Paul Heyman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Paul Heyman |
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Heyman in 2016
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| Born | September 11, 1965 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | SUNY Purchase |
| Children | 2 |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Paul Heyman Paul E. Dangerously |
| Billed from | Scarsdale, New York |
Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager, executive, and former promoter. He is currently signed with WWE, where he appears on the SmackDown brand.
Born in Scarsdale, New York, to a Jewish family, Heyman started in professional wrestling in 1986. He became famous as the leader and creative mind behind Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1993 until it closed in 2001. Before owning ECW, he was a manager known as Paul E. Dangerously in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and other wrestling companies. He also co-owns the Looking4Larry Agency in New York City.
In WWE, Heyman has managed many top wrestlers. He has guided a record seven world champions, including The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns. People often praise his skills as a manager and his amazing speeches (called promos). He has also occasionally competed in matches, often for fun. Heyman was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2005 and the WWE Hall of Fame on April 5, 2024.
Contents
- Paul Heyman's Early Life
- Paul Heyman's Wrestling Career
- Other Work and Activities
- Personal Life
- Awards and Achievements
- See also
Paul Heyman's Early Life
Paul Heyman was born on September 11, 1965, in The Bronx, New York City. His mother, Sulamita, was a Holocaust survivor. His father, Richard S. Heyman, was a lawyer and a World War II veteran.
When he was just 11, Paul ran a business selling celebrity and sports items by mail. As a teenager, he cleverly got backstage at a World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) event at Madison Square Garden. He worked there as a photojournalist and was even paid for some of his pictures. He graduated from Edgemont High School and later attended SUNY Purchase. He also worked as a radio host. In 1985, at 19, he became a photographer, producer, and promoter for the famous New York City nightclub Studio 54.
Paul Heyman's Wrestling Career
Starting in Wrestling (1986–1988)
Paul Heyman decided he wanted to work in professional wrestling after seeing Vince McMahon interview "Superstar" Billy Graham. He started as a photographer at 13, even buying his own photo lab to take pictures of wrestlers in New York. He created his own newsletter, The Wrestling Times Magazine, and wrote for other wrestling magazines.
At 14, he called Capitol Wrestling Corporation, the company that owned the WWWF, and got a backstage pass for Madison Square Garden. This was his first official job in wrestling. Pictures from this time show Heyman with famous managers like Lou Albano and Fred Blassie. These photos were later published, suggesting Heyman learned from these "Three Wise Men" of wrestling management.
In 1985, Heyman was hired by Studio 54 as a photographer and later became a producer. He hosted the first "Wrestle Party 85" show, which featured famous wrestlers like Ric Flair and Dusty Rhodes. It also marked the debut of Bam Bam Bigelow.
With encouragement from Bigelow, Heyman started managing wrestlers on January 2, 1987. He first worked on the independent wrestling scene before joining Championship Wrestling from Florida in February 1987. There, he teamed with Kevin Sullivan and Oliver Humperdink. He earned the name Paul E. Dangerously because he looked like a character from the movie Johnny Dangerously.
After CWF joined Jim Crockett Promotions, Bigelow brought Heyman to Memphis. Heyman managed Tommy Rich and Austin Idol in a big rivalry with Jerry Lawler. This rivalry later moved to the American Wrestling Association (AWA).
The Paul E. Dangerously character was a lot like Heyman himself: a bold New Yorker with a fancy attitude. He often carried a mobile phone, which he sometimes used as a weapon in matches. After leaving the AWA, Heyman returned to the CWA. He joined Eddie Gilbert and his wife Missy Hyatt, feuding with Lawler before moving to the Alabama-based Continental Wrestling Federation. Behind the scenes, Heyman also started to gain a reputation for being a creative writer and producer for wrestling television.
National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling (1988–1993)
In 1988, Heyman moved to Jim Crockett Promotions. As Dangerously, he managed the Original Midnight Express and also "Mean" Mark Callous, who later became The Undertaker. He also became an announcer, working with Jim Ross on World Championship Wrestling. Heyman said he learned a lot from working with Ross.
In 1991, WCW needed to change its "heel" (bad guy) characters. So, Heyman returned as a manager, leading a group called the Dangerous Alliance. Rick Rude was the main star of this group. Heyman helped Rude win the United States title. The Dangerous Alliance was a dominant force in WCW for most of 1992.
