Original subtitles

You listen to me, you go to the top.

You don't listen to me, you're never heard from again.

Devious.

Scheming.

We rule the world of professional wrestling.

Manipulative.

Everything from now on will be on my terms.

Behind some of the greatest superstars

is a powerful manager.

I can spot the next big thing.

More than just a mouthpiece advocating

for their client, a wrestling manager can be a crucial

element that will secure a victory by any means necessary.

Oh, you saw that.

He has no business out there.

Today we look back at some of the most iconic

manager moments in professional wrestling history.

Oh, yes.

This is WWE's Greatest Moments.

That was fabulous, baby.

Woo.

If you smell-

Oh, my God.

What the hell are you doing?

Absolutely unbelievable.

Hulkamania is here.

Welcome, everyone,

to WWE's Greatest Moments.

I'm Michael Cole.

And on this edition, we're looking back at the brains

and beauties behind the brawn.

The professional wrestling manager.

You take orders from me,

because I am the manager of the year.

One of the most important roles one can hold

in the squared circle, a manager's goal is to elevate

a superstar's career and bring the eyes of the world to them.

Everybody knows,

Freddie Blassie knows managing from A to Z.

But some managers end up overshadowing

the talent they represent, and that's not hard to do

when you're as visually striking as "Captain" Lou Albano.

Who's the handsomest of us all?

And it said, "You are, Captain."

Many would say that "Captain" Lou

even revolutionized Sports Entertainment when he introduced

pop icon Cindy Lauper to the world of WWE.

What determination, what will to win.

Woo.

Don't get too excited.

Remember, it makes your medulla swell.

But would "Captain" Lou take too much

of the credit?

The female entertainer of the year,

Ms. Cindy Lauper.

First time we saw Cindy Lauper

in WWE was when she appeared on Piper's Pit.

"Captain" Lou Albano, your manager,

the man who was taking care of you and actually brought you

from nothing and taken you--

Yes, darling?

Roddy, wait, wait.

Yes, darling?

No, I love Lou, but Lou would never say that.

Lou-- Hey, how are you?

Cindy, Cindy, tell all these people out here how

I found you in New York City in Queens

and how I made you a superstar.

Lou Albano just starts talking

this really sexist talk.

Tell them how-how-how women, Cindy,

belong in the kitchen.

Wait, wait, Lou, Lou, you know,

I don't like that.

Cindy, just shut up for a minute, Cindy.

There was a lot resentment brewing

and everything, and Lou was saying all these

terrible things, and this and that.

Tell them how you came off my reputation, Cindy.

"Captain" Lou Albano.

Whoa.

Hey, hey.

It was just amazing.

They started crossing all these boundary lines that no one

had ever done before and I could feel the rumbling.

What the hell-

What the hell's wrong with you?

It was awesome.

It was "Captain" Lou that made it fun,

and I'm proud to say that I worked with him.

There was no Rock 'n' Wrestling connection

without "Captain" Lou Albano.

That meeting with Cindy Lauper changed the trajectory

of this industry forever.

Mr. Fuji was perhaps one of the most

dangerous villains to grace the squared circle.

Through his shady methods, the devious one developed

his in-ring success into a managerial career,

one where he would represent talent

that was larger than life.

In 1992, Mr. Fuji introduced his newest superstar,

the Japanese sumo wrestler known as Yokozuna.

Together, they would tear through the WWE roster.

And at WrestleMania IX nothing was off the table for Fuji,

as his client would challenge

"The Excellence of Execution" Bret "The Hitman" Hart.

The match is underway.

We've been waiting for it.

This is it.

Fuji was one of the most feared guys

in the wrestling business.

And nobody's going to mess with Yokozuna with Fuji around.

Yokozuna ran right through Hart.

Fuji was very stoic.

Just an evil presence.

Bret Hart's got the Sharpshooter.

Mr. Fuji.

No, longer than anyone.

Fuji, what's he doing?

Oh, man.

He-he threw sand right in his eyes.

Mr. Fuji was ready with the powder.

It was very fitting from a character standpoint.

We got a new champion.

How many tag team titles did Mr. Fuji

win by throwing salt in the eyes of the opponent?

And here he is, on the grandest stage of them all,

determining the outcome of the WWE Championship.

