General Managers and Guest Hosts of WWE Shows
Are Smackdown and ECW Taken More Seriously than Raw?
Since Vickie Guerrero quit as Raw General Manager in June, Raw has had celebrity guest hosts every week. Some of them have done well, whereas others have been duds. But most have no connection to the wrestling industry, with the exception of Ted DiBiase Sr., Sergeant Slaughter, Dusty Rhodes, Trish Stratus, and Freddie Prinze Jr, who was a writer for WWE programming in 2008. Giving them temporary authority over an entire wrestling show seems odd.
Is Raw Still the ‘A’ Show?
Raw has been on the air since 1993, and thus has a six-year advantage over Smackdown, and a whopping thirteen-year advantage over ECW. Because of this, Raw is considered the A show of WWE programming, while Smackdown is the B show and ECW is the C show. Therefore Raw should presumably command the most respect, and have a strong leader at the helm.
While neither the guest hosts nor the general managers have any real power, it still makes the show silly. These guest hosts aren’t going to have the same ideas and don’t generally give the impression of having followed the storylines, matches and feuds of the weeks preceding them. They do usually give fans the matches that they want and expect, but does having ZZ Top or Bob Barker order matches empower Raw, or wrestling itself?
The Comedic Effect of Having Special Guest Hosts on Raw
Most of the guest hosts of Raw such as Shaquille O’Neal, Bob Barker and Cedric the Entertainer have a funny element to them when they interact with the wrestlers. And that is fine. Wrestling can and should be funny. But as a consequence, the B and C shows will probably be taken more seriously.
This is because they have established general managers seemingly working each week to strengthen their product and make matches that will excite the fans. Santino baffling the hosts with his antics, and Jericho and Big Show getting humiliated each week by each successive GM will be amusing to most fans. But serious wrestling is cast aside.
Teddy Long as Smackdown General Manager
In spite of his recent dealings with Undertaker, which showed how helpless and persuadable he was, Teddy Long has usually had a firm hand with his wrestlers. He also gives the fans what they want, and has been in the position of GM from 2004-present, including a brief stint for ECW. He can be an object for ridicule, especially when speaking to Mr. McMahon, but Long also manages to project authority, and Smackdown is respected.
Tiffany as ECW General Manager
Though having a last name might help her authority (as well as age—it seems odd that a 23-year-old should be GM of ECW, or any other wrestling program), Tiffany is doing a decent job. Although at times she forces her lines out a bit too enthusiastically, the bookings make sense and aside from the Abraham Washington Show, there isn’t much zaniness to be found (not that Washington’s show is actually funny). Just solid wrestling.
Wrestlers as General Managers
On a recent episode of ECW (September 29, 2009), William Regal took over temporarily as interim GM and tried to use his authority to punish Christian by a four-on-one match. Regal was once commissioner/GM, and he was good. Using former wrestlers as either guest hosts or GMs is smart, because at least they have a grasp of the business, although too often they use it as revenge against their enemies, as Regal attempted to do.
Which Show Has the Best Leadership?
The guest hosts of Raw are obviously WWE’s attempts to get more mainstream media attention, which is good. And Raw still has the highest ratings per week, according to the latest edition of Power Slam magazine (Issue 183). But Smackdown seems to have more respect because of its consistent wrestling.
Its lack of blatant comedy routines (which is not to say that there are never humorous moments on the shows), and solid figures of authority rather than old game show hosts and sports figures, however popular they may be, lends itself credibility. While the guest hosts may garner more attention for WWE, Smackdown and ECW have more solid leadership, and thus more solid wrestling.
Sources:
Power Slam, Issue 183
World Wrestling Entertainment
William Regal, Former Commissioner, Now ECW Star
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