Renee YoungPaul Heyman will go down in history as one of the best on-screen managers in wrestling. However, apart from managing names like Brock Lesnar, Steve Austin, CM Punk and many more, Heyman is an excellent teacher off-screen as well. A plethora of superstars in the business has benefited from his knowledge and you would know half of them as well.Lesnar, for instance, wouldnt have been here if it was not for Heymans help off-screen. The same applies for CM Punk but do you know all such names that Heyman helped? It is a long list indeed, but here is a look at some of the most notable ones that you probably did not know.
#5 Natalya
Whenever Natalya gets time, she goes to Paul Heyman for advice. In fact, Natalya treats Heyman like an uncle. What Natalya loves about Heyman is his sincerity. According to her, when your friends tell you that you are right and when your enemy tells you what you want to hear, Heyman gives out the best advice.
The relationship between Natalya and Heyman was built after Heyman’s return in 2012. He has gone on to mentor a lot of superstars since. And Natalya is probably one of the best students of Heyman during this run. This is also why the WWE decided to give her a spot in the Paul Heyman DVD so that she could talk about him.
#4 Renee Young
Renee Young has earned a lot of praise from the fans so far. She is highly regarded in the company as well and almost all the big fishes are looking to take her away from the wrestling business. And in case you haven’t guessed it already, Renee learned a lot from Heyman.
Whenever Heyman shows up in WWE, he shares some valuable time with Renee. She has also claimed about learning things from him while interviewing him. Heyman, on the other hand, has high regard for Renee. He points out the moments of mentoring Renee as a learning experience and sees a bright future for the announcer.
#3 Beth Phoenix
The relationship between Beth Phoenix and Paul Heyman dates back to her OVW days. After a fallout with Stephanie McMahon, Heyman was sent down to OVW. He was named the head booker there and while many saw this as a punishment, Heyman saw it as a blessing. He took it as a challenge and started making stars of the future.
Beth Phoenix was one of those stars. While it was hard for the divas to make it into the main roster, Heyman helped Beth stand out from the rest. Beth is thankful to Heyman for the same and credits Heyman for everything that she achieved in the main roster. Speaking about superstars Heyman polished in OVW, it would be hard not to mention the next guy.
#2 Mr. Kennedy
Mr. Kennedy might be an irrelevant TNA wrestler right now, but his run in WWE was a different story. The WWE creative give him a big push in the main roster since they were so high on him. Kennedy was defeating Former World Champions for a hobby but all that came crashing down when he botched a move against Randy Orton. It did not sit well with the company and Kennedy was sent packing.
But ever wondered why Kennedy was so highly regarded during the initial phase? It is because Heyman mentored him in OVW. Kennedy learned a lot during his time in OVW and was ready to reach the top until he attracted backstage heat.
#1 Edge
Heyman spent some time as the SmackDown creative writer in the mid-2000s. With some genius writing, Heyman went on to defeat Monday Night Raw in ratings. One major trick he used to get the upper hand was building new stars. Heyman made a lot of findings during his SmackDown reign and Edge was one of his personal projects.
Edge credits his first solo break to Paul Heyman. When the other writers were not willing to give Edge a push beyond the mid-card, Heyman called him aside and gave him a vote of confidence. This coupled with some meaty writing helped Edge reach the top and he wouldn’t have been there if it wasn’t for Heyman.