Leading Extreme Championship Wrestling (1993–2001)
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After leaving WCW, Heyman tried to start a new wrestling company in Texas. However, he and his partner disagreed on how to run it. Heyman wanted a new, modern style of wrestling, while his partner wanted a more traditional approach.
Around this time, Eddie Gilbert was working for a Philadelphia-based company called Eastern Championship Wrestling, owned by Tod Gordon. Heyman came in to help train younger wrestlers. But Gilbert's behavior became difficult, and he had a big disagreement with Gordon. From that point on, Heyman took charge of the creative side of the company. As Paul E. Dangerously, he managed a few wrestlers, including Sabu.
A year later, in August 1994, Eastern Championship Wrestling hosted a tournament for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Heyman secretly planned with Shane Douglas and Tod Gordon to have Douglas, after winning the title, publicly reject the NWA. Douglas threw the NWA belt down, calling the NWA a "dead organization" and declaring his ECW title a world-level championship.
That same week, Heyman and Tod Gordon renamed the company, dropping "Eastern" and calling it Extreme Championship Wrestling. They broke away from the NWA, and ECW became its own unique company. Heyman encouraged wrestlers to show their true feelings about other wrestling companies like WWF and WCW. In May 1995, Heyman bought out Gordon and became the sole owner of ECW.
During his time in ECW, Heyman found an ally in Vince McMahon's WWF. McMahon sometimes sent WWF wrestlers to ECW to help them improve, and he was interested in some ECW wrestlers. Heyman also faced financial difficulties, and ECW eventually closed on April 4, 2001. In 2003, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) bought ECW's assets, including its video library.
World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (2001–2006)
Various Roles (2001–2005)
Heyman became a commentator for the WWF on Raw Is War in 2001. He continued his rivalry with Jim Ross. In July, Heyman brought back ECW as a group, which then joined with Shane McMahon's WCW to form the Alliance during a big storyline called "the Invasion." Heyman was "fired" after the Alliance lost at Survivor Series in 2001.
From July 2002 to February 2003, Heyman was the lead writer for SmackDown!. He later said that the SmackDown! brand he was writing was doing better than Raw in ratings and merchandise sales.
While in WWE, Heyman started mentoring Brock Lesnar, a new wrestler. McMahon decided to make Heyman Lesnar's manager. Heyman helped Lesnar win the WWE Undisputed Championship just 126 days after Lesnar's debut. Lesnar beat The Rock at SummerSlam to become the youngest WWE Undisputed Champion at that time. At Survivor Series, Heyman turned on Lesnar and helped Big Show win the title from him.
In October 2003, Heyman returned to television as the general manager (GM) of SmackDown!. On March 22, 2004, he was drafted to the Raw brand. However, he decided to "quit" rather than work for Eric Bischoff, whom he blamed for ECW's problems. Kurt Angle replaced him as SmackDown! GM.
In July 2005, Heyman took over as head writer for Ohio Valley Wrestling, a WWE training territory. During this time, he became good friends with CM Punk.
Return of ECW (2005–2006)
On May 23, 2005, Heyman returned to WWE. On May 25, 2006, WWE announced that ECW would relaunch as a third WWE brand. Heyman was in charge of the new ECW on television. On the May 29 episode of Raw, Heyman announced that he was given a draft pick from both Raw and SmackDown! by Vince McMahon. He picked Rob Van Dam from Raw and Kurt Angle from SmackDown!. Heyman predicted that Van Dam would defeat John Cena for the WWE Championship and then become the new ECW World Heavyweight Champion.
Van Dam defeated Cena to win the WWE Championship. Heyman counted the pinfall, helping Van Dam win under "ECW rules" (meaning no rules). The next night, Heyman presented Van Dam with the ECW World Heavyweight Championship. Van Dam held both titles. On July 4, Heyman helped Big Show defeat Van Dam for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship.
In December 2006, Heyman was sent home by Vince McMahon due to "slumping television ratings and a disgruntled talent roster." Heyman was also removed from ECW's creative team. Heyman disagreed with McMahon's decision for Bobby Lashley to win the ECW World Championship, wanting CM Punk to win it instead. This and other disagreements led to Heyman officially leaving WWE on December 17, 2006.
Return to WWE (2012–Present)
Paul Heyman's Guys (2012–2014)
After a five-year break, Heyman returned to WWE on May 7, 2012, as Brock Lesnar's legal advisor. He announced that Lesnar had quit the company. Heyman later confronted Triple H, leading to a lawsuit from Lesnar. Heyman then announced he would sue Triple H for assault. Lesnar went on to defeat Triple H at SummerSlam.
