Paul Heyman holds himself to high standards when it comes to public speaking.
For Heyman, considered by many to be one of the greatest to touch a microphone in all of professional wrestling, the bar was set early in his life by his late father Richard, who was a personal injury attorney in New York . To this day, he remains in awe of the way his father commanded a courtroom, taking juries on a journey of emotions with his words.
“I will forever stand, in terms of delivering a message, on my father’s shoulders as a communicator,” he said. “And I’m not going to be able to fill his shoes in terms of being able to do that.”
After spending about three-quarters of his life on television, Heyman, a virtuoso when it comes to cutting promos in WWE, said he’s finally beginning to understand the art of communication. He did it better than anyone in a professional wrestling career that spanned four decades. In a world that thrives on intrigue and salesmanship, Heyman is elite at telling stories with his signature verbiage, cadence and reactions on a weekly basis.
Those skills are also some of the reasons Heyman, 58, will headline the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame class Friday night as part of WrestleMania XL weekend in Philadelphia. His words on the mic – and his ability to elicit a reaction with every word spoken – made him one of the most respected managers in wrestling history.
Heyman, however, acknowledges that his gift for gab is a product of what he learned in courtrooms long before he mastered his wrestling craft.
“My father could make his case and take a jury down any path he wanted them to take,” Heyman said, “and he did it by controlling the emotion of the recipient of his message.
“It’s never really about articulating what you’re trying to sell. It’s about how the person listens to the message, watches you deliver that message, how they feel.
Heyman has been telling stories in the wrestling world since the age of 13, when he began photographing live WWF (now WWE) events for his own wrestling publication. The photography assignments provided opportunities to spend time with veteran wrestlers, managers and promoters. Heyman learned the ins and outs of wrestling as a teenager from ring legends such as Dusty Rhodes and managers like “Classy” Freddie Blassie, “Captain” Lou Albano and Ernie Roth, known in wrestling circles as the name of Grand Wizard.
Heyman applied the knowledge gained in various roles in professional wrestling. He had first become a manager, looking like a brash 1980s New York yuppie as Paul E. Dangerously in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), then working with future stars like “Mean” Mark Callous (The Undertaker in WWE). and “Superb” Steve Austin (“Stone Cold” Steve Austin in WWE). Heyman would later become CEO and creative force of Philadelphia-based Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). Currently, Heyman serves as special advisor – also known as “The Wiseman” and “The Advocate” – to WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns and one of WWE’s most successful factions, The Bloodline .
For years, Heyman worked on-screen as the manager of several champions, whom wrestling fans like to call “Paul Heyman guys.” Heyman has held a variety of roles in WWE, both on and off camera, that rely on his storytelling abilities. For him, what mattered most was evoking the feelings of the audience – much like his father did with a jury.
“If you can have influence, let alone control, over how they feel, you’ve made a sale,” he said. “You sold out for a while. You sold out an event. You have sold the concept of the personality in whose name you speak. You have done your job; you have completed the task.
“As a lawyer would say, you have made your case. »
Pro wrestling fans may not be a jury in a courtroom, but they speak out and judge what they see, especially if it’s not credible. Over the years, Heyman has used subtle words and gestures to keep viewers interested. The way he hands someone the mic or holds a championship belt is intentionally part of a storyline.
With The Bloodline, Heyman cradles Reigns’ championship with care, almost with the gentleness of a parent who doesn’t want a child to fall. He kisses the title when he receives it from Reigns. This is done to show Heyman’s level of passion for the title and is one of the reasons why the storyline worked so well for over three years.
“The first thing you think about is what’s going to happen to this guy if he loses the title. Will it fall apart? » Heyman said. “That’s part of the appeal of someone challenging us for the title. You sit there and you say, “I’m going to look at that son of a bitch’s face when they don’t have the championship.” “It’s the work that’s about body language and everything we do.
This level of detail has helped elevate many wrestlers over the years. This is also why many consider Heyman to be the greatest manager in wrestling history.
