrestling's origins date to 19th-century carnival...
, a
manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler (or wrestlers) for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the business (or a specific company) and needs the experience in front of the crowds. The wrestler that a manager manages is called his or her
charge.
A manager is somewhat like a
storylineIn professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real." That is, the portrayal of professional wrestling as being genuine or not worked...
agentA talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, Film directors, musicians, models, producers, Professional athletes, Writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Agents make their money by taking a percentage of the money that their client is paid...
for an
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
or an athlete; he helps his client to book matches and appearances, and otherwise works to further and guide their career.
In
professional wrestlingProfessional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is an athletic performing art where matches are prearranged by the promotion's booking staff. It is a non-competitive sport which contains strong elements of theatre, mock combat, and catch wrestling. Wrestling's origins date to 19th-century carnival...
, a
manager is a secondary character paired with a wrestler (or wrestlers) for a variety of reasons. The manager is often either a non-wrestler, an occasional wrestler, an older wrestler who has retired or is nearing retirement or, in some cases, a new wrestler who is breaking into the business (or a specific company) and needs the experience in front of the crowds. The wrestler that a manager manages is called his or her
charge.
The role of a manager
A manager is somewhat like a
storylineIn professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real." That is, the portrayal of professional wrestling as being genuine or not worked...
agentA talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, Film directors, musicians, models, producers, Professional athletes, Writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Agents make their money by taking a percentage of the money that their client is paid...
for an
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
or an athlete; he helps his client to book matches and appearances, and otherwise works to further and guide their career. Within the context of storylines it is the manager who positions their charge for
title opportunitiesIn professional wrestling, a championship or title is a recognition of a wrestler being the best in their promotion.A wrestler can earn a championship by defeating the current champion in a match or in other ways determined by the promotion, such as winning a tournament for a vacant championship...
, decides whom to trust as an ally, and generally acts as a mouthpiece on their wrestlers' behalf. Outside of storylines, a manager's job is to help the wrestler they're paired with get over. For this reason, managers are usually paired with wrestlers who the writers feel have great potential, but need a little help to the top. For example, if a wrestler can perform well in the ring, but lacks the
gift of gabGift of Gab may refer to:*Irish legend of the Blarney Stone*Gift of Gab , a black and white film released in 1934 by Universal Pictures*Gift of Gab , American musician, member of Blackalicious*, idiom...
, a manager will cut promos for him. Often the very act of aligning oneself with a manager, or conversely breaking away from a manager they've worked with, can change a wrestler's alignment, making them a sudden
fan favoriteIn professional wrestling, a face or babyface is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains. Not everything a face wrestler does must be heroic: faces need only to be cheered by the audience to be effective characters...
or
villainIn professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling storylines. They are typically opposed by a babyface or more simply, face . Some tweeners exhibit heel mannerisms...
.
While the basic goal of a manager to give his or her wrestlers a
pushIn professional wrestling, a push is an attempt by the booker to make the wrestler win more matches and become more popular or more reviled with the fans depending on whether they are a heel or a face...
never changes, how they go about it will depend on several factors, especially alignment. A heel manager, for example, may have their wrestler constantly duck tougher opponents while cheating to help them win when they do actually wrestle. A face manager, however, may spend the majority of their interview time talking about how tough their wrestler is and going out of their way to find bigger and better opponents to challenge to prove it.
Certain wrestlers employ a special kind of manager, known as a "handler." If a wrestler's character calls for it a handler is the only person who can control a "wild" wrestler that is prone to "go out of control." A recent example of this was wrestler
UmagaEdward "Eddie" Solofa Fatu is a Samoan-American professional wrestler better known by his ring names Jamal, Aumaga, Ekmo, and Umaga...
and his handler, Armando Estrada.
Managers vs. valets vs. enforcers
Most managers are male; a female who accompanies a wrestler to the ring is often referred to as a
valet. The major difference between the two is that managers are usually shown as (usually
kayfabeIn professional wrestling, kayfabe is the portrayal of events within the industry as "real." That is, the portrayal of professional wrestling as being genuine or not worked...
) crafting a wrestler's career "behind the scenes", while valets are usually shown as simply
eye candyThe term Eye Candy or eye candy can refer to one of the following:*Attractiveness*Eye Candy , an album by Mis-Teeq*software "Eye Candy", a plugin for Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Fireworks that adds new filter effects....
