Top 5 Managers of the WWF Era

I've been a pro wrestler for 10 years now. I grew up watching the old-school wrestling, such as AWA, World Class, and others. Eventually, I graduated onto WCW and the then-WWF. Aside from the in-ring action that captivated me and influenced me to entertain the fans every night, one aspect of watching wrestling that kept my attention were the various managers.

Managers played a tremendous role, especially during the 80s and mid 90s. They were responsible for providing support to their superstar in the ring, as well as lend a hand when the situation calls for it. However over the past 10 or 15 years, we've seen less emphasis on managers and valets in wrestling. So that said, I'm pulling five names out of my brain and selecting them as the Top 5 WWF Managers.

The first one we'll take a look at is the often colorful "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart. One of the most colorful and legendary managers to ever grace the business, Hart has managed the best names in the business. The list of names he has managed over the years include The Hart Foundation, Kevin Sullivan, The Honky Tonk Man, and of course Hulk Hogan. According to his Wikipedia page, he has led 46 men and 14 different tag teams to success throughout his legendary career. Hart, who is also a renowned musician, is also credited with composing several theme songs for the men he managed, including Hogan, The Nasty Boys, Honky Tonk Man, as well as the infamous theme song for Shawn Michaels. A member of the WWE Hall of Fame and being involved in the industry for over 25 years, Jimmy Hart is a true legend and one of the best managers in this history of the business.

Up next on the roster of managers is the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. Like Jimmy Hart, he is also a member of the WWE Hall of Fame, as well as a former WWE Tag Team Champion. His managerial dominance over the then-WWF during the 90s stands as a reason to point him as a great manager. After he retired from active competition in 1993, DiBiase formed the Million Dollar Corporation. He enlisted a host of well known stars to dominate the entire WWF. DiBiase signed his former championship partner, I.R.S., to the Corporation, as well as Nikolai Volkoff. He would later sign Bam Bam Bigelow as well as turning Native American Tatanka on his fans at SummerSlam 1994 against Lex Luger. The shocking turn ended up as one of the biggest stories of 1994. Sid Vicious also joined the bandwagon, after he attacked former friend Shawn Michaels after causing HBK the WWF Championship at WrestleMania XI. Sid was acquired as the enforcer for DiBiase, and he would eventually go on to win the WWE Championship. DiBiase has made sporadic appearances for WWE throughout the years since his full retirement, and still makes time to let the WWE Universe know that "Everybody's got a price!"

Batting third on our list of WWF managers is a manager who likewise knows a little bit about championship gold. Mr. Fuji is a 5-time WWF Tag Team Champion, who has held the titles with two separate partners. Most notably, he has managed some of the most well-known superstars to step into the ring. His list of stars include The Orient Express, Demolition, Crush, as well as "Cowboy" Bob Orton. However, possibly his greatest acquisition over his career was the monstrous 500-plus pound Yokozuna. Fuji guided the Sumo superstar to two WWF Heavyweight Championships, before Yokozuna's untimely death in 2000. The savvy manager was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in the Class of 2007 alongside Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Dusty Rhodes and the late Curt Hennig. Since his retirement, Fuji has made sporadic appearances throughout various promotions, carrying on his legacy and cementing his spot as simply one of the best managers the WWE has ever seen.

The final two managers are without a doubt two of the most legendary and often comedic entities in the history of the business. First we look at Jim Cornette. The polyester-clad loudmouth from Louisville, Kentucky, is widely known for his guidance of The Midnight Express in the 80s and early 90s. When he made his transition to the WWE in the 1990s, he helped out the aforementioned Mr. Fuji in the guidance of Yokozuna. Following that job, Cornette took two of the most well-known members of the infamous Hart Family into tag-team prominence. He led Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith to the WWF World Tag Team Championships on several occasions throughout 1996 and 1997, before Bret Hart reformed the Hart Foundation in the early summer of 1997. He was also noted for a series of commentaries in 1997 that aired on Raw that heavily critized the business, the WWF, and people within the industry. After Cornette's departure from WWF, he surfaced briefly in TNA Wrestling as TNA's Director of Authority, and now is the Executive Producer for Ring of Honor Wrestling on HDNet. Cornette's outspoken mannerisms have made him a longtime favorite of fans and a pain to the censors. However nobody can deny that his managerial services were not successful. Nowadays, you can find more information at his official website.

I had no choice but to save this one for last, mostly becaue he stands as one of my all-time favorites in the history of professional wrestling. Bobby "The Brain" Heenan has managed an A-list gathering of former WWF stars over the years. Heenan's all-star cast includes Ted DiBiase, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Paul Orndorff, The Brainbusters, Curt Hennig and the iconic "Nature Boy" Ric Flair during 1991 and 1992. After Flair departed for WCW in 1992, Heenan relocated to the announce table where he became one of the single most obnoxious and laugh-inducing commentators to ever wear the ringside headset. Heenan, and longtime partner "Mean" Gene Okerlund, bolted for WCW in 1993, where they would assume announcing duties from that point on. I've had the pleasure of meeting Bobby Heenan in person on one occasion and it is truly an experience I'll never forget. However in recent years, Heenan has had his medical issues. In 2002, Bobby announced that he was battling throat cancer. His spirits stayed strong however, as he stated in his own words, "If the late, great Gorilla Monsoon couldn't shut me up, cancer won't either." And if I know Bobby, he won't go down without a fight. Bobby, like most of managers listed, is an inductee of the WWE Hall of Fame. During his tear-filled acceptance, Bobby told the fan in attendance how he wished that Gorilla was there to see the moment. Whether he was wrestling, managing, or announcing, the man known worldwide as "The Weasel" will be forever remembered as one of the true greats of our industry.

This list took some time to put together. All the links you see are courtesy of either Wikipedia or the WWE Hall of Fame website. The Jim Cornette link comes courtesy of his own website that he has, although he will be the first to tell you that he isn't exactly computer savvy.

Granted, I missed a few great names on the list, such as Miss Elizabeth, Sunny, and even the lovely Sherri Martel. I even thought about throwing in Paul Bearer and Brother Love. Along with Ted DiBiase, those three at different times had managed former WWE Champion The Undertaker. But as tough as this list was to put together, here it is. So let the fun and games begin! If you have any comments about this list, or any arguments because I didn't put "The Genius" Lanny Poffo in there, feel free to let me know. I'm always open to suggestions. And if you have any ideas for a Top 5 list, feel free to let me know, and I'll see if I can put something together. Until then, have fun, be safe, and see ya ringside!