Based strictly on their definitions, someone unfamiliar with the professional wrestling industry might expect the roles of manager and commissioner to serve the identical function. Nonetheless, there’s actually an enormous difference between the 2 positions, and so they’re often at odds with each other.
Throughout the fiction of wrestling, managers serve because the representatives for talent, accompanying them to the ring and continuously speaking on their behalf. Managers have been working with wrestlers because the industry’s early days, helping foster the connection between audience and performer. They will be babyfaces (good-natured) or heels (villains), all depending on how they act and who they align themselves with. Though they don’t seem to be as common as they was, managers (to not be confused with valets) still play a crucial role in lots of wrestlers’ careers.
Meanwhile, commissioners have historically been more rare, but they’ve turn into a fixture of WWE TV, serving because the fictional executive in command of a brand. Not every company has one, and those who do often only use the device for a set time period. Commissioners are typically used to advance storylines by imposing recent rules or placing obstacles in the trail of wrestlers. They will be heel, face, and even neutral relative to the wrestlers on the roster, and plenty of are even former wrestlers themselves.
Today, the term commissioner has been replaced by “general manager,” however the position continues to be distinct from that of a wrestling manager. Adam Pearce and Nick Aldis have been the GMs of “WWE Raw” and “WWE SmackDown” respectively for the last several years, with each men acting as impartial authority figures.
Notable managers and commissioners throughout pro wrestling history
There have been countless managers who’ve left their stamp on the industry through the years, and it could be an unattainable task to dive into all of them here. Still, some standouts deserve mention.
In 2022, Wrestling Inc. ranked Bobby “The Brain” Heenan atop our list of the industry’s best managers. From his association with Ric Flair to his memorable involvement with Andre the Giant, Heenan never did not entertain, and he played a direct role in helping create the legends that linger within the memories of wrestling fans to today.
On the subject of the trendy era, it could be a mistake not to say Paul Heyman. He’s managed most of the top names in WWE, with significant runs representing Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins. Heyman previously served because the promoter of ECW and, while he’s had a contentious personal history with many within the industry, most would agree that he has a pointy creative mind. Along with manager and promoter, Heyman has also served as a GM in WWE.
It is not unusual for professional wrestling to mix reality and fiction, and that extends to onscreen authority figures. Vince McMahon is definitely essentially the most infamous case of this, as he maintained an onscreen role for years and even wrestled while serving because the owner and later CEO of WWE. Even today, in AEW, Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks remain Executive Vice Presidents while continuing their wrestling careers, and it’s not at all times clear where their true duties end and kayfabe begins.