Ranking the top 10 Paul Heyman guys in history

Heyman is a very devious manager but is also very loyal, that is why you see that a lot of the “bad guys” take his side and soon enough are elevated to a status that was not possible even in their wildest dreams.

Paul Heyman and Roman Reigns in a file photo. (Image credits: twitter)
By Sujay Gaurav | Nov 7, 2022 | 6 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

The name Paul Heyman is synonymous with the wrestling industry in a way that Bill Belichick is synonymous with football or Gregg Popovich with basketball. Heyman has been a visionary in the business for more than 30 years and during that time, he has overseen a lot of success and taken under his wing wrestling legends and first ballot hall of famers.

Heyman is a very devious manager but is also very loyal, that is why you see that a lot of the “bad guys” take his side and soon enough are elevated to a status that was not possible even in their wildest dreams. Paul is not only a manager but was also the owner of ECW.

In this article, we will take a look at the top 10 Paul Heyman guys in wrestling history.

1. Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman in a file photo. (Image credits: wwe.com)

Brock Lesnar made his wrestling debut in 2000 and entered the WWE in 2002. He started off under the tutelage of Paul Heyman and it is fair to say that Heyman elevated his client to stratospheric heights. Lesnar became an unstoppable force and cemented his name as the top dog before leaving the WWE for pastures new. When he came back in 2012, Heyman was with Brock again and this time, the duo ended The Undertaker’s undefeated WrestleMania streak at WrestleMania 30 and Lesnar has not looked back since. Brock Lesnar is undoubtedly the Alpha Male of the locker room and all of if not most of it is down to Heyman.

2. Roman Reigns

Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman in a file photo. (Image credits: wwe.com)

Roman Reigns went from being booed in every arena and by every fan to the beloved and respected Tribal Chief. All that has happened under Heyman’s watchful eye. Ever since Paul became the Wise Man to the Tribal Chief, Roman has been breaking records left, right and center and has now been champion for more than 790 days and is on course for more. While Roman Reigns is a great wrestler, his impressive feat of being champion for such a long time would not have happened without Paul Heyman by his side.

3. The Undertaker

The Undertaker and Paul Heyman in a file photo. (Image credits: twitter)

Not many know this but The Undertaker was one of the very first Paul Heyman guys. Taker started off in WCW known as Mean Mark Callous and was managed by none other than Paul Heyman. The Deadman did not last long in WCW and went to the WWE thereafter but Heyman was one of the very few to believe in him in the early days of his career. After Taker moved to WWE, he achieved legendary status and is the greatest wrestler to ever step foot inside the squared circle. He retired in 2020 and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2022.

4. Stone Cold Steve Austin

Stone Cold Steve Austin and Paul Heyman in a file photo. (Image credits: twitter)

When Paul Heyman was heading ECW, he gave an opportunity to a young upstart who was fired from WCW and that was none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin made his name in ECW and moved to the WWE soon after. In WWE, the Texas RattleSnake raised hell in the 90’s and early 2000’s and made the company famous around the world. He also won a lot of titles and had memorable feuds with The Rock, The Undertaker, Mick Foley etc. No other man in the history of WWE made crossing the boss fashionable as much as Steve Austin and all is down to Paul Heyman.

5. CM Punk

CM Punk and Paul Heyman in a file photo. (Image credits: twitter)

CM Punk was always a Paul Heyma guy and he had no problem acknowledging that fact. It was Heyman who was instrumental in bringing Punk to the WWE and it was in ECW in 2008 that Punk made his name as a top level superstar. He then aligned himself with Heyman and had the memorable “Summer of Punk”, where was WWE champion for 432 days. Heyman would eventually turn on CM Punk and both men would go on to have an epic and bitter feud that kept the fans hooked.

6. Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle and Paul Heyman in a file photo. (Image credits: twitter)

Paul Heyman crossed Brock Lesnar and The Big Show to align himself with the Olympic gold medalist, Kurt Angle. Under Heyman, Angle formed a stable known as Team Angle consisting of Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Hass and had a feud with Lesnar. Under the watchful eye of Heyman, Angle went on to have one of the best matches of his career against Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 19 and in the process passed the torch on to Lesnar in what appeared to be an epic moment for the ages.

7. Rob Van Dam

Rob Van Dam and Paul Heyman in a file photo. (Image credits: twitter)

RVD was Paul Heyman’s main guy when he was in charge of ECW. Under Heyman, RVD had the most successful run as a wrestler as he was ECW champion and also defeated John Cena to become the WWE champion. It was a crowning moment for the highflyer and it seemed like it was all going well until he was arrested for possessing marijuana. Soon after that, RVD lost the WWE title to the Rated R superstar Edge and also lost the ECW title to The Big Show.

8. The Big Show

Big Show and Paul Heyman in a file photo. (Image credits: twitter)

Paul Heyman aligned himself with the Big Show, not once but twice. The first time was in 2002 when Show was involved in a feud with Brock Lesnar. Heyman turned on Lesnar and helped Big Show win the WWE title at the 2002 Survivor Series event. Later, after the whole RVD fiasco, Big Show would once again team up with Heyman, this time in ECW where he went on to become ECW champion. Big Show was a great champion in his own right but aligning himself with Heyman gave him that extra edge and made his much more hated by the fans which Heyman enjoyed to the core.

9. The Miz

The Miz and Paul Heyman in a file photo. (Image credits: twitter)

We all know The Miz as a top level superstar, two time WWE champion, 8 time Intercontinental champion and a Hollywood star, but long before all that ever happened, the Miz was a nobody. He came to the WWE as a part of Tough Enough and although he never won the prize, he was caught by Heyman’s watchful eye. Paul brought him to OVW and nurtured him into the brash, outspoken and cocky wrestler we see these days. The Miz has done it all and his story of rags to riches is the perfect personification of a Paul Heyman guy.

10. Rey Mysterio

Rey Mysterio and Paul Heyman in a file photo. (Image credits: wwe.com)

Paul Heyman did something that no one in the wrestling world had done before. He had signed a high flying luchador from Mexico to ECW and that caught the attention of fans worldwide. Never before had they seen a wrestler of such a small stature go on to do the things that Rey Mysterio did. After making his name in ECW, Mysterio moved to the WWE and never looked back. The highflyer has gone on to win all the titles on offer and is now a locker room veteran having been in the industry for more than 30 years.

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