Wrestling Managers Through The Years Quiz

Answer: Bobby "The Brain" Heenan

Nick Bockwinkle, Ray Stevens, the Valiant Brothers, Pat Patterson, the BlackJacks [Lanza & Mulligan], Baron Von Raschke, Ken Patera, Ernie Ladd, Angelo Poffo, "Superstar" Billy Graham, the Masked Superstar, "Ravishing" Rick Rude, Ric Flair, Curt Hennig, "Killer" Karl Kox, "Big" John Studd, Harley Race, the Islanders, Tully Blanchard, and Arn Anderson, and Andre the Giant, plus more: Bobby "the Brain" Heenan has managed a Hall of Fame wrestling stable. An average, at best, wrestler with great interview skills, "Pretty Boy" Bobby Heenan, abandoned his in-the-ring career to manage Nick Bockwinkle.

After 10 years, this alliance finally resulted in victory over Verne Gagne for Bockwinkle's first AWA World Heavyweight Championship in 1975 to begin a reign that would last five years with an additional two titles to follow.

Heenan also managed in the old National Wrestling Alliance/Georgia Championship Wrestling territory but gained his international notoriety as a manager/announcer in the World Wrestling Federation.

Answer: Captain Lou Albano

In the book "The Complete Idiot's Guide To Pro Wrestling", written by Albano and Bert Sugar, Verdue is referenced as Oscar Ladue: lapse of memory or editorial oversight? Fred Blassie, Prof. Toru Tanaka, Ivan Koloff, "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, Pat Patterson, Don "the Rock" Muraco, Greg Valentine, the Mongols, the Wild Samoans, the Valiant Brothers, the BlackJacks, the Executioners, Mr. Fuji & Mr. Saito, and the British Bulldogs..."Captain" Lou Albano guided the elite of the World [Wide] Wrestling Federation to various titles as one of the most hated heels and later as a beloved manager.

After a long and successful career as a tag-team wrestler with long-time "Sicilians" partner Tony Altimore, "the Guiding Light" aka "Captain" Lou Albano picked a singles feud with World Wide Wrestling Federation World Heavyweight Champion Bruno Sammartino. Unable to solve Bruno's power and ring skill, Albano decided to manage others to war with Sammartino; barrel-chested strongman "Crusher" Verdue was the first of many "Captain" Lou proteges to suffer defeat at Bruno's hands until Ivan Koloff was finally able to take the title from Sammartino on May, 1970 [only to drop it a month later to Pedro Morales]. "The Guiding Light" went on to be the most successful tag-team manager in WWWF/WWF history, guiding 16 different teams to 21 World Tag-Team Championships.

Answer: "Classy" Freddie Blassie

For over twenty years as a wrestler, Fred Blassie was a major international superstar and celebrity. His injured knees eventually forced him to ringside as a manager in the World Wrestling Federation, specializing in anti-American heels such as Spiros Arion, Victor Rivera, High Chief Peter Maivia, the Iron Shiek, Nikolai Volkoff, and Killer Khan, as well as American bullies like Stan Hanson, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Adrian Adonis, Dich Murdoch, George "The Animal" Steele, and Hulk Hogan.

Answer: "Precious" Paul Ellering

Paul Ellering was a record-setting collegiate power-lifter turned pro wrestler whose career as a mid-carder had run its course when he became the mentor of the Legion of Doom in 1983. The L.O.D., based in the National Wrestling Alliance/Georgia Championship Wrestling territory, was comprised of Jake "the Snake" Roberts, King Kong Bundy, the Spoiler, and a young unknown tag-team in biker garb called the Road Warriors. By 1984, "Precious" Paul was exclusively handling the Road Warriors, helping them become the World Tag-Team Champions of the National Wrestling Alliance, the American Wrestling Association, and the World Wrestling Federation, the only team to accomplish this triple crown feat.

The nick-name "the Legion of Doom" became synonymous with "the Road Warriors": in fact, during their time in the World Wrestling Federation, they were called "the Legion of Doom". Paul Ellering left pro wrestling entirely to pursue a career as an Iditarod sled dog racer and, in 2002, entered politics with his sights set on a seat with the Minnesota state legislature.

Answer: Jim Cornette

Jim Cornette started out as a wrestling photographer and magazine article writer but his gift of gab soon got him noticed by Jerry Jarrett, the owner of the Memphis-based Mid-South independent promotion. Cornette was given the newly re-vamped tag-team the Midnight Express [Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton], two solid in-ring performers with less-than-formidable verbal skills. Between his motor-mouth and rapier-sharp tongue and their rough-house wrestling style, they quickly became one of the most hated teams in wrestling. Cornette went on to manage the Fabulous Ones [Stan Lane and Steve Keirn], the Midnight Express II [Eaton and Lane], the Heavenly Bodies [Tom Pritchard and Jimmy DelRay], the New Midnight Express [Bart Gunn and Bob Holly], World Wrestling Federation World Heavyweight Champion Yokozuna, Owen Hart, and Davey Boy Smith, among others. Jim Cornette also runs the WWE training and rehab territory Ohio Valley Wrestling.

Answer: "Playboy" Gary Hart

Angelo Poffo, George "the Animal" Steele, the Spoiler, Al Costello, Karl Von Brauner, King Curtis Iaukea, Brute Bernard, the Missouri Mauler, Dick Slater, plus those mentioned in the question text...Gary Hart estimates he managed about 30 wrestlers in his 40 year career. Gary Hart broke into wrestling in 1960 as a 17 year old "attendant" to Angelo Poffo; within a year he was Poffo's tag-team partner and later became his manager.

His specialty was invading a territory with a group of about 5 heels, targeting the top faces for destruction and humiliation while attempting to wrest control of the territory through Chicago-style gangster tactics.

Answer: "Wild" Red Berry

"Wild" Red Berry was a former National Wrestling Alliance light-heavyweight world champion in the 1930's, '40's, and '50's. In the 1960's he gained notoriety as the fast-talking manager of the Fabulous Kangaroos tag team and then went to work with Vince McMahon, Sr., and the World Wide Wrestling Federation, helping to establish the "Manchurian Giant" Gorilla Monsoon, Prof. Toru Tanaka, and Hans "The Great" Mortier as the cornerstone heels that would battle good guys Bruno Sammartino, Victor Rivera, Domenic DeNucci, Bobo Brazil, Spiros Arion, and Earl "Mr. Universe" Maynard.

Answer: Jimmy Hart

"The Mouth of the South"'s background, previous to his career in wrestling, had nothing to do with sports; he was a member of the 1960's rock and roll band The Gentrys, who scored a #3 hit in 1963 with "Keep On Dancin'" and recorded 4 albums. His "Who's Who" wrestling family has included Jerry "The King" Lawler, Hulk Hogan, Bret "The Hitman" Hart, the Nasty Boys, the Natural Disasters, Dino Bravo, the Assassins, the Honky Tonk Man, the Dungeon of Doom, and the Rougeaus, among others.

Answer: No

The last 15 years of Bobby Heenan's managerial career, in both the American Wrestling Association and the World Wrestling Federation, were spent torturing, tormenting, and trying to end the career of, Hulk Hogan. Heenan has never managed his most-hated rival.

Answer: Arnold Skaaland

"The Golden Boy" Arnold Skaaland was considered one of the toughest men in the ring during his 20+ years as a wrestler. In the 1960's and '70's Arnold was by Bruno Sammartino's side as manager, tag-team partner, and confidant through two world title reigns totalling 12 years.

In the '70's/'80's Skaaland was the manager of World Heavyweight Champion Bob Backlund during his five year run. Arnold also served as Andre the Giant's first manager in 1973.