Five Potential Hall of Fame Inductees of 2014 – Number 2

Continuing with our series of five potential hall of fame inductees this year, this article was supposed to be about a performer who was mentioned on WWE TV after nearly a decade and a half towards the end of last year. I had originally intended to write about The Ultimate Warrior, but WWE came out with the news last week that they would be inducting Warrior into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 5^th, which came as a surprise to most of the fans. For those of you who’ve followed the career of The Ultimate Warrior, he wasn’t exactly one of Vince McMahon’s best employees, or one of the most likable people in the industry. Warrior got on the wrong side of most of his peers, but there is no doubt that he deserves a spot in the WWE Hall of Fame.

Instead, this article will be about a person who has spent nearly three decades in this business, and has managed some of the greatest names the industry has ever witnessed. From the likes of Steve Austin to Rob Van Dam to Brock Lesnar, he has unearthed some of the greatest talents to ever grace the squared circle. He is also known to be an innovator, a genius in an industry which direly needs someone to grab the proverbial bull by its horns. Recently, there have been numerous online petitions/suggestions for this certain individual to go into the WWE Hall of Fame. If there ever was a class dedicated to those who’ve contributed to the industry to such an extent that it’d be almost impossible for the fans to imagine professional wrestling without them, this certain individual, rather “talent” would make it to the top of the list.

I’m a big professional wrestling fan. Right from the Freddie Blassies to Jim Crocketts, I’ve been inspired by some of the greatest minds in professional wrestling business. You could put on Bobby Heenan and there is a good chance that I’d listen to his commentary the entire night. The point is, professional wrestling is something that comes first and foremost to some individuals, and for its fans, those who dedicate their lives and careers to the business mean more than one could think or imagine. Professional wrestling is much like a good TV series – Its longevity depends on the characters, the script, chemistry between the actors and last but not least, a good theme or a story. But most of all, there has to be something different – You need a reason to watch that show over a bunch of other shows. You need something out of the box, something that captivates the audience and gives them a different product. In early 90s, when WCW and the WWF were going head to head in what was to be a colossal war between the two giants, a certain promoter gave the fans a new dimension. By now, it would be obvious that he is none other than Paul Heyman.

I could give you about 50 different reasons why Paul Heyman deserves to be inducted into every possible wrestling Hall of Fame there is, but there is a better time and a place for that. I can explain how Paul Heyman wasn’t just monumental in changing the landscape of professional wrestling, but has always been a pioneer, someone who shaped and molded the future of the business by nurturing some young talents, but I’ll save that for some other time as well. I will however, elaborate why Heyman deserves to go into the WWE Hall of Fame this year.

Let us forget the fact that Heyman unearthed Brock Lesnar, and made him “The man” when no one else saw anything in him. In 2 years, Brock went from being just another strongman in the developmental to the fastest rising superstar in the history of professional wrestling. Let us also forget that Paul Heyman stuck his neck out for a certain CM Punk when he was signed to a developmental deal by the WWE, but no one saw anything in Punk. Fast forward to 2011, and Punk became the hottest commodity in professional wrestling, someone the WWE went to extreme lengths to keep in the company. Let me point out to Smackdown! in the early part of 2000s, when Heyman was involved in the creative team. Smackdown! put out the best product – An amazing roster with a great heavyweight division, a fantastic Cruiserweight division, top notch tag team division and put on a great show every week. There is a saying in professional wrestling that everything Heyman touches turns into gold, and history has shown that it is indeed true.

So why should Paul Heyman be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year? There is no specific reason; Heyman will get into the Hall of Fame eventually if not now. But if WWE wants to put out the best line of candidates for the class of 2014, there is no better person to be included than Paul Heyman. This isn’t an epilogue to the story of perhaps the greatest mind in professional wrestling history, neither am I singing praises about one of the greatest bad guys in the business. In the end, professional wrestling will always cherish those who contributed to the growth and development of the industry, and in that sense, Paul Heyman will always be remembered fondly, long after the pony tailed mastermind wraps up his career.