You Can't Manufacture a "Paul Heyman Guy"

   Paul Heyman is great at what he does!  It's always been that way!  As a child, he loved wrestling and began to pursue getting into the business as a teenager.  He was greatly influenced by wrestling's "Holy Triumvirate of Managers," Captain Lou Albano, "Classy" Freddie Blassie, & The Grand Wizard.  They are the men that shaped a young Paul Heyman into the manager and wrestling mind he became.  He was a photographer and obtained a backstage pass.  When he met Dusty Rhodes, things started moving in the right direction for Heyman.  

   

   Thanks in part to Heyman's mentors, he became a manager and became known as Paul E. Dangerously, modeled after the Michael Keaton movie title character, Johnny Dangerously. Those of us old enough to remember can recall him coming to the ring with his giant cellular phone, influenced by Michael Douglass' Gordon Gekko character in the film Wallstreet.  He managed several notable names during the Territory days, including the original Midnight Express. He brought his team to the NWA to feud with Jim Cornette's Midnight Express.  He even managed a young Undertaker, when he was starting out.

   His biggest success yet happened in 1991 when be brought together an incredible group of wrestlers he called the Dangerous Alliance. With the absence of Ric Flair and with him the Four Horsemen, WCW, who had taken over, was in need of a great heel stable.  The Dangerous Alliance consisted of Ravishing Rick Rude, Stunning Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, Larry Zbysko, & Bobby Eaton.  Paul E. was a fantastic mouthpiece for the group, brought them to several Championships, and feuded with WCW standouts such as Sting, Ricky Steamboat, and Barry Windham.  Madusa was even brought into the group as a female presence.  Paul Heyman was making magic!

   In 1992, he got involved with Todd Gordon to book Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) when it was an NWA territory.  After Heyman took over, he christened it Extreme Championship Wrestling.  Shortly thereafter, Shane Douglass infamously threw down his newly won NWA World Heavyweight Title and proclaimed himself the ECW World Heavyweight Champion.  ECW broke away from the NWA officially in 1994.  

   This new hardcore wrestling promotion took the wrestling world by storm and Heyman was its captain.  It was a ragtag crew of wrestlers and he used several genres.  While there were of course hardcore guys like Tommy Dreamer and the Sandman, he had technical wizards like Dean Malenko, Luchadores like Rey Misterio, monsters like Bam Bam Bigelow, wrestlers trying to make a name for themselves like Chris Jericho, and guys that needed a second chance for super-stardom like Steve Austin and Mick Foley.  Heyman was the master of hiding negatives and bringing out the positives.  ECW ran until 2001.

   In 2002, Paul Heyman started becoming known more for managing just one person. He was more than a manager, he was an advocate. The men he advocated for were clients.  Heyman took center stage when he returned to the WWF alongside the new rookie sensation, Brock Lesnar.  Heyman again was relied upon to be a mouthpiece, as Lesnar was not and still is not a fantastic mic worker. Heyman gave Brock Lesnar's character life and in just four short months, Brock ripped through the roster until he became the WWE Champion.  Wherever Brock was, Heyman was there promoting him. The dynamic just worked and they developed a great relationship outside of wrestling.

   In 2011 during CM Punk's infamous "Pipe Bomb" speech, he referred to himself as a "Paul Heyman Guy," a term that was coined for people that had good relationships with and simply "got" Paul Heyman.  Punk mentioned Brock Lesnar as a known "Paul Heyman Guy."  Heyman and Punk had developed a relationship behind the scenes.  That came to the forefront of WWE programming when Heyman started advocating for CM Punk. Much like his partnership with Lesnar, Heyman's relationship with Punk was smooth and just looked natural, mainly because it was.  The difference was that Punk didn't need a mouthpiece like Lesnar did.  Heyman just added to Punk's character.  Heyman's partnership with the two men can be compared to the way Bobby "The Brain" Heenan was, as a mouthpiece for guys with minimal mic skills like Big John Studd and Andre the Giant, and added to the characters of charismatic performers like Rick Rude and Mr. Perfect.

   In 2012, after spending years in UFC as a legitimate fighter, Brock Lesnar returned to the WWE landscape.  Paul Heyman was right back by Lesnar's side.  After a falling out with Punk, Heyman unleashed the Beast upon his former client.  Lesnar came back even more intimidating than ever and if you needed a reminder, Heyman was more than happy to tell you about it.  Once again, the dynamic between Lesnar and Heyman was back in full force.  This also felt natural because it was. There was a thought that other wrestlers could become the Helen Keller to Heyman's Miracle Worker.  It was a thought that almost anyone could become better simply by associating with Paul Heyman.  However, it was not always the case.

   WWE put Heyman together with Ryback. Ryback was a powerhouse of a man that was lacking on the mic.  Naturally, he was paired with Heyman to hide his shortcomings.  The same was done for Curtis Axel.  Although Axel did become the Intercontinental Champion under the guidance of Heyman, the dynamic just didn't work!  Fans saw through it and what Heyman had with Lesnar and Punk, did not happen for Ryback and Axel.  Being a "Paul Heyman Guy" is something natural and it can't be forced! That's why it didn't work with his new clients.

   To their credit, WWE tried again to have a new "Paul Heyman Guy" in Cesaro.  Cesaro was fresh off a partnership with Jack Swagger under the tutelage of Zeb Coulter. At WrestleMania XXX, after failing to win the Tag Team Titles, Cesaro turned babyface and went on later that night to win the inaugural Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.  The next night on Raw, after being presented his trophy by Hulk Hogan of all people, Cesaro was interrupted by former manager Coulter, who said he always knew Cesaro was a "Zeb Coulter Guy."  Unfortunately for Zeb, Cesaro informed him he was in fact a "Paul Heyman Guy," as Mr. Heyman himself came to the ring to greet his newly acquired client.

   The problem here wasn't so much that the dynamic wasn't there, which was true.  The problem was more about the timing.  Cesaro's years of impressing fans with his incredible physical abilities, along with the breakup with Swagger and Battle Royal win, made him into a babyface.  Unfortunately, the night Cesaro achieved glory was the same night Heyman's client Brock Lesnar ended the Undertaker's undefeated streak.  Heyman's heat due to this completely overshadowed Cesaro, not to mention it was a dumb idea to take a man that just got fans on his side, to be become a heel again right away.  It was a huge misfire!  Even without all that, Heyman and Cesaro just didn't gel together.

   The main point I'm trying to make is what my title reads, you can't manufacture a "Paul Heyman Guy."  It worked with Brock Lesnar and CM Punk because his relationships with these men were already there, whereas it did not work with Ryback, Curtis Axel, or Cesaro.  When it feels forced, it just doesn't work.  It worked great with the Dangerous Alliance years ago due to Heyman's dynamic with those men, specifically Rude and Austin.  They tried it with the Big Show and Kurt Angle too but it just wasn't as well received.  Over the last few years, Heyman has continued to be Brock Lesnar's advocate.

   Fans are always talking about who could be the next "Paul Heyman Guy" but don't realize how hard of a task that is to undertake.  I've heard people say Heyman would do wonders for Shinsuke Nakamura or Braun Strowman.  I've even heard of people wanting there to be the first ever "Paul Heyman Girl."  As the saying goes, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. Being a "Paul Heyman Guy" is a rare thing and it cannot be forced. I think "Mean Girls" sums it up best; "stop trying to make fetch happen, it's not going to happen!"

If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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