Ranking the top 10 Brilliant Manager-Wrestler pairings

Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman

Managers are an integral part of the wrestling business. A particular superstar who cannot make it on his own could end up flourishing under a manager. The professional wrestling business has put this fact to some good use over the course of history. Usage of managers might have toned down recently, but it is an angle that still has immense potential.

Producing a successful Manager- wrestler pairing is not a cake walk at all. The number of failed duos is a proof of this. The ones who overcame all the hurdles, however, go on to became iconic names in the business. This list takes a look at some of those iconic Manager-wrestler pairings in the wrestling history.

#10 Bill Alfonso and Taz

With all the contributions that ECW made to the business, it is only fitting to have a representative for the company. And the pick for representation goes to Bill Alfonso and Taz. They were one of the mainstay pairings in ECW history.

Bill and Taz were extreme opposites when it came to their characters. Despite this, the wrestling genius called Paul Heyman paired them together. The pairing had a great spark together and within no time, it proved to be a hit. The fans loved to see the loud Alfonso near the hard hitting Taz. They complemented each other pretty well. At the same time, who can forget that Alfonso whistle ?

#9 Lita and Edge

There will be a case of confusion about this one. Lita was actually the girlfriend of Edge on screen and there weren’t any mentions of her being a manager. Lita, however, did everything that a manager was supposed to do. She interfered in the matches, walked around with Edge and even took bumps.

The run that Edge and Lita had will be remembered for three things. First: the feud between Matt and Edge that blurred kayfabe and real life separation. Second: The John Cena feud which turned out to be great. And Third: the live sex celebration that they had in the ring. Edge and Lita had an immense amount of chemistry and it translated into the screen as well.

#8 Miss Elizabeth and Randy Savage

Randy Savage had a high-profile run back in the Golden Era of professional wrestling. Miss Elizabeth was with him throughout this run and she was involved in a lot of angles as well. The most memorable one would be the Mega Powers angle. Hulk Hogan and Savage teamed up under the management of Elizabeth.

Savage then grew jealous of Hogan which in turn broke up the team. The real life relationship that Elizabeth and Savage had soon come crashing down. Despite this, they hung around on the television screens due to their professionalism. At this moment, it is hard to speak about Savage without mentioning Miss Elizabeth as the pairing was so successful.

#9 The Grand Wizard and "Superstar" Billy Graham

A lot of the modern era fans might not be familiar with these two. But trust me; they deserve to be in the list. Billy Graham had enough in his fuel tank to be a WWE champion on his own. Yet, WWE decided to give him the company of The Grand Wizard. This pairing immediately booked a main event place for Graham.

He was in a feud with Bruno Sammartino. Wizard’s promos combined with Graham’s attitude ensured heat for the pair. Wizard managed Graham into becoming the WWE Champion in 1977 and the title remained around his waist for a long time. 296 days to be precise. This is still one of the longest reigns in the company’s history.

#8 Paul Bearer and Kane

Kane was Paul Bearer’s brilliant idea to get rid of The Undertaker. Once the relationship between The Undertaker and Bearer derailed, Bearer came up with Kane. The duo was billed as a father/son pairing and this took things to a whole new level. Kane and Undertaker became step brothers by definition. This proved to be the base for one of the most celebrated feuds in wrestling history.

At first, Kane was the intimidating monster in a mask that could not speak. Such a character was desperate for the guidance of a Manager. Bearer fit into the role perfectly as well. The pairing gave Kane credibility and soon, he was good enough to walk around on his own.

#7 Freddie Blassie And The Iron Sheik

Just like the Grand Wizard and Billy Graham duo, this pairing might not be familiar to new fans. Blassie was a fine manager who knew to sell his client. Tagged as the ‘Hollywood Fashion Plate’, Blassie managed a lot of superstars in his career. The most notable being Iron Sheik. The pairing happened when both the superstars were looking for a different run.

And once they came together, the rest became history. Blassie called himself as Ayatollah Blassie to fit with Iranian theme of Sheik. Under the guidance of Blassie, Sheik went on to win the WWE Championship from Bob Buckland in 1983.

#6 Sensational Sherri and Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels started off his WWE career as part of the Rockers. He soon turned on his partner and kick-started a heel singles run. WWE thought that he needed a manager for the same. This led to the pairing of Sensational Sherri and Michaels. Sherri was a former wrestler with a good managerial reputation. So the pairing took off.

The arrogant Michaels never saw Sherri as a love interest but only saw her as a distraction for his opponents. The whole sexy boy and boy toy images that Michaels had is due to Sherri. The Heart Break Kid has praised Sherri a lot of times in the past. And she deserves more recognition than what she gets now.

#5 Bobby Heenan and Andre the Giant

Everyone remembers the match between Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania. But not everyone remembers the man that managed Andre the whole time. Heenan was one of the greatest managers in sports entertainment business. Andre was not great when it came to microphone work so WWE paired him with Heenan.

The smarts of Heenan and the Strength of Andre proved to be a deadly mix. If it wasn’t for Heenan, the whole WrestleMania III match would have fell flat, as Andre struggled on the microphone. Also, it was Heenan’s presence that made the match unpredictable. Heenan managed a lot of wrestlers before and afterward. But the run he had with Andre is the most memorable one.

Paul Bearer and Undertaker

Although Undertaker is pretty solid with the microphone, he has been a man of few words. The gimmick he plays is the reason for this. So WWE needed someone to convey the message and they found Paul Bearer. Bearer was projected as the evil mind that controlled Taker with the magical urn. The screams and creepy promos added layers to the pairing and it made Taker’s journey easier.

Taker did the work in the ring while Bearer did his work outside. All these made the combination a success story. Bearer will be in the top ten wrestling managers of all time without breaking a sweat. And Undertaker is arguably the best client that he had during his legendary career.

Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar

If there is anyone who deserves credit for Brock Lesnar’s success, it is Paul Heyman. WWE signed up Lesnar after his impressive college career. But Vince McMahon did not have enough time to check out the new talent they had in development. Heyman, who saw the potential in Lesnar, introduced the case to Vince.

He convinced Vince about giving Lesnar a try. Vince agreed and Heyman led his boy into the main roster. In just two years, Lesnar reached the top of WWE. He won everything he could and even headlined WrestleMania. After taking a break from Wrestling, Lesnar returned. He conquered the legendary streak of Undertaker as well. Heyman and Lesnar still spell money in the business. And there is a lot more to come from this duo.