Manager (professional wrestling)

In professional wrestling, a manager is a non-wrestling character who accompanies wrestlers to the ring, providing a variety of services intended to benefit their clients' careers. Managers are essentially on-screen personalities whose primary function is to enhance the storylines and feuds involving the wrestlers they represent.

Roles and Responsibilities:

Managers perform a wide array of duties, including:

• Verbal Advocacy: A manager often acts as a spokesperson for their client, delivering promos (promotional speeches) that hype matches, insult opponents, and generally build anticipation for upcoming events. This is especially useful for wrestlers who may lack strong mic skills (speaking ability).
• Strategic Interference: Managers frequently interfere in matches on behalf of their clients. This can range from subtle distractions of the referee to outright attacks on the opponent. This interference often leads to disqualifications or controversial finishes, further advancing storylines.
• Negotiations and Business Dealings: In kayfabe (the presentation of wrestling as real), managers are often portrayed as handling the business aspects of their clients' careers, negotiating contracts and securing opportunities.
• Providing Psychological Support: Managers may offer moral support and guidance to their clients, helping them maintain focus and confidence. They may also serve as a source of motivation or even manipulation, depending on the manager's character.
• Character Enhancement: A manager can significantly influence a wrestler's character. They can help establish a heel (villainous) wrestler as cunning and ruthless, or elevate a face (heroic) wrestler by emphasizing their integrity and determination. The manager's own persona often reflects on their client.

Types of Managers:

Managers come in a variety of forms, each with their own style and personality. Common types include:

• Heel Managers: Typically portrayed as cunning, deceitful, and willing to do anything to ensure their clients' success. They are often masters of distraction and interference.
• Face Managers: Support their clients with unwavering loyalty and positivity. They may still interfere, but usually to even the odds against unfair opponents.
• Money Managers: Emphasize the business aspect of wrestling, focusing on negotiating lucrative contracts and sponsorships for their clients.
• Legendary Managers: Former wrestlers or figures within the wrestling industry who bring prestige and experience to their role as a manager.

Historical Significance:

Managers have been a part of professional wrestling since its early days. They provide a crucial element of storytelling and character development, adding depth and complexity to the matches and feuds. Some managers become as famous, if not more so, than the wrestlers they represent, becoming iconic figures in the history of professional wrestling.