Every Version Of Teddy Long, Ranked Worst To Best

There is more than one way to become a beloved pro wrestling character. The most obvious way is by being a great in-ring performer. Many competitors earn the respect of fans by working their tails off and putting on a good show night in and night out. Another way to be remembered fondly by the wrestling audience is to be a memorable character, whether heel or babyface. Teddy Long falls into that second category.

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Long started from the absolute bottom of the totem pole in pro wrestling and worked his way up to heights nobody could've predicted. It took a couple of reinventions, but throughout the process, Long earned his spot among some of the most beloved wrestling figures ever.

9 Teddy Long: Groom To Be

In 2007, after a few years of being an authority figure on SmackDown, Teddy Long was booked in the first romantic angle of his career. After a brief courtship, Long asked Kristal to be his girlfriend and later asked her to marry him. The romantic angle was a bit of a departure from how Long had previously been booked and some fans weren't very receptive of it.

Ultimately though, the angle was successful in getting Long out of his position of power. As a result of his relationship, Long hired Vickie Guerrero as his assistant. At their wedding, Long and Krystal would be on the verge of tying the knot before Long suffered a kayfabe heart attack and slipped into a coma. There's no telling how far WWE would've pushed the storyline had Kristal not abruptly left the company. Eventually, Long would return to SmackDown, though not in the same capacity.

8 Teddy Long: ECW General Manager

By the Summer of 2008, it was abundantly clear that WWE's ECW reboot was a flop. Instead of pulling the plug on the dying brand though, WWE tried to flood it with recognizable talents in hopes of righting the ship. Unfortunately for Teddy Long, he was one of the talents asked to move over to ECW. In June of 2008, after a few months serving as Assistant General Manager on SmackDown, Long was announced as the new General Manager of ECW.

Long would remain in that role for nearly a year. After a rather uneventful run as ECW GM, Long would hand the reigns over to Tiffany in April of 2009 and would move back into the role of SmackDown General Manager.

7 Teddy Long: Assistant SmackDown General Manager

After Teddy Long suffered a heart attack at his wedding and fell into a coma, he returned to SmackDown in November of 2007. Unfortunately, Long's old job wasn't waiting for him. Instead, the position of GM had been filled by his former assistant, Vickie Guerrero. Long would have to settle for a role as Assistant General Manager of SmackDown. He would feud with Vickie Guerrero until he was appointed the General Manager of ECW in June of 2008.

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In 2012, Long would once again play second fiddle to the SmackDown General Manager. However, this time it would be Booker T at the helm. The partnership had its ups and downs but ultimately proved to be uneventful. In 2013, Vickie Guerrero would once again be given the GM job and Teddy Long would lose all authority for good.

6 Teddy Long: Current Day

In 2014, after nearly thirty years in the wrestling business, Teddy Long was released from WWE. This marked the end of Long's full-time wrestling career. However, in June of 2016, Teddy Long would be welcomed back into the fold. Long would appear on an episode of Monday Night Raw and plead his case for another run as SmackDown General Manager. His request would be denied by Stephanie McMahon.

In 2017, Teddy Long was inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame. Since his induction, Long has enjoyed his new "Legend" status in WWE. He still makes sporadic appearances and is well received by the audience anytime he comes through the curtain, often leaning on the meme of his tag team matchmaking or his penchant for putting wrestlers one on one with The Undertaker.

5 Teddy Long: WWE Referee

After a surprisingly successful run in WCW, Teddy Long arrived in WWE in late 1998. He was immediately thrust into the role of WWE referee. As a referee, Long became a staple on weekly WWE programming and pay-per-views. Long had the unfortunate duty of working as a referee during the match where D'Lo Brown accidentally paralyzed Droz.

Long also worked the Over The Edge 1999 pay-per-view, refereeing the match immediately following the tragic accident that cost Owen Hart his life. In 2002, Long would transition away from his refereeing duties and become an on-air talent with WWE.

4 Teddy Long: WCW Referee

In 1985, Teddy Long got his big break in the wrestling business when he was appointed a referee in Jim Crockett Promotions. After starting off as an errand boy and later moving up to part of the ring crew, Long had definitely paid his dues and earned his spot. Long enjoyed a successful run as a referee, even officiating a World Heavyweight Championship match in February of 1989.

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Later in 1989, Long would begin playing the role of a heel referee, blatantly favoring heels during his matches. After affecting the outcome of an NWA World Tag Team Championship match, Long would be fired as a referee. He would soon re-emerge in a new role.

3 Teddy Long: Manager in WWE

After his refereeing career ended in 2002, Teddy Long stepped back into a familiar role as a heel manager. Long would form the Thuggin' & Buggin' Enterprises stable which at different points would consist of Rodney Mack, D'Lo Brown, Chris Nowinski, Jazz, Rosey, and Mark Henry. Long would enjoy most of his managerial success with Mark Henry, helping "The World's Strongest Man" unleash a mean streak.

Despite Long's prior success as a manager, Thuggin' & Buggin' Enterprises failed to become a hit with audiences and eventually disbanded. Long would try his hand at managing again when he was briefly paired with Mark Jindrak, but the duo wouldn't last long. It wouldn't be long until Long found his true calling in WWE.

2 Teddy Long: Manager In WCW

After a hard-earned, fruitful run as an NWA referee, Teddy Long transitioned into a new role in 1989. By all accounts, it was Eddie Gilbert and Kevin Sullivan who suggested Long should try being a manager. Eventually, Long was allowed to manage Norman The Lunatic.

From there, Long's list of clients grew significantly. He would go on to manage nearly 20 clients which included the likes of Johnny B. Badd, Bobby Eaton, Sid Justice, and many more big names. Long's greatest achievement as a manager was leading the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed, collectively known as Doom, to the NWA World Tag Team Championships. Long would go on to also manage talents in WWE but he wouldn't replicate his WCW success.

1 Teddy Long: SmackDown General Manager

In July of 2004, Teddy Long made history becoming the first African-American authority figure in WWE history. Long would be appointed SmackDown General Manager after Kurt Angle was fired. After taking the role, Long would become a babyface and quickly endear himself to the WWE audience.

Long's run as SmackDown General Manager would be interrupted in 2007. However, after a stint as ECW General Manager, he would return to SmackDown in 2009. Long would remain in power until 2012 when Team Teddy lost to Team Johnny at WrestleMania XXVIII, making John Laurinaitis the General Manager of both Monday Night Raw and SmackDown. Despite losing his position of power, Long had the longest reign as an authority figure for anyone not named McMahon (not including NXT). That achievement alone is extremely impressive.

NEXT: Hold On A Minute Playas!: 10 Funniest Teddy Long Memes