Fuji threw something right in Hart's eyes,

and we have a new WWE Champion.

The former women's champion Sherri Martel's

physical prowess and tough persona made her a force

to be reckoned with inside the squared circle.

Here she comes.

You're looking at a woman that invented mean.

Sherri was also a valuable asset alongside

any male superstar, as she became one of the most

prominent female managers of all time.

I am in love with Shawn Michaels.

In the lead up to SummerSlam 1992,

Sherri was caught between a rock and a hard place

as her main man, Shawn Michaels, came to blows with another

potential client in Rick "The Model" Martel.

Where do you stand for tonight's matchup?

I stand just like any other good woman.

Right by my man.

"Sensational" Sherri is the kind of lady

that is likely to leave with the winner.

Sherri Martel having to make a choice between

Rick Martel and Shawn Michaels-

You see Martel checking Sherri out.

Look at the hug.

it was something that you didn't always get the

chance to see, that spotlight on managers like that.

Wait a minute.

What happened to Sherri?

She fainted.

She didn't faint.

Both men counted out.

What are you trying to say?

She was watching these two men fight over her.

Wait a minute.

You think that's deliberate what she's doing?

I got carried to the dressing room.

Somewhere they got a bucket of water.

Oh, no.

What's he gonna do?

"Sensational" Sherri is doused.

I got it right in the face.

She just had the innate ability to enhance

everything that she was a part of.

She has been humiliated.

In his heyday, "Classy" Freddie Blassie was one

of the most despised men in professional wrestling.

And over the years, the Hollywood fashion plate became

one of the most feared managers, leaving pencil neck geeks

everywhere quaking in their boots.

You pencil neck geeks.

Blassie's managing resume included the

likes of Nikolai Volkoff, "The Incredible" Hulk Hogan,

and even the greatest himself, Muhammad Ali.

I'm going to destroy wrestlers

just like I destroyed all fighters.

Right, fans?

But his greatest accomplishment

would come when Blassie himself changed his style to meet

that of his top star, Iran's favorite son, The Iron Sheik.

Whenever I'm in the presence

of The Iron Sheik, I will be called by my rightful name,

"Ayatollah" Blassie.

In December of 1983, "Ayatollah" Blassie

would lead The Sheik to the world's most famous arena,

Madison Square Garden, where he would take on

"The All-American Boy" Bob Backlund

for the WWE Championship.

Bob Backlund knew wrestling from A to Z,

and Arnold Skaaland was his manager.

I was without a doubt the most hated man in wrestling

because I liked Iran.

He must be hypnotized, calling himself

"Ayatollah" Blassie.

He hooked Backlund back.

He's right in the center of the ring.

He's sitting right on that lower back.

And Backlund's got a bad neck.

Oh, no.

Backlund did not submit.

Arnold Skaaland threw something into the ring.

And Arnold conceded the match

and the Sheik became the new world champion.

We have a new champion

in the World Wrestling--.

Freddie Blassie was never the WWE Champion.

The Iron Sheik winning the title was a victory

for Freddie Blassie.

I come to Madison Square Garden

with my greatest manager-

"Ayatollah" Blassie,

to try and get the belt.

The Four Horsemen truly were the symbol

of excellence.

The ruled the world of professional wrestling

with an iron fist, and looked good doing it.

We control wrestling.

We rule the world of professional wrestling.

Who better to corral the horsemen

than the infamous James J Dillon?

Diamonds are forever,

and so are the Four Horsemen.

Yeah.

JJ Dillon looked, spoke and dressed the part

better than countless others, but as clean cut as he looked,

the job sometimes required you to get your hands dirty.

If we have to be vigilantes, we'll be vigilantes.

After a match with Dusty Rhodes landed

Tully Blanchard on the sidelines,

JJ and the rest of his Horsemen went for a little road trip.

This is how we handle Dusty Rhodes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That's him.

Ole and Arn right on his tail.

I don't think he's seen us.

They had the car, and they had the camera guy,

and they're waiting for me to drive by them.

That's it.

I think it was natural for the Horsemen to kind

of focus everything on Dusty.

Once we get him in that parking lot, there's no turning around.

It was JJ's idea.

