For the past couple of years, being a “Paul Heyman Guy” meant instant success. Ever since the phrase was first coined by a certain CM Punk in 2011, the WWE ran with the concept of trying to build future stars around Paul Heyman, and why not?Superstars such as Jericho, RVD, Steve Austin etc were given their first big break by Heyman, when WCW and other promotions didn’t know what to do with them. Heyman has been legendary for his knack of finding talent and grooming them, and he is known as the ‘mad scientist’ in professional wrestling for a very good reason.There has been one major difference between the Paul Heyman Guys in the past however. When we talk about the Austins or Lesnars, they weren’t handed over to Heyman by the company executives or Heyman’s superiors. Heyman handpicked guys who he knew the company had no idea how to use, or how to maximize their potential.Heyman handpicked them, and not the other way around. WWE tried to build on Heyman’s credibility as a talent scout, but it was never organic. When you talk about the Axels or Rybacks, they weren’t handpicked by Heyman. Even someone like Cesaro, who to his credit is one of the most phenomenal athletes in professional wrestling today, wasn’t given many opportunities by the WWE.However, those who were scouted by Heyman did leave their mark eventually, and in this article, we give you four good reasons why it pays to be a Paul Heyman Guy.
#1 Great business decisions
If Paul Heyman weren’t a genius, ECW would’ve never taken off. But if he wasn’t a good businessman, ECW would’ve never had people like RVD working for next to nothing! It is famously said that the ECW superstars put their bodies and lives on the line even though they never got their checks on time, but that just proves how influential Paul Heyman is.
Even if we take the example of Brock Lesnar, the timing of his return to the WWE couldn’t be more perfect. Lesnar, who fought his last fight in the UFC, was a free agent, and the WWE Universe wanted a change in the company’s direction.
Just when things seemed stagnant, along came Lesnar and overnight became the hottest commodity in professional wrestling. It was estimated that Lesnar would earn around 5 million dollars for very limited dates around the year.
Being a Paul Heyman Guy has its perks, and it is a no brainer to believe that Lesnar’s return to the WWE was orchestrated by Paul Heyman, who once again became Lesnar’s on – screen manager/mouthpiece.
#2 Smart booking
In the past few years, two men have been associated with Heyman more than the rest. Forgetting for a moment that WWE ever paired RybAxel with Heyman (which didn’t make much sense to begin with), the two men in discussion went on to achieve personal milestones in the company.
When CM Punk was paired with Heyman, it was the right thing to do. Punk, irrespective of his character, was loved by the smart fans. To turn him heel completely, you needed the extra ingredient, a ‘heat magnet’ of sorts, and that was what Heyman was. Heyman perfectly fills in the contours of the above mentioned ‘heat magnet’, and one thing you can be rest assured by having Heyman by your side is how you will be booked going forward. Needless to say, CM Punk was the main eventer for nearly two years, while also remaining the WWE champion throughout the year and more.
In Lesnar’s case, the smart booking would have been to build him as the untamable monster, who could be fed to the upcoming super – baby face, who overcomes adversity to finally slay the monster and save the WWE Universe. Lesnar was never in danger of being a part of bad creative decisions while having Heyman by his side.
#3 Guaranteed success and good storylines
Let us look back at the track record of Lesnar and CM Punk. Brock Lesnar, who was seen as a guy who had “it”, but no one had any idea what to do with him was brought to the main roster by Paul Heyman. Heyman took Lesnar under his wing, and soon, Brock became the youngest WWE champion in the history of the company. Brock’s meteoric rise in the WWE saw him becoming the face of the company, as he demolished every superstar who crossed his path.
Similarly, a certain CM Punk was signed by the WWE, but when no one knew how to book him, Paul Heyman took responsibility of CM Punk. It was also rumored that the WWE wanted to release Punk from his developmental contract, but with Heyman by his side, Punk soon was called up to the main roster.
Not only did Punk become a multiple time WWE champion and World Heavyweight champion, but also became one of the biggest superstars in the history of the company.
A lot of the success of these superstars had to do with Heyman ensuring that they were involved in good storylines. Whether you talk about Lesnar’s feuds with the likes of The Undertaker and Eddie Guerrero, or Punk’s feud with John Cena and The Rock, some of its credit needs to be given to Paul Heyman.
#4 The chance to create history
Last but not the least important factor, is the opportunity presented to his clients to etch their names in the history books. Brock Lesnar, who “conquered” the WWE during his initial run, signed with the UFC, and before long, became the UFC Heavyweight champion of the world, becoming the first person to win both WWE and UFC world championships.
Brock’s success in the biggest sports entertainment organization and the biggest MMA organization in the world respectively ensured that his name goes down in the annals of sporting history.
But arguably his biggest accomplishment came after his return to the WWE. Earlier this year, Lesnar took on The Undertaker at WrestleMania, for the chance to break the most coveted streak in sports entertainment history.
As the arena went dead silent and the fans looked in horror, Lesnar “conquered” The Undertaker, thus immortalizing himself in the professional wrestling industry.
On the other hand, CM Punk too had a great year in 2013, when he became the longest reigning WWE champion in the past 25 years by holding the title for a record 434 days. Punk has since walked out of the company, and was recently signed by, you guessed it, UFC.
Whether Punk will have the same amount of success as Lesnar in the UFC remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure – The Paul Heyman Guys are easily the hottest commodities in sports entertainment today!
