Line #31 Wrestling/TeddyLong


1	[[quoteright:232:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/theodore_long_bio_4135.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:232:"Holla!"]]
3
4	->''"Hold on a minute, playas!"''
5
6	Theodore Robert Rufus Long (born September 15, 1947), more commonly known as Teddy Long is an American wrestling personality who has in his time been a referee, manager, authority figure, and general manager for the [=WWE=]'s [[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown]] brand.
7
8	Teddy started out as an errand boy for wrestlers Tommy Rich and Wrestling/AbdullahTheButcher before being promoted to be part of the ringcrew, and eventually a referee for for Jim Crockett's [[Wrestling/{{WCW}} World Championship Wrestling]]. Later, Wrestling/KevinSullivan and Wrestling/EddieGilbert convinced Wrestling/JimRoss to give Long a managerial role, after learning that he used to be a radio DJ and could work the mic. Teddy soon became the manager for the tag-team Doom, with Wrestling/RonSimmons, and Butch Reed.
9
10	Long later on moved to the then [=WWF=] where he worked as a referee once again. It was during this time that he was involved as the referee in the match that resulted in the real-life injury that left Droz (Darren Drozdov in real life) paralyzed.
11
12	Later on, Long's mic skills were called up again when he started managing various heels such as Wrestling/DLoBrown, Rodney Mack, Wrestling/ChristopherNowinski, Rosey, Wrestling/MarkHenry, [[Wrestling/CarleneMoore Jazz]], and, when he was drafted into [=SmackDown=] Mark Jindrak.
13
14	Long eventually got his start in the role he was most famous for when acting as a temporary replacement for [[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]] General Manager Wrestling/EricBischoff. Later on, when Wrestling/KurtAngle was fired in story as [=SmackDown=]'s General Manager, Long was replaced Angle in what was the start of the longest General Manager tenure in the brand's history. Immediately turning face after his appointment, Long's style contrasted with heel general managers such as Bischoff on Raw. In addition to this, Long also became known for his preferred method of resolving issues by having wrestlers compete in tag-team matches.
15
16	His tenure as General Manager ended when his Wrestling/SurvivorSeries team lost to the team of John Laurinaitis, who proceeded to become "Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and General Manager of both Raw and [=SmackDown=]." Teddy was "forced" to become Laurinaitis's "assistant," and then later served as Wrestling/BookerT's, until he was released from his WWE contract.
17
18	He was inducted into the Wrestling/WWEHallOfFame in 2017.
19
20	-----
21	!!"Holla, holla, tropes, playa":
22
23	* AbusiveParents: Not necessarily a parent, but he was in charge of Norman the Lunatic in WCW. He would threaten Norman, who had the gimmick of the mental asylum patient, that he could send him back to the asylum at will, and he carried around a key to keep Norman in line.
24	* AscendedExtra: Opened both his careers in WWE and WCW television as a referee.
25	* BaldOfEvil: Heel, dating back to his days as a manager in NWA and WCW. Although during those early days he was bald on top with a mullet in the back, rather than completely bald.
26	* CatchPhrase: "Let me holla at ya, playa!"
27	* ChickMagnet: Despite being somewhat old, short, rather homely, and a NonActionGuy of the highest order, Teddy's nonetheless had a couple of different Divas fawning over him. The guy must be doing something right.
28	* EasilyDistractedReferee: As expected, though he was better than most other referees in this area, truth be told.
29	* {{GASP}}: His default reaction to any sort of shock.
30	* ImprobableWeaponUser: During his time as a heel manager, he would threw shoes at people.
31	* LongRunner: Was the [=SmackDown=] GM from 2004-2012, longer than any other GM, on Raw or [=SmackDown=].[[note]]He was demoted to assistant GM from late November 2007 until mid-May 2008 when he quit due to getting sick of Wrestling/VickieGuerrero, opting to manage ECW instead. When Vickie left [=SmackDown=] for Raw in April 2009, Teddy would return as GM, holding it until Wrestling/JohnLaurinaitis won the job from him.[[/note]]
32	* NonActionGuy: He mostly worked as either a manager or referee.
33	* OncePerEpisode:
34	** It wouldn't be uncommon for Teddy to interupt a {{Heel}} and say "Tonight, you're gonna go one-on-one with ... [[Wrestling/TheUndertaker Da Undatakah]]!". If Undertaker wasn't available, Teddy would make them face Wrestling/RandyOrton instead.
35	** If there were four or six people in the ring and they were arguing or brawling with each other, chances were he'd interrupt them and place them in a tag team match, ''[[VerbalTic playa]]''.
36	* OlderThanTheyLook: Age wasn't the kindest to him, but he looked very good for a man in in his sixties!
37	* OutGambitted: Does this to Laurinaitis when faced with a SadisticChoice of letting his girlfriend Wrestling/{{Aksana}} be placed in a match with Kane or laying down and letting Laurinaitis pin him. He refuses the latter and, while not outright said, is implied to have had Wrestling/RandyOrton take out Kane, allowing him to pin Laurinaitis, pick up the win, and save his girlfriend.
38	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: After Rodney Mack was unceremoniously kicked off [=SmackDown=] and Teddy became his manager on Raw...
39	* PowerStable
40	** Ran two in WCW. Neither had proper names. One in the early 90s had The Skyscrapers (Sid Vicious and Dan Spivey) and Norman the Lunatic in it. The other was in the late 90s, and it was called Quittin' Time, consisting of Jim Powers and "Hardwork" Bobby Walker, which never appeared on anything besides the C and D shows like ''WCW Pro'' and ''WCW Worldwide''.
41	** He ran "Thuggin And Buggin Enterprises" in WWE, but they were quickly [[OutOfFocus pushed to the side because]] Triple H started his own called Evolution that included Wrestling/RicFlair and won "All The Gold"...Jazz got the Women's Title belt at least.
42	* PutOnABus: Once he no longer was General Manager, he disappeared off television, until he was finally released.
43	** TheBusCameBack: Teddy Long was in the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2017.
44	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure
45	** But once he became a GM, he grew out of it to become the authority who tries to give everyone a fair shot.
46	** Definitely plays this in juxtaposition to Laurinaitis.
47	** In Southwest Wrestling Entertainment he's forced to confront his bias towards Rodney Mack, and usually manages to put it aside and make the right choice, or close to it.
48	* TookALevelInBadass: Subtly in 2012 as his job was threatened by John Laurinaitis. Notable was the moment he suspended a rampaging Wrestling/MarkHenry and [[BrassBalls kicked him out of the arena face-to-face.]] (A marked difference from several months prior when he tried to no avail to placate the angry super heavyweight in a similar situation). Also, more than one heated argument between himself and the much bigger former wrestler Laurinaitis has ended with Laurinaitis getting knocked on his ass. Hell, he even ''won a match'' during the conflict.
49	* UrExample: Of the WWE General Manager. As seen in LongRunner above, nobody has been a general manager longer than Teddy Long. Michael Cole outright called him the greatest general manager of all time in 2017.
50	* VerbalTic: "Playa", "Holla", "Ya feel me?" or "Believe that!"
51	-----
52	-->''Now dat you read my tropes, I'm going to [[JustForFun/TVTropesWillRuinYourLife ruin yer life]]...in a handicap match against Randy Orton'' '''AND''' ''Da Undatakah! HOLLA!\
53	Oh, and just in case you do happen to have a partner with ya, it'll be a tag team match, playa! Ya feel me?\
54	But it ain't gon' be easy. Coz you will be doing this '''INSIDE''' a steel cage!''\

Context Wrestling / TeddyLong