“I was under his learning tree every week in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic,” said Joshua Fatu, known to WWE fans as Jey Uso, who is currently in a storyline where he is competing against The Bloodline (Reigns, first name Joe Anoa’i, is Fatu’s real cousin) and, mainly, his twin brother Jimmy (Jonathan Fatu). “Hearing him say, ‘Instead of this word, use this word. Instead of saying it like that, why not like that? He’s the one who brought the emotion, and (you) learn it’s not just about wrestling.
Wrestlers often come to Heyman for advice on how to improve their microphone skills. But before offering direction, Heyman likes to show them a YouTube video of actor Javier Bardem, discussing the importance of body language in telling a story. From there, Heyman will work on other aspects needed to become a great speaker.
Jey Uso has been a tag team wrestler for most of his professional career, but he will have his first singles match at WrestleMania XL when he faces his twin brother. Uso said Heyman helped him speak more confidently on the microphone.
“I don’t think I would have ever tapped into the promos and the importance of emotion without him,” Uso said.
Heyman’s impact can be felt beyond promotions. He is reluctant to identify what many consider his greatest contribution to wrestling: the rise of ECW. The company was founded in 1992 as Eastern Championship Wrestling and is headquartered in Philadelphia. Heyman took over creative duties the following year and reestablished the promotion as Extreme Championship Wrestling. WWE’s “Attitude Era”, which spawned the legendary runs of Austin, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and the D-Generation X faction, was preceded by the edginess of WWE’s hardcore approach. ‘ECW.
For many, Heyman’s induction into the Hall of Fame will be well-deserved. But it’s an honor he says he never sought.
“I declined many times in the past,” he said, “because I never really wanted to accept this honor while still actively performing and pursuing disruptive greatness in the industry. “
So why enter the Hall now? Heyman said the timing was “perfect” with WrestleMania XL being in Philadelphia – the home of ECW – with the opportunity to be the first headliner under Paul “Triple H” Levesque as head of the creative direction of WWE. Heyman has “great respect and admiration” for the work Lévesque has done and considers it an honor that Lévesque wanted him to be the first person selected for this year’s class.
Although he is honored, Heyman doesn’t want anyone to believe that this recognition is a sign that he has accomplished his craft.
“I’m pissed going into the middle of this race with Roman Reigns, and it only motivates me and inspires me more to make everyone regret being named to the Hall of Fame in 2024,” Heyman said. “It makes me want, beyond description, to accomplish more moving forward, so that when you look back on this award in 2024, you say, ‘OK, that must have been the rookie award of the year for Heyman, because look at everything he’s done since we put him in the damn Hall of Fame.
Does the WWE Hall of Fame reinforce Heyman’s status as the best manager of all time? Maybe. Other managers have been honored, but none had such a long career. Heyman salutes pioneers in his role such as Blassie, Albano, the Grand Wizard, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, JJ Dillon, Sir Oliver Humperdink, Jim Cornette, “The Mouth of the South” Jimmy Hart and Gary Hart.
What separates Heyman is longevity, which Heyman compares to the late talk show host Johnny Carson. Similar to Carson, Heyman’s influence spans generations. Heyman learned how to put on wrestling shows from Dusty Rhodes in the 1980s. Heyman is now part of a rivalry with Rhodes’ youngest son, Cody, in this weekend’s main events with Reigns and Johnson.
Heyman said he’s lost count of how many WrestleMania main events he’s been a part of, but he’s been there for most of WWE’s biggest moments of the last decade.
“Am I the best? I’m the best until there’s someone better than me,” Heyman said. “I would accept the nickname GOAT because it pisses off so many people when I claim it. But in my heart, do I think I’m the best? Yes I do. If I’m not the best, then I strive to be recognized as the best and accepted as the best every time I go out (in the ring), whether it’s me speaking or the one supporting the speaker . »
(Top photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)