The revolutionary and the innovator: Paul Heyman

Paul Heyman is a revolutionary

If you’re looking for an honest, clean cut personality, then probably Paul Heyman is everything you don’t want. But if you’re looking for a vicious, cut throat mastermind who wants to keep reinventing himself and the business, then Heyman is the guy you’d want in your team.

Tod Gordon realized that as soon as Paul Heyman was let go by the WCW. Gordon brought Paul Heyman to the Eastern Championship Wrestling, and later in ’94, gave him the keys to either drive the boat to the shore, or complete the process of an already sinking ship.

Paul Heyman ran with his idea of revolutionizing the business, and in the end, he didn’t just create one of the most unique wrestling organizations in the history of the industry, but had also transcended the industry into something more than just characters and gimmicks.

Paul Heyman isn’t just a promoter, he is a visionary. Very few people would’ve come up with the idea of extreme style of wrestling in the United States where people weren’t exposed to blood and gore.

Paul Heyman didn’t confine the style to “extreme matches”. The ideas, storylines, feuds and the gimmicks were something very new, something the American fans had never witnessed before.

Starting from the Sandman’s character to The Raven, Paul Heyman created a place for the outcasts and those who weren’t needed by the bigger companies such as the WWF and WCW. These outcasts sought refuge in Extreme Championship Wrestling, and Paul Heyman knew exactly how to use them.

While the likes of Sabu and Terry Funk put on violent matches, guys like Shane Douglas, Steve Austin and Mick Foley were given the microphone and were asked to speak.

Douglas, Austin and Foley were fired from WCW, and were never given their due. They weren’t even given enough air time to speak on the mic, and Paul Heyman took the opportunity to get their voices heard.

And the result was phenomenal – Douglas became the guy to start the revolution in ECW, Austin ripped into Eric Bischoff and Hulk Hogan in his promos and Mick Foley was, for the first time, given a chance to speak.

Foley was one of the best mic workers in the business, and when he had the mic in his hand, he cut one of the most memorable promos in professional wrestling history, which is infamously known now as the “Cane Dewey” promo.

Paul Heyman gathered these “misfits” who were average at best in the ring, and gave them the characters and gimmicks that would live on with the fans long after ECW went bankrupt.

Even before Steve Austin started drinking beer and raising hell, The Sandman started chugging down alcohol and was known to be the ultimate redneck in ECW. Dark characters like The Raven provided much needed intricacy to the world of professional wrestling, and underdogs like Tommy Dreamer were born in the land of extreme.

To say Paul Heyman is a genius would be an understatement, so much so that the people consider him to have the brightest mind in professional wrestling!

When Heyman came to the WWE, he made Smackdown! the place to be. It is generally believed that when Heyman was on the writing team, he booked stars such as Benoit, Angle, Lesnar and The Undertaker to perfection.

It was during this time that Smackdown! was the ‘A’ show, while RAW was more for the entertainment. Under Heyman’s regime, WWE had hot angles and amazing matches. Heyman has proved time and again that he isn’t just a great innovator and promoter, but also an exceptional booker and writer.

With Heyman currently involved in an angle with Punk, it doesn’t come as a surprise that it has arguably been the feud of the year. It is generally believed that every superstar Heyman touches becomes a mega face; whether you talk about the Jerichos or Austins or Lesnars or even the Punks, Heyman always had an eye for real talent.

Possessing some of the best mic skills in the industry, Heyman lends credibility to the superstars, and turns their weakness into their strength. Heyman has also been an exceptional on-screen manager for the likes of Lesnar and Kurt Angle and has proved time and again that he indeed is the “total package”.

One doesn’t have to like Paul Heyman. Although Vince hates Heyman’s guts, he will be the first person to admit that Heyman is the brightest non-performer in the industry.

With Heyman sticking around in the WWE, it can only lead to more interesting angles and storylines. Paul Heyman the person might not get many praises from individuals, but Heyman the character has been one of the biggest positives in the industry, and his peers and superstars will attest to that statement.