I know some of my readers are wondering why I've been writing about wrestling so much these days and what it has to do with movies/film. Well...professional wrestling is technically episodic television and television is a first cousin/distant sibling to cinema, so in my mind that counts.
What you're about to read is the written version of my presentation on female managers for the Kevin Geeks Out show on Women's Wrestling.
Enjoy...
I'm not here to try and debunk the fact that the basic/skeletal idea behind female managers & "valets" are rooted in misogyny & eye candy. I get it. It's professional wrestling. This is a boys club we're talking about. And with boys comes T&A. This goes deeper than just professional wrestling. The idea of placing a traditionally attractive woman next to a product (or wrestler in this case) to get sales is one of the pillars of capitalism.
Now...if you're a casual wrestling fan (or not even a fan at all), you're more than likely familiar with the late great Miss Elizabeth. She's famous for managing legends like Macho Man Randy Savage (her real life husband at one point), Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair and a few others. But I never looked at Miss Elizabeth as a manager by definition. She never really managed. She was the epitome of "eye candy" or an accessory (I mean that with respect).
.man·ag·er
ˈmanijər/
noun
-a person responsible for controlling or administering all or part of a company or similar organization.
-a person who controls the activities, business dealings, and other aspects of the career of an
-a person responsible for controlling or administering all or part of a company or similar organization.
-a person who controls the activities, business dealings, and other aspects of the career of an
-a person in charge of the activities, tactics, and training of a sports team.
Miss Elizabeth didn't really do any of the things listed above. Sure she stepped outside of her comfort zone every blue moon but for the most part she was the typical damsel in distress who was always getting hurt or always having to be rescued. She barely even spoke.
What I'd like to get in to are the few examples (of many) that kind of defied the prototypical manager role. Women who weren't concerned with their looks or being princesses. Or...if they were about their looks & being a princess, they were going to do so on their own terms...
It was the basic idea of capitalism that got me to look at female managers from a different angle at a very young age. They were more like investors or businesswomen, and the (male) wrestlers they managed were their investments. The women were the ones in charge. In my mind, the men were the pieces of meat instead of the women.
Take Sensational Sherri for example. She was kind of like the "anti-miss Elizabeth". She got dirty, didn't care about her looks in a traditional way, and she stood up to men twice her size.
In this video below you see her attacking Rowdy Roddy Piper to protect her "investment" (Jake Roberts) who was losing...
It should be noted that Sensational Sherri was a professional wrestler before gaining notoriety as a legendary manager. She was tough...
I think it helps for women to have experience in the ring before becoming a manager. It builds character & toughness. It also helps when it's time to protect your investment.
"Jackie" is another example of a tough/non-traditional looking female manager who wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty and beat up men when she had to...
Watch how proud she is of Kevin Sullivan after his match with this nameless jobber. She even proceeds to beat him up after the match is over. That, to me, is a true example of a good manager/investor.
And here she is with her signature "hurricanrana" that she always does on the unsuspecting opponents to her investment when the referee isn't looking...
And we cant mention tough female managers without mentioning Chyna...
Not all female managers had the muscle or strength like the aforementioned managers so they made up for it by using foreign objects, which, depending on how you look at it, is more grimey than fighting with your bare hands.
Nancy Benoit/"Woman" took to using a cane to make up for her lack of muscles & fighting ability...
Missy Hyatt was another female manager that didn't have muscles or much fighting ability so she used weapons as well.
In the video below you can see her using a whip to beat Sting...
And when a weapon wasn't available, managers had to use their brains to distract the referees to get another male "investment" to do the dirty work for them.
In the video below we see Deborah McMichael distracting the ref in an effort to secure a win for her "investments"
 |
| "Sensational Sherri butting the boots...uh...heels to Superfly Jimmy Snuka |
It was the basic idea of capitalism that got me to look at female managers from a different angle at a very young age. They were more like investors or businesswomen, and the (male) wrestlers they managed were their investments. The women were the ones in charge. In my mind, the men were the pieces of meat instead of the women.
Take Sensational Sherri for example. She was kind of like the "anti-miss Elizabeth". She got dirty, didn't care about her looks in a traditional way, and she stood up to men twice her size.
In this video below you see her attacking Rowdy Roddy Piper to protect her "investment" (Jake Roberts) who was losing...
I think it helps for women to have experience in the ring before becoming a manager. It builds character & toughness. It also helps when it's time to protect your investment.
"Jackie" is another example of a tough/non-traditional looking female manager who wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty and beat up men when she had to...
 |
| Jackie (Left) |
Watch how proud she is of Kevin Sullivan after his match with this nameless jobber. She even proceeds to beat him up after the match is over. That, to me, is a true example of a good manager/investor.
Zelina Vega is a super recent example of a true manager that is more of an investor/extra muscle than an accessory.
Here she is with her investment Cien Almas
 |
| Zelina Vega (Right) |
And here she is with her signature "hurricanrana" that she always does on the unsuspecting opponents to her investment when the referee isn't looking...
And we cant mention tough female managers without mentioning Chyna...
 |
| Chyna |
Not all female managers had the muscle or strength like the aforementioned managers so they made up for it by using foreign objects, which, depending on how you look at it, is more grimey than fighting with your bare hands.
 |
| Nancy Benoit aka "Woman" |
Nancy Benoit/"Woman" took to using a cane to make up for her lack of muscles & fighting ability...
Missy Hyatt was another female manager that didn't have muscles or much fighting ability so she used weapons as well.
 |
| Missy Hyatt |
In the video below you can see her using a whip to beat Sting...
And when a weapon wasn't available, managers had to use their brains to distract the referees to get another male "investment" to do the dirty work for them.
 |
| Deborah McMichael |
In the video below we see Deborah McMichael distracting the ref in an effort to secure a win for her "investments"
There are many more examples of legendary female managers who broke the mold and defied the conventional qualities. But instead of showing examples of every single one, perhaps this piece will get some of you to go to YouTube to do some research on your own.
