There are different types of pro wrestling managers out there. There’s the advocate. The brains. The sports agent, the best friend, the family member. There are also different reasons for pairing a wrestler with a manager. Their microphone skills are lacking or the character on their own just isn’t believable.
Managers can be more than a mouthpiece, more than eye candy. And the WWE product is sorely lacking in a department that many fans in the 25-plus demographic miss from their childhood.
Titus O’Neil may not be doing much for Apollo Crews at the moment but it’s a start and we all know both of those guys need a little extra something. Here are five more Monday Night Raw Superstars who would benefit immediately from being “accompanied to the ring” by a manager. And don’t forget to check out last week’s 6 Smackdown Live Superstars who would benefit from a manger.
Nia Jax
Sure, most girls don’t have managers, but check the entrance theme, y’all — Nia is not like most girls. That constantly-on-the-cusp feeling that surrounds Nia can be overcome with the right accessory.
The former college basketball player turned model turned professional wrestler has a hard time instilling fear with her ring work, save for the recent double- triple- and quadruple-teams. What if Nia had a mouthpiece, someone doing the heavy lifting on the character development side while Jax continued to overpower opponents in the ring?
Imagine a throwback heel manager like Slick. While the Doctor of Style never really jumped off the page like his contemporaries, his energy and presence added value to Legends like Rick Martel and the Big Boss Man.
Sasha Banks
Hear me out. Banks is the most charismatic of the bunch here, the one with the most original and eye-catching look and brand. But when the Boss is behind the microphone, her weaknesses shine. With years of opportunities to improv her public speaking behind her, it’s time to experiment with a manager.
Imagine WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg accompanying Banks to the ring, handling her business on the microphone. If the rapper’s dance card is too full for the rigorous WWE schedule, then he can get the Finn Bálor “Demon” treatment and just accompany her to the ring for major PPV events.
Snoop backing Banks has that crossover appeal that WWE loves, it legitimizes Sasha even more, and maybe some of that G-funk can rub off of her in the process.
Bray Wyatt
Bray’s shortcomings on the character development side have been well documented on With Spandex, on every With Spandex writer’s Twitter feed, and repeatedly in With Spandex’s comment sections. We even asked him recently why he loses so much. The secret is out — the New Face of Fear needs a new face.
What if Bray really shocked the world and shut his mouth? What if he went away for a few months and came back repackaged enough to register a total rebrand? Bray has spent his entire career as the leader of a family, but it’s not far-fetched to picture him as subservient. He can keep the beard, and the fireflies don’t have to fly away (although shaving the beard would be the quickest way to solidify a new beginning for Bray).
Bonus points if his manager watches every match from the rocking chair. All of the bonus points available in the universe if this new and improved Bray actually wins some matches.
See you soon brother @WWEBrayWyatt.
— Sister Abigail Wyatt (@SisterWyattWWE) April 30, 2017
All logic points to Bray’s manager being Sister Abigail, but we don’t know if she’s alive or dead, if she was ever real, if she’s in Bray’s head, if she’s a vampire or a zombie, or anything. Someone made that above Sister Wyatt Twitter account, but it’s as consistent as Wyatt on a pay-per-view.
At this point, WWE fans will probably accept any sort of change for The Eater of Worlds, as long as when he comes back he doesn’t say things like “I am the eater of worlds.” Because no, you’re not.
Jeff Hardy
The charismatic enigma has worked with plenty of managers before, but none as a singles competitor in WWE. Sure, Jeff’s better years are behind him and he’s got a bad shoulder injury to deal with, but you know he’s coming back as soon as his health checks out, probably at least a month sooner than his surgeon thinks.
When he does, Matt is going to be Broken as all hell (god willing), leaving Jeff to fend for himself as a solo competitor which, check the archives, the former Heavyweight Champion is more than capable of doing. But this deep in his career, it would be nice to see him paired with someone with a “mind for wrestling” vibe like Paul Ellering, on the hunt for one more championship run. Picture the way NBA players sign with title contenders for one last run, but translated into wrestling.
Braun Strowman
The internet’s favorite wrestler doesn’t need a manger for us to believe in him as a threat, but neither does Brock Lesnar. Nor did Andre the Giant. In some cases the right manager with the right motivation can really rocket launch a wrestler to the next level, and then past whatever level is after that.
While Braun is (country) strong enough on the mic and his presence is oh shit enough, imagine him rolling with someone he trusts, someone who can unleash an even more devastating side to everyone’s favorite throwback hoss. We love Braun wrecking cars with his bare hands and breaking LED panels, but imagine Braun doing it because someone he trusts is telling him to?
A Paul Heyman type manager would suit Braun well. Someone hired to do his paperwork, to influence officiating, to explain how dangerous his client is while the client shows how dangerous he is. Or a Harvey Wippleman-ish presence to flick his cigar ashes on his client’s opponents.
Who would you like to see paired up? Let us know in the comments, humanoids.
