The 10 Greatest WWE Managers of All Time
Bobby "The Brain" Heenan
10. Jim Cornette
Crowds in the American South despised Jim Cornette so intensely that when he plunged off a 20-foot scaffold and shattered both knees at Starrcade 1986, fans actually celebrated. Cornette couldn’t have been happier, getting that reaction meant his act was working. Playing the role of a pampered rich kid, he famously surrounded himself with bruisers like Yokozuna and The British Bulldog in WWE. His most legendary work came as the mastermind behind The Midnight Express, a tag team that swapped members but never lost its edge. Guiding them from territory to territory with ruthless precision and his trademark tennis racket, Cornette turned them into a dynasty. “The Midnight Express is arguably the greatest tag team of all time,” Matt Striker stated, “and it’s all a testament to Jim Cornette.”
9. Arnold Skaaland
Where other managers relied on noise and theatrics, Arnold Skaaland took the quiet route and let history do the talking. Long before stepping into a managerial role, he dominated as a wrestler in the late 1940s, often overpowering opponents twice his size. As a manager, his resume became almost impossible to rival. Skaaland oversaw Andre the Giant during his most devastating years, then moved on to Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund. Together, Sammartino and Backlund held the WWE Championship for over 17 combined years under his watch. Recognized by Pro Wrestling Illustrated as Manager of the Year in both 1978 and 1979, the WWE Hall of Famer earned his forever nickname: “The Golden Boy.”
8. Paul Bearer
With the appearance of a funeral director who never quite left the morgue, Paul Bearer unsettled fans the moment he walked down the aisle. The licensed mortician became essential to The Undertaker’s supernatural rise in the early ’90s, clutching the iconic urn that fueled The Phenom’s mystique. Bearer guided The Undertaker to his first WWE Championship win at Survivor Series 1991 and stood beside him as The Streak began at WrestleMania VII. His influence didn’t stop there. Bearer also managed Mankind, Vader, and The Executioner, but his most shocking contribution came when he unveiled his storyline “son” Kane, one of the most terrifying personalities ever introduced in WWE.
7. The Grand Wizard
Before social media confrontations and viral promos existed, The Grand Wizard unified fans with nothing but his voice. Dressed in unforgettable outfits and armed with razor-sharp speech patterns developed during his days as a radio DJ, he became a master of manipulating emotions. Frequently clashing with Bob Backlund, he also managed the likes of “Superstar” Billy Graham and Sgt. Slaughter. “He came through your television and captivated you with the inflections in his voice,” commentator Matt Striker once stated. Moreover, his hat, glasses and jacket were memorable, but his substance far outweighed his style.
6. Sensational Sherri
Before she ever took charge at ringside, Sensational Sherri made her name as a ruthless, dominant Women’s Champion who intimidated opponents with her intensity. When she transitioned into managing, she brought that same relentless edge, elevating stars like “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Ted DiBiase during some of the most defining periods of their careers. Her partnership with a rising Shawn Michaels became the cornerstone of her legacy. Sherri didn’t simply support him but helped shape the performer he would become. Her constant encouragement and unwavering belief fueled Michaels’ confidence and amplified his charisma, helping him step into the spotlight as a future icon.
5. Captain Lou Albano
With rubber bands in his beard and chaos in his stride, Captain Lou Albano was impossible to ignore. His animated outbursts and unpredictable presence made him a walking spectacle, but behind the madness was a master strategist. Albano was the man who guided Ivan Koloff to end Bruno Sammartino’s seven-year reign as champion. His resume also included managing Intercontinental greats Pat Patterson, Don Muraco and Greg Valentine. In the 1980s, he crossed into MTV fame alongside Cyndi Lauper during wrestling’s pop-culture boom. Most astonishing, however, was his control over the tag division: Albano led 15 different teams to World Tag Team Championship gold, including The Wild Samoans, British Bulldogs, Blackjacks and Valiant Brothers. A Hall of Famer in 1996, he remains often imitated, never duplicated.
4. Freddie Blassie
“Classy” Freddie Blassie’s influence on the world of wrestling managers is impossible to overstate. Long before he stepped into the role of a ringside mastermind, Blassie built his reputation as a fierce, unhinged competitor in the 1950s and ’60s, even sharpening his teeth so he could bite opponents in the ring. When he transitioned into managing, his brutality evolved into something more calculated. Blassie guided notorious villains such as The Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff and Professor Tanaka, helping them achieve major championship success through manipulation, intimidation and psychological warfare. Fans came to expect his trademark insults, branding crowds as pencil-neck geeks, while his opponents learned to fear the presence of his cane at ringside.
3. Jimmy Hart
Before grabbing a megaphone in WWE, Jimmy Hart was already a chart-topping musician. That musical background helped transform him into “The Mouth of the South,” a manager known for being louder than the crowd and harder to tune out. His megaphone became both a weapon and a trademark. Hart managed legendary names including The Hart Foundation, The Fabulous Rougeaus and The Honky Tonk Man. Though he later teamed with Hulk Hogan as a babyface, Hart was at his most electric when representing villains, yelling, interfering and manipulating his way to victories from ringside.
2. Paul Heyman
Before becoming wrestling’s most feared advocate, Paul Heyman was a teenager with a camera. Studying legends like Albano and Blassie from ringside in the 1980s, he absorbed every detail before unleashing his genius on the business. Known originally as Paul E. Dangerously, Heyman found success in AWA with The Original Midnight Express and in WCW with the Dangerous Alliance. In the 1990s, he reshaped professional wrestling entirely by creating ECW. Later, his alliances with Brock Lesnar, CM Punk and Roman Reigns cemented his legacy. Heyman managed Punk throughout the latter’s historic 434-day WWE title reign and became the first person to corner talent in two different main events at WrestleMania 29. He has managed more WWE champions than anyone in history. Moreover, he was also a vital reason for Reigns' iconic 1316 WWE title reign and is currently forging the future with the likes of Seth Rollins and Bron Breakker.
1. Bobby “The Brain” Heenan
Bobby Heenan stands uncontested at the top of the mountain when it comes to wrestling managers. His client list alone reads like a Hall of Fame roll call, featuring icons such as Ric Flair, Rick Rude and Nick Bockwinkel. Heenan’s razor-sharp wit and relentless stream of insults became legendary, earning him admiration even from the fans he verbally dismantled night after night. His crowning achievement may well have been WrestleMania III. While Hulk Hogan and André the Giant supplied the spectacle, it was Heenan who elevated the storyline and helped draw more than 93,000 fans into the drama. His impact on the event and on wrestling history, cements his place as the undisputed No. 1 manager of all time.
