Best (& Worst) Wrestling Managers Of The 1980s

The 1980s were a wild time for WWE as Vince McMahon tried to create an identity to make them a mainstream entity. Everyone remembers top stars Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage and Roddy Piper as the important figures who led the Golden Age. However, this was also when WWE began experimenting more with the manager role.

WWE hired more managers than ever before to help talent with limitations or characters that required a different exposure. Each manager hoped to make a name for himself by connecting with the right customers. The following best and worst managers from 1980s pro wrestling had mixed results.

Best: Miss Elizabeth

WWE's first major valet success story benefited the company for years

Randy Savage's real-life love, Miss Elizabeth, joined the WWE to manage him and became a big star for the promotion. As Savage's face twisted, fans wanted to see the happy couple succeed and share emotional moments together.

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Elizabeth had neither vocal charisma nor physical ability in the ring, but she had the perfect role alongside the larger-than-life personality of the Macho Man. Fans were heartbroken at their disagreement and loved seeing her as a babyface performer.

Worst: Sapphire

Dusty Rhodes' terrible WWE booking had a strange partnership

Vince McMahon was criticized for allegedly trying to bury Dusty Rhodes when he signed him to WWE because he was a booker of competitive promotions. Rhodes had the strange new polka dot gear and a move that prevented him from reaching the main event stage.

Sapphire was a random character who became Dusty's biggest fan and became his manager. The lack of wrestling skills resulted in Sapphire being a nice lady who stood at ringside with minimal impact.

Best: Jimmy Hart

Several important wrestlers benefited from Jimmy's success

WWE hired Jimmy Hart during the Golden Era after he found success in Memphis Wrestling. Hart became a prominent figure, collaborating with many of the best artists of the 1980s. The Hart Foundation tag team of Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart became the top duo led by Jimmy.

Other wrestlers to spend time with this decade Hart's managerial roles included Greg Valentine, Terry Funk and King Kong BundyAdrian Adonis and Honky Tonk Man. Jimmy used the megaphone as a prop, ensuring fans would always remember him.

Worst: Baron von Raschke

The legendary wrestler had an unforgettable time as a manager for the WWE

Baron von Raschke struggled for decades from the 1960s until he attempted to take a leadership role for a WWE opportunity in the late 1980s. WWE introduced the managerial side of Von Raschke's career in 1987 to collaborate with The Warlord and The Barbarian.

Vince McMahon wanted Von Raschke's intimidating presence to help defeat two of the strongest wrestlers on the roster. A short time passed before WWE gave up on the act and stopped using von Raschke as general manager, losing all trust.

Best: JJ Dillon

Four Horsemen gained a unique dynamic by adding an effective manager

Fans of the 1990s know JJ Dillon primarily for his position of authority in WCW, but he also had many other roles in wrestling in his younger years. In the last decade there was Four riders form, Dillon becomes manager for the original incarnation.

Ric Flair led the legendary unit, with talents like Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Ole Anderson and Barry Windham becoming bigger stars. However, Dillon was able to add another heel dynamic of cheating from outside the ring as a manager.

Worst: Mr. Fuji

The popular manager overestimated his tenure when he looked back to the 1980s

WWE liked the character of Mr. Fuji as a silent manager, even though he didn't pose much of a physical threat. Several talents worked with Fuji, but he was best known as manager of Demolition during their dominant tag team run in the 1980s.

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Others act like The Warlord, the Barbarian, Kamala and Don Muraco spent time with Fujibut these names benefited little. Longtime fans even joke that Fuji was a “bad” manager at times, as many of his mistakes cost his clients games.

Best: Freddie Blassie

The WWE favorite helped define what Vince McMahon wanted from the role of manager

The “noble” Freddie Blassie was considered one of the most respected names in WWE. Vince McMahon wanted to honor him later in his life by only performing in the early 2000s before his death.

Blassie contributed to many areas of wrestling, but he developed a legendary legacy as an outstanding manager. The Iron Sheik won the WWE Championship with Blassie as his manager during the 1980s. Nikolai Volkoff, Jesse Ventura and Adrian Adonis are just a few of the many other clients who work with Blassie.

Worst: Slick

Most of Slick's customers had trouble getting along with him

WWE hired “slick-talking” Kenneth Johnson to play the Slick character as a heel manager. Slick represented the likes of Hercules, One Man Gang, The Big Boss Man and other talents that starred in the Golden Age.

In most of these scenarios, the wrestlers had a lower ceiling because Slick didn't make masterful promos to make up for their mistakes. Slick's biggest advantage was that he had enough charisma providing some entertaining moments, but it didn't help his wrestlers.

Best: Bobby Heenan

Heenan is arguably the best manager of all time

Most fans and pundits place Bobby Heenan on the short list of names who could be considered the greatest manager of all time. Heenan had a near-flawless run during the Golden Era, representing many of WWE's top heel characters.

The Heenan Family faction saw Andre the Giant win the WWE Championship with Heenan by his side. Mr. Perfect, Rick Rude, Harley Race and the Brain Busters have all achieved great success under his leadership. Heenan entertained with his own theatrical act, but ensured that most of his customers became bigger stars.

Worst: Virgil

Virgil managed WWE's top heel for years

Vince McMahon gave Ted DiBiase the ultimate push when he played the character of Million Dollar Man. DiBiase used his wealth to gain professional advantagesmocks the audience and even hires his own servant to manage him.

Virgil filled this role by standing outside the ring and interfering in most of DiBiase's matches. The performance worked well thanks to DiBiase's heel work, but Virgil barely contributed much. When WWE split them up, Virgil failed with a weak facerun.