It was JJ's strategy, and the Four Horsemen implemented

from the imagination of JJ Dillion.

It was like a hit.

I mean, it was like they were making a hit on the mafia.

It was an outcry for us to have criminal charges

brought against us for assault.

Fans really bought into it.

We were sending a message to them that,

"Hey, don't mess with us."

We'll gang up, and be bullies, and beat you up.

How about it now, Rhodes, huh?

How about it now?

86, Rhodes.

A major attack on the common man,

the American Dream, the plumber's son

drew nothing but big money.

I want this to stand as a warning, Rhodes.

The Undertaker is one of the most unique

characters to ever exist in WWE history.

A Deadman of a few words, Undertaker needed someone

equally as extraordinary to give him his ticket to superstardom.

Enter a real-life mortician, Paul Bearer.

Oh, were you looking for me?

Paul Bearer soon became the herald of doom for

any competitor willing to step into the ring with The Phenom.

Oh, what a busy afternoon it's going to be

at my funeral parlor.

But after six years together,

the paranormal partnership ended.

I can't believe what we're seeing.

In 1997, Undertaker confronted his former

manager, and in response, Paul Bearer delivered some

astonishing news about The Deadman's storied past.

Undertaker, this is the beginning of your end.

We're going to have to go back a few years.

We're talking about a little funeral home.

Paul Bearer was so special because

of his super high pitched voice.

It really actually made you listen.

But there were two little kids there.

One kid was a little red-headed punk,

and then there was a second kid named Kane.

I'm willing to suspend my disbelief.

It was all because of Paul, and he knew what to say

and when to say it.

Undertaker, you burned the funeral home

to the ground.

You killed your family, Undertaker.

Paul tells his side of the story.

He was left for dead.

I showed him the love and the care that you,

as his blood, never did.

Kane told me.

Kane told me.

It breathed a breath of fresh air in-

in all those characters.

Kane is alive, Undertaker.

He's alive.

It was just the perfect storm.

Kane's alive.

I swear.

It's the truth.

You know, you're jealous.

You're like everybody else in the WWE.

You're jealous of Jimmy Hart, aren't you?

Of all the managers in professional

wrestling history, "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart

was one of the most colorful.

I told you, I told you, I told you.

He's the greatest Intercontinental Champion

of all time.

Once the manager of the legendary tag team,

the Hart Foundation, Jimmy would help the duo capture

their first world tag team titles.

No, no, no.

One, two, three.

We have new champions of the world.

The greatest team in the history

of professional wrestling today.

Unfortunately, the Hart Foundation couldn't

remain on the same page.

Jimmy Hart has been told off

by the Hart Foundation.

At WrestleMania VII,

the trio would be back in the title scene.

Only this time, on opposite sides of the ring.

Things would get nasty.

They're nasty, and they're going to become the next

World Wrestling-- Tag Team Champions.

Hart Foundation, tremendous

champions, but that little runt, Jimmy Hart,

knows them very well.

I turned on the Hart Foundation

for the Nasty Boys.

Nasty Boys are indeed just that, nasty.

Got that megaphone always

getting in the way.

Boy, it certainly is a shame to have

to contend with that individual on the outside

when they've got their hands full on the inside.

Jimmy Hart was 115 pounds soaking wet,

and yet he determined the outcome of the match

by his physical blabbing.

This match deteriorating now as the referee

is losing control of it.

He nailed him.

This is it.

This is it.

It's over.

We got new champions.

For him being so integral into the finish,

where the Nasty's were going to become champions,

that's a huge moment for Jimmy.

Look at Jimmy Hart.

Is he happy?

Wow.

You know, what a great moment that was.

History has been made here

at WrestleMania VII.

There's nothing that I despise

more than a spoiled brat.

No one could get your goat more than the Louisville slugger

himself, Jim Cornette.

After all, I am one of the fastest-rising young

managers in the world today.

The fast talking Kentuckian was master of

agitation that could yap his way out of a paper bag.

If I tell you the sun's not going to come up

tomorrow, you better go out and buy you a flashlight.

Cornette gained notoriety managing wrestlers in

promotions all over the country, but in 1993, it was his arrival

in WWE that really caught the eyes of fans everywhere.

Wait a minute.

He has no business here.

Do you know who that is?

