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The founding father of ECW, Paul Heyman, is no stranger to controversy. 'The Mad Scientist' has made a living cutting fine promos and being as dastardly as they come.
The suit-wearing messiah is known for his time as being Brock Lesnar's personal advocate and being the leader and booker of the now defunct Extreme Championship Wrestling.
Heyman is not one to shy away from doing what's right for him and the business. If you get on his right side, you're bound to be treated very well, but on occasion you may be doubled-crossed.
Here are 5 surprising Paul Heyman moments in WWE.
#5 Paul Heyman becoming legal counsel for Roman Reigns
In August 2020, Paul Heyman aligned himself with the 'Tribal Chief' Roman Reigns on Friday Night SmackDown. This was the first-time in Roman's career that he had become a villain, and with Heyman by his side, his future is limitless.
Reigns is the current reigning and defending Universal Champion on Friday Night Smackdown, with his cousins Jimmy and Jey Uso by his side. Heyman undoubtedly knows that Reigns is the future, and of course, acknowledges him.
Who knows what Paul Heyman has planned, but Reigns better be sure to keep a close eye on him, as you'll find out in this article.
#4 Turning on Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series 2002
Paul Heyman can be sneaky at times to get his own way. Even The Beast Incarnate is not immune to his antics.
In 2002, Brock Lesnar had one of the most incredible rises in WWE history, with his mentor and manager by his side, Paul Heyman. Somewhere along the way, Heyman's head was turned.
Survivor Series at Madison Square Garden was a magical event which saw Shawn Michaels win the World Heavyweight Championship after his career-ending back injury years previous.
But on the SmackDown side of things, things weren't as magical. During the WWE Championship match between Brock Lesnar and The Big Show, Paul Heyman aided The Big Show and cost Brock Lesnar his WWE Championship. A shocking turn of events.
Of course, Heyman returned to Brock Lesnar's side many years later, managing The Beast Incarnate for more championship reigns and ending the Undertaker's streak at WrestleMania.
#3 Rebirth of ECW in 2006
To the surprise of many, WWE brought back ECW in 2006, and it would become the third brand to Raw and SmackDown with Paul Heyman in charge.
A year prior, the ECW One Night Stand 2005 pay-per-view aired, brought back due to popular demand, and because of the incredible sales made for the ECW Rise & Fall DVD.
It was a night of nostalgia and hardcore action, but who would have thought it would return full-time in 2006. When ECW did return full-time, it was a watered-down version of its past, and became more WWE as the weeks went by.
Due to the sports entertainment direction WWE's version of ECW took, Heyman and Vince McMahon clashed, which resulted in the latter being relieved of his duties as backstage creative for the brand.
All in all, it was surprising that ECW was brought back full-time in the first place, when in actuality it should have been left alone. It did make for some great memories at the One Night Stand in 2005 and 2006.
#2 Paul Heyman joins WWE during the Invasion
The original ECW closed its doors for good in April 2001, leaving Paul Heyman out of work. But it wouldn't be long before he found his feet again, rocking up on an episode of Monday Night Raw and joining the weekly commentary with Jim Ross.
Eventually though, he created an ECW stable in WWE, and joined forces with the WCW stable, creating The Alliance to battle against Vince McMahon's WWE. It was a hot period for WWE, which had just come out of its Attitude Era period.
Unfortunately for The Alliance, they disbanded following Survivor Series 2001, leaving Paul Heyman to find a new direction. He ended up managing Brock Lesnar and becoming backstage head writer for SmackDown, in which he found enormous success.
#1 Turning on CM Punk
Paul Heyman began a real-life friendship with CM Punk when the straight-edge superstar joined WWE and was sent to developmental at OVW. Heyman was the lead booker at the time and saw huge potential in Punk.
That friendship later transcended on-screen, where Paul Heyman became CM Punk's manager, most notably during his 343 day reign as WWE Champion.
At the Money in the Bank pay-per-view 2013, CM Punk was in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match to earn a contract to face the WWE Champion any time of his choosing within one year. Shockingly, Paul Heyman wasn't going to let that happen.
The dastardly Heyman came out during the match and pushed CM Punk from the top of the ladder, ending their on-screen alliance there and then.
