There were so many things that changed for WWE during the Attitude Era. Everything from the show’s presentation to the wrestlers’ presentation differed from the era that had come before it.
More focus was put on the stories as they grew into a vastly adult-oriented product.
One thing big thing that changed was the ever-lessening reliance on the use of managers. There just weren’t a ton of managers present. Most wrestlers rode solo or were grouped in factions of like-minded individuals.
That said, there was still a sprinkling of great managers in the Attitude Era. Managers who embodied the new product direction and became well-known names for their managerial skills. Below is a list of these managers.
Paul Bearer
Bearer was such an influential figure in multiple eras that he had to make his way onto the list again.
Also, the Paul Bearer on this list is a vastly different character than the one on previous lists, which is a testament to just how talented of a manager the high-pitched voice of a man was.
Paul Bearer ditched the white makeup and jet-black hair for a more natural look. His character was more of a manipulator than anything. It started with his shocking heel turn on The Undertaker, which led to him leading a stable of the most bizarre wrestlers in WWE history.
Once she reunited with The Undertaker in the Ministry of Darkness, Bearer became a more sinister, demonic version of his original character. This small shift showed how many layers there are to the wailing manager’s character.
Chyna
When Triple H was beginning his heel ascent, he needed someone to watch his back; that is when the 9th Wonder of the World made her debut.
Chyna made an immediate impact. She was a physical imposing figure who had no problem mixing it up with the males on the roster. She would get the better of most of them on the way to assisting Triple H to victory.
No manager affected her charges fortunes more than Chyna did.
When D-Generation X turned babyface, Chyna slid into that role easily. She oozed confidence and was the cool bouncer for her group of degenerates. Her popularity soared and soon rivaled even the brightest stars in the company.
Stephanie McMahon
No other on-screen personality went through a bigger character shift during the Attitude Era than Stephanie McMahon.
When she began appearing on our television screens, she was the innocent daughter of the boss, a woman who was naive in the ways of the world but as pure as anyone walking.
That character didn’t last long, and soon, that innocent daughter became one of the most hated figures in WWE history. Stephanie was fantastic as Triple H’s heel wife. She had the power to back her husband in any endeavor, unfairly so.
It drew the type of heat from the crowd that many wrestlers would only dream of. Any wrestler she accompanied to the ring would instantly be hated because of their association with her.
Lita
There might be no other manager one associates with the Attitude Era more than Lita. Like other female managers, she was beautiful and charismatic, but there was so much more to her character.
Her association with The Hardy Boyz was the perfect match. She epitomized the extreme nature with which they lived their lives. Lita would engage in as many high-flying moves as Matt and Jeff, which was not something that we had seen from the female managers who had preceded her.
Lita was one of the most popular managers of the Attitude Era. She stood out from the rest and got just as big a reaction as The Hardy Boyz. Team Extreme was a three-person group that would have been something with Lita.
Sable
Sable was a throwback to the old-school valets of eras past. Debuting with then-husband Marc Mero, she was one to let her silence do the talking. She was the eye-catching valet who stood out from the people she managed.
It says a lot that she became more popular than Mero very soon after her debut.
When she struck out on her own, Sable became part of the Attitude Era. Her sexuality made her popular, and she used this to her full advantage.
Her segments, baring all or wearing next to nothing, were some of the highest-rated and most anticipated. Those of us of a certain gender and age remember very well how exciting these adult-oriented segments were.
Sable was lumped with whoever the company could bring their popularity up. It says a lot about her talent that she was able to grab the spotlight from whomever she was charged with bringing to the ring.
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