The Legend of Paul Heyman Continues

“It’s a new era for the Hall of Fame, it’s Paul Levesque’s first year choosing the Hall of Fame class. That’s a major honor, and one of the main reasons why I accepted this year.”

Acceptance into a Hall of Fame typically represents an honor bestowed upon a person at the very end of their career. In most cases, it comes long after that person has stepped away from their craft.

In the event that a reminder is necessary, Paul Heyman’s career in professional wrestling will never, ever be described as typical.

As Heyman headlines WWE’s Hall of Fame for the Class of 2024, it is a worthwhile endeavor to reflect on his greatness. Watching Heyman now, there is an ease and oozing confidence about his work, one that perpetually leaves people in awe. No situation is too grand for him, no obstacle too much of a challenge, and he also has a knack for adding significance to minute details, like speaking with someone in the background of a shot–or simply commanding his phone to call Roman Reigns.

Yet it wasn’t always that way. Heyman was once new to the industry, and he learned his craft the old-fashioned way–by taking his lumps and earning every ounce of success.

Paul Heyman and Cody Rhodes / Courtesy WWE

After breaking into professional wrestling as a photographer, Heyman had an epiphany: what if he started managing the talent? Handsome, sharp, quick-witted, and madly in love with all things pro wrestling, it was a natural fit.

“I had started in the northeast independents, and I immediately got picked up by Kevin Sullivan, who had just taken over the book [running creative] in Florida,” said Heyman. “I had known Kevin for years, he saw me managing, and said, ‘Get your ass to Tampa, I’ve got an idea.’”

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Four weeks into his managerial career, Heyman was already booked in Florida. Three weeks into his run there, Jim Crockett bought out the Florida wrestling territory, so Heyman accepted a job in Memphis, an enterprise run by Jerry Jarrett.

Thus began a new chapter in Heyman’s career. In the spring of 1987 in Memphis, Heyman was set to manage Lord Humongous–who would later go on to main event WrestleMania on two separate occasions as Sid. A proud New Yorker, Heyman was filled with ambition, planning to leave an enduring mark on the industry.

It took some time for that plan to come to fruition. Especially considering Heyman was fired on his first day in Memphis.

“I was a bit too uninhibited for the pseudo-conservative Jarrett territory,” said Heyman. “On my way out the door, I run into Austin Idol, who I knew from my days as a photographer. When Idol found out I had been fired, he walked me back into Jerry Jarrett’s office and introduced me as his new manager. It was a very early lesson in how top talents could utilize their leverage, even just to scorn the promoter. Four weeks later, we’re shaving Jerry Lawler’s head in the middle of the Mid-South Coliseum.”

The Bloodline / Courtesy WWE

Fast-forward 37 years, and Heyman is an icon of the industry. He stands in a tier all to himself, catapulting himself over legends like Bobby Heenan, Jimmy Hart, Lou Albano, The Grand Wizard, and Freddie Blassie. When it comes to managers in professional wrestling–or, if you will, advocates and counsel to the Tribal Chief–there is no one more synonymous with the genre than Heyman.

Later tonight, Heyman will make his Hall of Fame speech. It is highly anticipated, one that needs to surpass even the highest of expectations. Heyman is aware of that, and he welcomes the pressure-filled challenge.

“My father was an attorney,” said Heyman. “Ever the smart-ass, when he gave the speech at my bar mitzvah, he said, ‘I’m used to playing to an audience of 12,’ referring to a jury. When he would discuss his work, my father would always say, ‘Either you made the case or you didn’t.’ Looking at the Hall of Fame, my question to myself is: how do I make the case?

“It’s a new era for the Hall of Fame, it’s Paul Levesque’s first year choosing the Hall of Fame class. That’s a major honor, and one of the main reasons why I accepted this year. So how do I make the case?”

Expect Heyman to be controversial. But knowing the man who led the Extreme Championship Wrestling revolution, that is to be expected. His sentimentality may surprise people. He will no doubt thank Roman Reigns, who is introducing him; but will he thank broadcast legend Jim Ross, a major influence and longtime advocate? Will Heyman thank Brock Lesnar, with whom he reached a whole new stratosphere during their time paired together? And will Heyman praise Dusty Rhodes, the father of Cody Rhodes, who was a guiding light in his career?

Paul Heyman / Courtesy WWE

And, in front of a passionate crowd, the young man-who-is-now-The-Wise-Man will make the case.

“As much as I passionately love New York, how do I make the case that it would be an injustice to be inducted anywhere but Philadelphia?” said Heyman. “How do I make the case that, despite the blessing I’ve had to live the life I’ve led on camera, this particular Hall of Fame induction can only happen because of ECW? How do I make the case, as I stand before that audience, that I am there only because of how many people early on noticed the drive, the ambition, and the passion for this industry that a young kid with a camera around his neck had? How do I make the case that, as much as I want to shrug off an induction that is akin to a lifetime achievement award because of how much more I intend to accomplish, I am self-aware that I am worthy of this honor–but I’m extraordinarily humbled at the same time?

“I learned about delivering a message from an attorney. My job is to read the room and make the case to the jury, which is the live audience at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.”

For all his success, Heyman remains one of professional wrestling’s great underdog stories. Tonight, that longshot takes his rightful place among WWE’s immortals.

“If you have a dream and want it bad enough that you’re willing to fight the world, get your ass kicked, get your ass kicked the next day, and keep getting your ass kicked–and then end up living an even bigger dream, and get your ass kicked all over again–then you’ll find tonight’s speech of interest,” said Heyman. “That’s the story I need to tell, that’s the case I need to make.”