'Stone Cold' Steve Austin Shares What Element WWE Currently Lacks

In 2018, WWE rolls out a much different product than they did in the 1990's. While they [...]

By Jeremy Snodgrass

In 2018, WWE rolls out a much different product than they did in the 1990's. While they undoubtedly have a surplus in some areas, Stone Cold Steve Austin thinks they're deficient in a very important element.

During an episode of The Steve Austin Show, the WWE icon lamented that fact that wrestling has fully neglected the role of the manager.

"You just don't see [managers] anymore," said Austin.

"To me, they were the salt and pepper on a great steak. Such colorful, flamboyant personalities, either that mouthpiece, or that dressing, or whatever it needs to be to enhance that talent further, or be the crutch, or be an addition to, and just make that person a superstar," he said.

WWE has no shortage of wrestlers who could be boosted by the addition of a manager. Being an exceptional talker is a rare ability and only a few Superstars can handle themselves unconditionally on the mic. That said, with so many Superstars in the middle, WWE could be missing an opportunity to elevate them.

"The way I grew up watching wrestling when I was seven or eight years old, and going through the territories, and having my share of managers. Whether I liked them or not, or wanted them to be with me, I learned a lot from them. To me, they're part of the landscape that is pro wrestling," he said.

Paul Heyman is WWE's only working manager these days but he only has one client. Without Heyman, Brock Lesnar could easily be Bobby Lashley.

James Ellsworth is worth point out as well. Carmella has enjoyed a rapid growth and much of that is due to the presence of Ellsworth. It's no coincidence that because he's back, she's had a tick up in relevance.

But a manager isn't a crutch for those who struggle on the microphone. Instead, it's like adding an extra character to the story. A tag team gets another personality, a heel that much more hateable — look no further than the Singh Brothers.

So why does WWE pretend like managers don't need work? It's hard to say. Maybe that would make things too unrealistic. Today's WWE likes to mimic professional sports, so the idea of having a manager around during a post-match interview may seem incongruent.

But WWE may be guilty of taking itself too seriously at times. As Stone Cold mentioned, wrestling was founded upon exaggeration. While WWE is occupied with how to create an innovative product they sometimes get away from the fundamental of professional wrestling. And managers are certainly part of that formula.

[H/T WrestlingNews.co]

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