Paul Heyman has a spectacular reputation in the wrestling world for the various jobs he worked, but many fans would say he thrived most as a manager. His promo skills and knowledge of the industry allowed him to help improve the careers of quite a few wrestlers. Heyman was often paired with wrestlers that were missing something or could have used a missing piece to get to the next level.
We're going to take a look at some of the most iconic wrestlers of all time, all of whom had a positive experience working with Heyman. Let find out just which wrestlers benefited the most from being managed by the legend himself.
10 The Undertaker
Most fans have no idea Paul Heyman managed The Undertaker, but it happened in NWA. Undertaker started off his career with the name of Mean Mark Callous. Heyman was placed with Callous to do the talking.
Undertaker did not last long in the company, as he made a better move joining WWE. The two ended up working together over a decade later, when Heyman entered a short-term feud with Undertaker during his time as SmackDown General Manager.
9 Kurt Angle
Paul Heyman's run as Kurt Angle’s manager was a short-term storyline that made perfect sense. Brock Lesnar would be betrayed by Heyman, causing the two to become enemies. Angle used this to his advantage by having Heyman as his manager during their feud.
Heyman tried to continue sabotaging Lesnar, while Angle enjoyed the mental games. The two had a solid run together before the partnership ended. Angle didn’t necessarily need a manager, due to his personality, but working with Heyman made sense for the short stint.
8 Cesaro
WWE tried to add to the presentation of Cesaro by having him become a “Paul Heyman guy.” The partnership started the night after WrestleMania XXX following Cesaro’s Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal win.
Unfortunately for Cesaro, Heyman’s other client, Brock Lesnar, ended The Undertaker’s undefeated WrestleMania streak on the same show. Most of Heyman's promos with Cesaro would see him talking up Lesnar, since he wasn’t on television. Cesaro still delivered great matches, even if the pairing with Heyman didn’t hit its potential.
7 Madusa
The partnership between Paul Heyman and Madusa served as a huge aspect of the Dangerous Alliance faction. Madusa was both an in-ring competitor and a manager on her own, but her chemistry with Heyman always provided entertainment worthy of keeping them together.
Dangerous Alliance matches would often see the face wrestlers trying to battle their opponents with Heyman and Madusa interfering. Heyman was quite emotional during Madusa's WWE Hall of Fame speech; he must have been overjoyed to see her finally being celebrated decades after they worked together.
6 Taz
Paul Heyman was pivotal in presenting Taz as a superstar in ECW. The two worked together earlier in the promotion, with Heyman serving as the manager for The Tasmaniac era of Taz. Heyman did the talking for Taz, as he portrayed a more mysterious character at the time.
Their on-air relationship ended when Taz suffered an injury and Heyman transitioned away from television to focus more on the behind the scenes elements of shows. Taz received an even bigger push without a manager, as Heyman saw how talented he was first-hand.
5 Rick Rude
The Dangerous Alliance chapter of Paul Heyman’s career would see him manage many great wrestlers. Rick Rude had been the most successful member of the group for most of their run in the early 90s. The charismatic Rude benefited greatly from Heyman's management.
A total of three International WCW Championship reigns would see Rude performing at the highest level with feuds against Ric Flair, Sting and Ricky Steamboat. Rude was finally able to showcase his potential as a main eventer with Heyman contributing to the act.
4 Big Show
Big Show is one of the few wrestlers to be managed by Paul Heyman on multiple occasions as different characters. Heyman turned on Brock Lesnar in 2002, allowing Big Show to end his undefeated streak and become the WWE Champion.
Many fans believe this title reign was the best run of Big Show’s career, with Heyman hiding his weaknesses. The two would reunite years later on the ECW brand, when Heyman turned heel on Rob Van Dam to help Big Show win the ECW Championship.
3 Steve Austin
The wrestler that most benefited from their time in the Dangerous Alliance faction was Steve Austin. Unlike most of his peers, Austin was still trying to make a name relatively early into his career as part of the WCW roster.
Paul Heyman helped Austin gain confidence, as their segments together often delivered. Austin had stellar matches against Ricky Steamboat to become the company’s breakout star. WCW eventually dropped the ball with him, but Heyman helped arrange for Austin to spend time in ECW before he joined WWE.
2 CM Punk
CM Punk made Paul Heyman relevant for the first time in many years, due to his infamous “pipe bomb promo,” in which he claimed that Heyman was one of the only people to believe in him.
This played a huge role in Heyman returning to WWE a short while later. WWE started marketing the term “Paul Heyman guy” and many wrestlers proudly used the label. Heyman managed Punk during the heel portion of his WWE Championship reign, finding stellar success.
1 Brock Lesnar
The wrestler most synonymous with Paul Heyman now (and likely forever) is Brock Lesnar. WWE paired them together for Lesnar’s debut in 2002. Everyone viewed Lesnar as the next major superstar, but Heyman was added to cut the promos for him.
The magic of Heyman helped make Lesnar credible instantly, where many wrestlers have failed before. Brock won the WWE Championship within a few months, but the split with Heyman would see him decline. WWE came calling when Lesnar returned to the company in 2012, as Heyman reuniting with Brock put him over the top as an attraction again.