10 greatest wrestling managers of all time

#2: Paul Heyman

Yes, Paul Heyman once had a full head of hair.

Before he introduced himself to the WWE fans as the advocate for the reigning, defending undisputed Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar, Heyman was making his mark on pro wrestling in different ways.

Heyman was previously known as Paul E. Dangerously and made his mark in his stint in WCW. He originally portrayed the quintessential '80s New York yuppie complete with oversized cell phone.

Like many of the managers before and after him, it was often used as a means to lead his clients to wins after using it to attack opponents. Dangerously initially helped create the Dangerous Alliance, a faction including Rick Rude, Arn Anderson, Larry Zbyszko, Bobby Eaton, Arn Anderson and Madusa.

It was a play on the Four Horsemen but was a stable of five of the top heels in WCW at the time. Like most of the heel managers before him, Dangerously would loudly and boastfully promote his wrestlers as the best in the world and unbeatable.

He would later leave WCW and become lead booker in NWA affiliated Eastern Championship Wrestling in Philadelphia. Children of the 90s would later know those three initials to be associated with another newer, brasher promotion, ECW.

Heyman helped change Eastern Championship Wrestling into Extreme Championship Wrestling. From 1993-2001, Heyman was booker and owner of the upstart promotion and was seen as an alternative to the two mainstream promotions at the time, WWF and WCW.

ECW's hardcore nature and near R-rated storylines pushed the envelope in terms of violence and explicit nature. Without Heyman's ECW, wrestlers like RVD, Sabu, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Jericho, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Raven, and Tommy Dreamer might not have achieved the level of success in the business that they did.

After ECW folded in 2001, Heyman became known for his role in the WCW/ECW Invasion storyline as well as becoming the advocate for the Next Big Thing, Brock Lesnar. He would lead the Beast to an early title run and would hold numerous announcing, booking and managerial roles within WWE.

His time in each promotion helped prove why he was one of the best mic workers in the history of professional wrestling. Without his mastery of words, several feuds wouldn't have had the luster that they have had (Roman vs. Brock, Undertaker vs. CM Punk, Brock vs. Triple H, CM Punk vs. John Cena).

Heyman is one of the last true managers left in pro wrestling and WWE should look to create more in his mold to manage faltering acts or those not well-versed on the mic. In short, pro wrestling wouldn't be where it is today without the man who often says 'I'm just an advocate!"