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Throughout the company's history, WWE has had more than its fair share of incredible managers. The likes of Paul Heyman and Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan are just some of the names that have forged legendary careers in the promotion looking after some of the top wrestlers in the world.
With so many impressive managers having worked for WWE over the years, it can be easy for some to fall by the wayside, and not get the recognition they deserve for their legendary careers.
This has never been more apparent than with Captain Lou Albano, whom, despite being one of the most successful managers in WWE history, has become massively under-appreciated over the years. With over 16 years as a manager in the company, and more than 50 different clients, Albano had one of the most illustrious tenures in the history of the business, but isn't remembered quite as fondly as some of his managerial counterparts.
Bruno Sammartino Told Vince McMahon Sr. That Albano Should Be A Manager
When he first joined WWE, Albano was actually a wrestler, and spent several years as an in-ring competitor before making the transition into a managerial role in 1970.
The move came after Bruno Sammartino, the longest reigning world champion in WWE history, suggested to Vince McMahon Sr that the Italian American would be better suited to that role. Albano was undoubtedly a great talker, and regularly shone on the microphone, but his in-ring work was less than stellar, and Sammartino was the first to see he would be much better as a manager.
At the time, managers were not as common as they would soon become, and Albano became one of the only ones in the company.
Lou Albano Led Ivan Koloff To The Major Upset Over Sammartino
Ivan Koloff's world championship victory over Sammartino, bringing an end to the star's seven-year reign with the title, is one of the biggest upsets in professional wrestling history.
The result shocked fans all over the world, but what many may have forgotten is that Albano was managing Koloff at the time and was instrumental to his success. After failed attempts at besting Sammartino previously, Albano claimed he was the missing link that Koloff needed to become the champion, and he was proven right in January 1971 when he won the title.
The reign was only a transitional one, with Koloff dropping the belt just three weeks later to Pedro Morales, but there is no taking away how monumental the title win was, regardless of how short the subsequent reign was.
Capatain Lou Albano Guided 13 Different Teams To Tag Team Championship Success
While the Koloff title win was the biggest achievement in Albano's managerial career, he was actually much more successful managing in the tag team division.
The Italian American guided a monumental 13 different tag teams to championship victories over the years. The likes of The Blackjacks, The Wild Samoans, and The British Bulldogs all won gold while Albano working with them, and his influence in some of the best tag teams in WWE history cannot be overstated.
He Was Influential In Cyndi Lauper's WWE Arrival Which Helped Launch The Rock 'N' Wrestling Connection
Albano wasn't only influential to his clients and their careers, but he also played a role in launching the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection, a movement that would see WWE reach heights it had previously never seen, and eventually even lead to the creation of WrestleMania.
After meeting Cyndi Lauper in 1984, Albano struck up a friendship with the singer,which would lead to his appearance in the music video for her insanely popular song 'Girls Just Want To Have Fun'. From there, he appeared in several more of Lauper's music videos, and played a role in her eventually working with WWE.
With their close, real-life friendship, Albano had Lauper appear on Roddy Piper's "Piper's Pit" talk show, kickstarting a rivalry with her that would see Lauper get involved with WWE. The singer's time with the company would eventually lead to the huge boom in mainstream popularity for wrestling, and played a significant role in WrestleMania becoming the monumental success it would be. It is fair to say that might not have happened without Albano's influence.