On September 3, Heyman was seen with CM Punk, starting an alliance between them. Heyman began accompanying Punk to the ring. In February 2013, Punk convinced Heyman not to resign from WWE and to stay by his side.
CM Punk later earned a match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 29. Heyman's other client, Brock Lesnar, also had a match against Triple H at WrestleMania. Both of Heyman's clients lost their matches at WrestleMania. On April 15, Heyman announced Lesnar had challenged Triple H to a steel cage match at Extreme Rules. Lesnar defeated Triple H with Heyman's help.
Heyman introduced Curtis Axel as his newest "Paul Heyman Guy" on May 20. On May 27, Heyman accepted a challenge from Chris Jericho for CM Punk to have a match at Payback. At Payback, Heyman helped Axel win the Intercontinental Championship. He also accompanied Punk for his match.
After Payback, Punk told Heyman he was his friend, not his client. On June 17, Punk said he no longer wanted Heyman to manage him. Following Punk's match, Lesnar attacked him. The next week, Punk demanded answers from Heyman, who swore he didn't ask Lesnar to attack. Punk forgave Heyman, but Heyman continued to team with Axel, which Punk didn't like.
At Money in the Bank, Heyman betrayed CM Punk, costing him a chance at the Money in the Bank briefcase. On August 5, Punk attacked Heyman. This led to Lesnar attacking Punk. Heyman challenged Punk to a match, which was a trap involving Lesnar. Lesnar defeated Punk at SummerSlam with Heyman's help.
Heyman and Axel brutally attacked Punk on Raw the following week. Heyman then teamed with Axel against CM Punk in a match at Night of Champions. Ryback interfered, costing Punk the match. At Hell in a Cell, Punk defeated both Ryback and Heyman, ending their rivalry.
On November 11, 2013, Heyman announced he was no longer with Ryback or Curtis Axel, ending their association. Heyman returned on December 30 with Brock Lesnar. He stood by Lesnar as he feuded with Big Show and The Undertaker. Lesnar famously ended The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania XXX, which was Undertaker's first loss at a WrestleMania. After WrestleMania, Cesaro became a "Paul Heyman Guy," but he later left Heyman.
Lesnar's Manager (2014–2020)
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After Triple H announced a match between Randy Orton and John Cena at SummerSlam, Heyman brought back Lesnar. Lesnar then had a match against Cena at SummerSlam and won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
At Royal Rumble, Heyman was with Lesnar when he kept his title. At WrestleMania 31, Lesnar lost his title to Seth Rollins. The next night, Lesnar was suspended after demanding a rematch and attacking people.
In June, Heyman and Lesnar returned. Lesnar became the top challenger for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, starting a rivalry with Rollins. At Battleground, Lesnar defeated Rollins by disqualification after The Undertaker attacked Lesnar. The Undertaker said he was getting revenge for Heyman's constant teasing about Lesnar ending his streak. At SummerSlam, Lesnar's match with The Undertaker ended in controversy. At Hell in a Cell, Lesnar defeated The Undertaker in a rematch, ending their rivalry.
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Heyman returned with Lesnar on January 11, 2016. Lesnar was eliminated from the Royal Rumble match by Bray Wyatt. Heyman accompanied Lesnar at WrestleMania 32, where Lesnar defeated Dean Ambrose. On July 19, Lesnar and Heyman were drafted to the Raw brand. Heyman continued to hype Lesnar's matches, including one against Randy Orton at SummerSlam. On October 31, Heyman was speared by Goldberg.
On July 31, 2017, Heyman announced that if Lesnar lost the Universal Championship at SummerSlam, they would both leave WWE. Lesnar kept his title at SummerSlam.
At Extreme Rules 2018, Kurt Angle said Lesnar would lose his Universal Championship if he didn't show up for Raw. Heyman interrupted Angle, saying Lesnar would keep the title as long as he wanted. Angle then scheduled Lesnar to defend the championship at SummerSlam. On July 30, Angle threatened Heyman's job because Lesnar refused to appear. Lesnar then attacked Angle and choked Heyman. Two weeks later, Heyman revealed it was all a trick, as he and Lesnar ambushed Roman Reigns. Heyman accompanied Lesnar to SummerSlam, where Lesnar lost his championship to Reigns.