, often to distract opponents or
refereeA professional wrestling referee is the official figure that makes sure that wrestling matches move smoothly in an attempt to maintain kayfabe. The referee also has the ultimate power in the ring...
s. Valets, in general, rarely cut promos, instead simply making their presence felt by accompanying a wrestler during his promo. Although true female managers are rare, some (like
Sherri MartelSherri Schrull was an American professional wrestler and manager, better known by her ring names, Sherri Martel and Sensational Sherri...
) have had long and storied careers and gone through many companies as "managers of champions". A male wrestler or character accompanying a prominent female wrestler to the ring could be considered a valet as well, though this is exceptionally rare.
While they are not managers in the traditional sense,
enforcersEnforcer is a professional wrestling term for one of two situations. An enforcer is either a bodyguard/powerhouse for a wrestler/faction, or can be a reference to a person who acts as a guest ringside referee during a match.-Powerhouse/Enforcer:...
, full-time wrestlers who accompany another wrestler to the ring, also serve both in and out of storylines, to further the interests of a wrestler in their care. Enforcers appear in storylines where a wrestler needs to "have [their] back watched"; enforcers will keep outside interference from taking place in a match, or become outside interference themselves. Outside the ring, they will protect their charges from ambushes by other wrestlers, which further the storyline without actually recording a real match in the terms of the storyline. They tend to come from the ranks of generally larger, more intimidating looking wrestlers, e.g.
Luther ReignsMatthew "Matt" R. Wiese is an American former professional wrestler and actor. He is best known for his tenure in World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring name Luther Reigns, where he performed on its SmackDown brand....
to
Kurt AngleKurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, actor and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is a former three-time TNA World Heavyweight Champion, as recognized by promotion.Angle was involved in amateur wrestling...
or Ezekiel Jackson to The
Brian KendrickBrian David Kendrick is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for working for World Wrestling Entertainment, both under his real name and as "The" Brian Kendrick....
.
History
From the early years of pro wrestling to the mid-1990s, managers were very common because they served a secondary purpose: "getting
heatIn professional wrestling, heat refers to both crowd reaction and real-life animosity between those involved in the professional wrestling business. In terms of crowd reaction, heat is usually either cheers for a babyface or boos for a heel...
." A manager's job was to cut promos on behalf of clients who may not be as charismatic (or had gimmicks depicting them as silent, or with limited ability to speak
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
). As such, successful managers almost invariably had the "
gift of the gabThe Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney about from Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of gab . The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446...
", though it wasn't unheard of to see managers paired with wrestlers who had no trouble cutting their own promos. In this case, the manager's role was often mainly to help their clients cheat in matches.
In the territorial days of wrestling, most managers did not travel from territory to territory, but instead remained in one territory to provide instant heat to the promotion's new heel acts. Notable examples would be
Jimmy HartJimmy Ray Hart is a professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician best known for his work in the World Wrestling Federation and World Championship Wrestling. He has managed many professional wrestlers, including Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, Jerry "The King" Lawler, Ted DiBiase, and...
in Memphis,
Bobby HeenanRaymond Louis Heenan better known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, is a former American professional wrestling manager and color commentator, best known for his time with the World Wrestling Federation and the American Wrestling Association...
in the
American Wrestling AssociationThe American Wrestling Association ' was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
, and the "Three Wise Men" (
Lou AlbanoLouis Vincent Albano was an American professional wrestler, manager and actor. Throughout his 42-year career, Albano guided 15 different tag teams and four singles competitors to championship gold. A unique showman, with an elongated beard, rubber band facial piercings, and loud outfits, he was...
, Freddie Blassie, and
Ernie RothErnie Roth , best known as The Grand Wizard of Wrestling, also well known as Abdullah Farouk, was a professional wrestling manager of many infamous heels...
) in the
World Wide Wrestling FederationWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is a publicly-traded, privately-controlled integrated media and sports entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
(now World Wrestling Entertainment).
Some managers, such as
Paul ElleringPaul Ellering is a retired professional wrestling manager.-Early career:Before entering the wrestling business, Ellering was an accomplished weightlifter. Ellering was trained in Minneapolis, MN at a camp run by American Wrestling Alliance owner and promoter Verne Gagne and wrestler/trainer Eddie...
, were managers in the truest sense of the word, taking care of the day-to-day needs of their "charges" by dealing with travel arrangements, rentals, and lodgings.