10 WWE Wrestlers Who Were Nothing Without Their Managers

6. The NWA (1998)

Big Boss Man Vince Mcmahon
WWE

If it felt like Jim Cornette was being ribbed by Vince Russo in the early stages of 1998, it's because he probably was.

The NWA was a stable less ancient than it actually felt as the Attitude Era took shape in a rapidly changing organisation but Barry Windham, The Rock & Roll Express and Jeff Jarrett in his most dated persona looked and wrestled as if they were 30 years older than themselves, let alone their peers.

The group floundered quickly, without presence or purpose during a time where virtually everything got over, but what sucked the most about this half-baked bullsh*t was its origin story.

Cornette had incinerated the ills of modern wrestling in some hugely powerful promos at the backend of 1997 that didn't seem to have an end destination beyond getting fans to consider absolutely everything they were watching and make WWE seem less insular in general. They were tweaked to turn this into this. James E, as he always used to, deserved better.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett