Pro
wrestling promoter,
booker,
manager and
colour commentator for all the 'Big Three' US wrestling promotions.
Paul Heyman should go down in history as one of the most influential men in wrestling's storied existence. In virtually every role it is possible to have in the business without actually wrestling, Heyman has excelled.
After early stints in the old AWA, he first came to prominence in the early 1990s in
WCW as Paul E. Dangerously, a
heel manager of a stable by the name of
The Dangerous Alliance. He also did a short stint on commentary with then-WCW-play-by-play man
Jim Ross.
Tiring of the politics and the changing faces in WCW, Heyman joined
Todd Gordon's
Eastern Championship Wrestling as a
booker. Together with Gordon, he took
ECW from strength to strength, making stars out of wrestlers like
Shane Douglas,
The Sandman and
Tommy Dreamer. As the promotion metamorphosised into Extreme Championship Wrestling, Heyman took full control from Gordon and introduced Philadelphia, the Eastern Seaboard and eventually the nation to
ECW's state of the art gorefests, helped no doubt by legendary tenures in the promotion by greats like
Mick Foley,
Terry Funk and
Sabu.
Surviving wave after wave of star-poachings by both
WCW and the
WWF, Heyman made star after star -
Raven,
Chris Benoit,
Chris Jericho,
The Dudley Boyz,
Taz Mike Awesome,
Lance Storm,
Rhino,
Justin Credible and
Rob Van Dam all made their names in
ECW - and kept growing and putting on simply amazing shows.
In 1999 the garden looked rosy for
ECW as not only did they score their first videogame franchise, but also got a national cable tv deal with
TNN. However, the network never gave Heyman and his company the backing they required, and in January 2001, the company presented its last show, folding with
ECW owing millions of dollars to its creditors.
Paul Heyman resurfaced in the WWF in March 2001 as Jim Ross's co-commentator, continuing his success both as a booker and as an on-screen character.