Heyman appeared backstage after SummerSlam to ask for a rematch for Lesnar, but it was denied. However, at Hell in a Cell, Heyman appeared as Lesnar interfered in the main event. The next day, Heyman set up a match for the Universal Championship at Crown Jewel. After Reigns announced he had leukemia, Heyman set up a singles match between Lesnar and Braun Strowman for the now-vacant title, which Lesnar won.
At WrestleMania 35, Heyman demanded that Seth Rollins fight Lesnar. Rollins defeated Lesnar quickly. In June 2019, WWE announced Heyman would be the executive director of Raw. Heyman continued to represent Lesnar until WrestleMania 36, where Drew McIntyre defeated Lesnar for the WWE Championship. Lesnar then left WWE, becoming a "free agent."
The Bloodline (2020–2024)
On August 28, 2020, Heyman joined the returning Roman Reigns, becoming his special advisor. Besides managing, Heyman also helped decide storylines for Reigns. At Crown Jewel in October 2021, Reigns kept his Universal Championship after hitting Lesnar with the title belt. Heyman's alliance with Reigns ended on December 17, 2021, when Reigns fired Heyman and attacked him. Lesnar saved Heyman from the attack.
On January 3, 2022, Heyman rejoined Lesnar after Lesnar won the WWE Championship. This reunion was short-lived. Three weeks later, at Royal Rumble, Heyman betrayed Lesnar by giving Reigns the WWE Championship belt to attack Lesnar. This allowed Bobby Lashley to win the title, and Heyman rejoined Reigns. Lesnar won the Royal Rumble match and regained the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber. This set up a Champion vs. Champion match against Reigns at WrestleMania 38. Reigns defeated Lesnar, winning both the Universal and WWE Championships. Around this time, Heyman became known as 'The Wiseman' and 'Special Counsel' to Roman Reigns and his group, The Bloodline. Heyman was with Reigns when he beat Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania 39. Reigns' title reign lasted 1,316 days until he lost to Rhodes at WrestleMania XL in April 2024. That same year, Heyman was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 5.
After Reigns lost his title, Heyman's character changed. He became more innocent after Solo Sikoa took temporary leadership of The Bloodline. Sikoa kicked out Jimmy Uso and brought in new members like Tama Tonga and Jacob Fatu. On June 28, Heyman was kicked out of The Bloodline for refusing to acknowledge Sikoa as the new leader, making Heyman a "good guy" again for the first time since 2022. On November 15, Reigns tried to contact Heyman, but his number was no longer working. On November 22, Heyman returned and announced CM Punk as the fifth member for the Original Bloodline's team for Survivor Series: WarGames.
Other Work and Activities
Heyman is the co-founder of The Looking4Larry Agency, a successful firm in New York City. This company has worked on campaigns for video game companies like Electronic Arts and 2K Sports, and for the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Heyman also worked with Brock Lesnar to write Lesnar's autobiography, Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival.
He has appeared in many video games, including WWE Day of Reckoning, WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw, and the WWE 2K series up to WWE 2K24. Heyman also acted in the 2002 film Rollerball as a sports announcer. He had an uncredited role in the WWE film Countdown. He also played "Gino" in the film adaptation of the play Tony n' Tina's Wedding when the original actor couldn't make it.
Personal Life
Paul Heyman is a father of two children. He often sleeps only three to four hours a night. He loves movies, with Angels with Dirty Faces (1938) and Léon: The Professional (1994) being his favorites. He also greatly admires punk musician Henry Rollins.
Awards and Achievements
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- Inside The Ropes Magazine
- Manager of the Year (2020)
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- Faction of the Year (2022) – with The Bloodline
- Manager of the Year (1992)
- WWE
- WWE Hall of Fame (Class of 2024)
- WWE Year-End Award (1 time)
- Best on the Mic (2018)
- Slammy Award (1 time)
- Mic Drop of the Year (2024) – For telling Cody Rhodes that his father, Dusty Rhodes, said "Roman Reigns was the son he always wanted" on Raw (February 6, 2023)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter
- Feud of the Year (2023) as part of The Bloodline vs. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
- Best Color Commentator (1991)
- Best Booker (1994–1997, 2002)
- Best on Interviews (2013–2014)
- Best Non-Wrestler (2001, 2002, 2004, 2012–2014, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)
- Best Non-Wrestler of the Decade (2010s)
- Best on Interviews of the Decade (2010s)
- Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame (Class of 2005)
See also
In Spanish: Paul Heyman para niños