When you talk about great managers

in the history of the business, Jim was the last of that bastion

that had not been to the WWE at that time.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the greatest

manager in the history of the sport of wrestling.

The WWE, this whole new group of fans.

What are his aspirations?

What's he mad about?

Who's he made at?

What's he want to accomplish?

Let me just explain for all of you genetic defects out here

living downstream at the nuclear plants.

I hear you got some big fish up here.

For him to be there,

I think that that was a monumental moment.

And then every single one of these people

will know that you're yellow stinking dog curd cowards,

and I know you are.

Ladies and gentlemen,

this man is going to set the World Wrestling-- on fire.

For Jim to debut in WWE and get endorsed

by Bobby Heenan, I think, added so much to his legacy.

You're here.

You're really here.

I'm here.

Bobby Heenan.

One of the most famous managers this industry

has ever seen was simple known as The Brain.

I don't care how big you are.

If you don't have any brains, you're lost.

Heenan's crooked practice has earned him another

less flattering name, The Weasel.

You see any whiskers?

You see any nose here that looks like a weasel's nose?

Look at the ears on that sewer rat.

In 1988, Heenan was locked in a rivalry

with the Ultimate Warrior.

The Brain would step into the ring himself in a bout with

the ultimate one, where the loser would be forced

to wear a weasel suit.

Look at Heenan,

he wants the referee. He wants an explanation done here.

Whenever you saw a gimmick match like

the Weasel Match with Bobby, it's always about going out,

and having fun, and having a good show.

If you can't control him,

you get in the ring with him.

Bobby Heenan was one of the first villains

that you loved to hate.

Oh, he got him with a big right hand.

People loved the Warrior, of course,

and they hated Bobby.

He's cut off the circulation to the brain.

He's out.

So, once he lost that match and had

to wear that suit, that really put the cherry on top of it.

Bobby Heenan gets put to sleep, gets put into

it while he's asleep, and you slowly see the realization.

He doesn't know what's transpired.

Look at this.

He goes to wipe his face.

"Wait a minute.

I've got paws."

Oh, look at this, he's got the--

And the crowd eats it up.

Bobby has a match with himself.

I think we just saw the ultimate humiliation.

It's now time for our number one moment.

Over the years the role of the manager has diminished,

but one advocate's guidance has stood the test of time.

My name is Paul Heyman.

The greatest manager

in Sports Entertainment history.

Heyman has been in the ear of some of the most

successful superstars in history,

but in the main event of WrestleMania 41,

Paul Heyman, the Wise Man of the Tribal Chief,

was caught in a precarious position

when his best friend and former client, CM Punk,

cashed in a favor.

At WrestleMania in my corner,

your "Wise Man" Paul Heyman.

Heyman would now be in the corner of the Second

City Saint in a triple threat match against Roman Reigns

and Seth "Freakin" Rollins.

Paul Heyman is here in Punk's corner.

The question, guys, though, is,

where does his allegiance really lie?

That main event was solely built

around Paul Heyman's emotional relationships

with both Roman Reigns and CM Punk.

He's guided not only my career

but the careers of so many others.

The holy grail in WWE is the wisdom

of Paul Heyman.

We've really kind of created a bond

that became very authentic and very real.

Can he get the GTS?

And he does to Rollins.

Spear, though, by Reigns.

Stomp by Seth.

Everybody is down.

And everyone's going,

"Well-Well, what's Heyman gonna do?"

Paul Heyman has made his choice.

Oh, no.

Paul Heyman low blowed his best friend, CM Punk.

Paul Heyman has returned to his Tribal Chief.

Oh, my God.

Holy crap, he's gonna walk out

with Seth Rollins.

I trusted him.

When you get someone on your side, like Paul

Heyman, you're able to push some things through.

Paul Heyman decides who's gonna win-

and more importantly,

Paul Heyman decides which two are going to lose.

Benedict Heyman.

Professional wrestling managers are the architects of a

superstar's success, but it takes a great one to turn their

superstar into a blockbuster attraction.

I'm gonna down in the history books as the manager

of the World Heavyweight Champion.

That'll do it for this edition

of WWE's Greatest Moments.

I hope you've enjoyed this look back at some of the most pivotal

manager moments in professional wrestling history.