Thoughts on WWE's and TNA's New General Managers

by Violet Buttle

WWE and TNA are making changes to their weekly television shows under the guise of fresh, new General Managers (in all fairness, Laurinaitis was the Interim GM for Raw prior to his successful WrestleMania outing where he acquired GM duties for both televised WWE shows). Some of the changes that have been introduced by Hogan (TNA) and Launinaitis (WWE) are intriguing, while some, not surprisingly, are just baffling. Below, I take a look at the work both men have done thus far.

John Laurinaitis: General Manager of Raw and SmackDown

While I am a fan of the Laurinaitis character, I admittedly am not sure about his “People Power” gimmick. I get that he is referring to his belief that he is giving the people what they want by booking interesting matches. But, ultimately, the people or the WWE Universe have little power here. If they were to be literally empowered, Laurinaitis would be would be more engaged with the audience, which could mean a more frequent use of Twitter, website or text polls, and so on. Perhaps, the empty promise of power to people is part of what makes Laurinaitis such a successful heel, but I find the whole concept somewhat puzzling.

In addition to being a well characterized heel manager, Laurinaitis also has a wonderfully crafted sidekick in David Otunga. When Otunga was a part of Nexxus and the Corre, I was bored by him; however, his Harvard Law School graduate gimmick has been great for him and Laurinaitis. These two have great chemistry together, and the crowd certainly reacts to Otunga as the evil henchman he is supposed to be.

Laurinaitis is also being credited with bringing new talent to the WWE rosters. The arrival of new talent is always exciting as it means new character dynamics, alliances, and feuds.

Hulk Hogan: General Manager of Impact Wrestling

I get that Hogan is a legend and probably still has some devoted fans, but, to me, he’s just a washed-up old star still clinging to the fame he once had. If anything, he’s more of a turn off than a reason to tune in every week.

However, Hogan’s character made some very interesting announcements last week that will alter the weekly televised Impact show that we’re all used to. While I have some qualms about his plans, I am pleased to see the Television Title will be defended weekly on the show. Prior to this, not only was the Television title never mentioned, but the champion was rarely even on Impact. This decision is a good way to ensure that guys that may not have otherwise given TV time (what with all of the Roode/ Bully Ray/ Storm segments that plague the show) also get a chance to showcase their work.

Conversely, I’m a little been concerned about the introduction of Open Fight Night. Logistically, I’m not sure how this can be organized without everyone calling everyone else out. Also, will it lead to feuding wrestlers meeting in the ring before the opportune moment? Will it decrease the value of PPVs? Won’t everyone be trying to challenge for a title? Was this idea even remotely thought through? While I’m interested in seeing new talent introduced, this seems like a sloppily executed concept.

Contact me on Twitter to discuss this article or anything wrestling : @VioletButtle | #FTLOW