The incomplete era of Jack Swagger

Well, some of my predictions have been coming true, in some way or another. Bam Neely was fired, Chavo was sent to SmackDown, Dreamer is making a last-ditch effort to be a top star again, and Jack Swagger is the ECW champion. He has the keys and tools to be a top star in the WWE, even by their standards. He's big, he's cocky, he's got the wrestling talent to grapple with the best of them, and he's got the look of a star. However, I still think he doesn't have it all yet. I mean, sure, his promo work is pretty good, his wrestling skills are showing great promise for the future, and his in-ring persona is also something to consider as a good thing going, but I don't think it's enough for him. I think he needs something more. I think he needs what some wrestlers are blessed with now, and what some wrestlers could have used. Jack Swagger needs what Umaga started with, Vladimir Kozlov should have had, and what Mike Knox can definitely use. Jack Swagger....needs a manager! There, I said it. It's not a bad notion, either, if done right...

There were so many great and notable managers over the years. They were the conspicuous cheerleaders to whatever wrestlers they supported. Some were sweet as sugar while others were as sour as lemons. Who could forget some of these masters of their craft? There's the sultry "Sensational" Sherri, the garishly guile Gary Hart, the sinister Mr. Fuji, the overly obnoxious Captain Lou Albano, the dastardly "Classy" Freddie Blassie, the wicked Grand Wizard, the annoyingly-energetic "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart, the underhanded "Doctor of Style" Slick, the scrawny and salty Bill Alfonso, the putrid yet sometimes powerful Paul Heyman (a.k.a. Paul E. Dangerously), the cleverly cunning J.J. Dillon, the high-pressured heat magnet, James E. Cornette, and the most notorious for his work, the boastful bad apple known as Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, just to name a few. I know some of you readers don't even know who these people are. Some of you know them all too well. If I were you and I didn't know who they were, I'd look into the WWE DVD about the greatest managers in wrestling history. It's worth the buy and the rent. The problem here is that, just like the art of tag team wrestling and cruiserweight competition, the art of good managing by good managers is just about lost in the WWE. This puts a lot of wrestlers on the rise in a precarious position. Without that extra boost of a manager, they have to rely solely on their own development, which might or might not work out for them. I think that Swagger might fall into this pit if the situation presented itself, as many a newcomer has fallen in this category. The ones that really have this problem are those who are known mostly for their ability. That's just not enough.

Swagger has had good promo work. There's no doubt about that, but there are some issues with it, such as his lisp. I don't know about you, but that can be brutal to hear. It does make him seem like a big kid at times, but so does his attitude. So, why not have a manager to oversee him so he doesn't get ahead of himself? It's perfect. With a manager hyping up his excellence all the time, and handling the day-to-day business while he keeps up his doings, it would be a can't-miss situation, at least in my opinion. Now, who could be the best guy for the job? Here's some people on the market to help with that.

There's Armando Estrada. He led Umaga to his first title, the Intercontinental Championship. He even partnered up with the McMahons to take it to Bobby Lashley. He even managed the ECW brand for a while before his departure from the WWE altogether. You can tell that he has the eye for a top prospect and most likely, the money to reel them in. It was a shame to see him leave the WWE. I always found him an entertaining heel that was capable of maybe even putting together a stable, along with getting a star over. With Swagger under his watch, Estrada could start quite the ruckus.

Matt Striker is also a very good candidate. Yes, he did manage Big Daddy V and Mark Henry, but that did not avail to much. Big Daddy V was shown the door eventually and Mark Henry didn't achieve the ECW title until after Striker left. Is that a fault against Striker or against his then-proteges? Perhaps it was because people knew what to expect from them, so defeating them wasn't that difficult. Swagger had the element of surprise when he started. No one knew what to expect from him, and they still don't. Striker can capitalize on this with his growing mental acumen. He would be the one to feed Swagger the information he needs to dissect his opponents. Brains and brawn, working side-by-side. That's quite a thought.

Here's an obscure one for you: Elijah Burke. He and Jack Swagger can talk about their natural gifts and athletic accomplishments. Burke will pull a Ricky Ortiz and swing his towel around, only he would cause quite a stir with the fans that don't like he or Swagger. I don't think it would fail as badly as his teaming up with Sylvester Terkay, for Swagger has the wrestling prowess to get some wins and look good doing it. Plus, both of their smiling ways would annoy fans greatly. The only problem is that Burke is a wrestler. Their partnership would be strained over his need to become the ECW champion. But, still, it's a good thing.

However, I think if there's someone who could do a great job with Swagger, it's gotta be the man who ushered in "The Next Big Thing". I'm thinking Paul Heyman. He's clever, devious, a great eye for talent, and a man who knows his wrestling. He helped build up the organization of ECW. He discovered the talent that no one would utilize. When that was all done, he entered the WWE trying to take it down as part of the Alliance (not a great situation), and after that, he discovered Brock Lesnar and lead him, undefeated to the WWE championship....in his rookie year. I would enjoy watching these guys together. It's too bad that Heyman will never enter the WWE again due to how he departed.

Now, Jack Swagger doesn't technically need a manager now, but he could definitely use one when he gets to Raw or Smackdown. Too many big guys show up to those brands, fresh out of the box, As they start to ascend, they only begin to descend no more than a few months into it. They get neutralized by established talent and then, it's out of sight and out of mind these guys go. It has happened to Snitsky, it is happening to Knox, and it could happen to Vladimir Kozlov. Can Swagger avoid all this? I think so, but most likely with the help of a manager. It's not something that can be thrown around willy-nilly. It has to be well-calculated. You can't just give him any old manager of sorts. The manager has to be captivating enough to draw attention to not just himself or herself, but also towards his or her client. He or she has to be mindful of the game at least and why it is or isn't wise to do certain things at certain times or at least has to look like it. It would be helpful if the person was a former wrestler or someone with experience.

I just think that someone like Jack Swagger should not just be left to what he has at this time. I say that because there's a lot of people who are like him or have been like him. Why not set him apart and give him a competent manager? It could help him in the long run, to the fullest. Plus, well, it can show that managing wrestlers does not have to be a dying art form. Maybe it's the old-schooler in me, but I'd like to see it. Anyone can have swagger, but when you're Jack Swagger, it's what you're all about. Why not accentuate it with someone to help protect your swagger? I don't know about you, but having someone massage an ego, bruised or no, is something to be pretty confident about, don't you think?