http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Wrestling/2013/11/03/21241466.html
Two parts.
Paul Heyman didn't plan on being back in WWE for an extended period of time. He was initially meant to be the mouthpiece for Brock Lesnar and then be gone, back to his day job, in New York City, running one of the most successful multimedia agencies in town.
But there he is bumping in a Hell in a Cell match, and competing in handicap matches against CM Punk, with no real end in sight.
"I originally only came back to work with Brock Lesnar, and that was it. It was a very, very short-term. It involved SummerSlam and WrestleMania," said Heyman, promoting the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. "And that's all that Brock had committed to when I came back. Things just took off from there."
The pairing and subsequent feud with CM Punk has been television magic for the most part.
"When CM Punk and I got together on television, it added just a whole new dynamic. It allowed me to take the character in many, many different directions," explained Heyman. "All of a sudden, it went from being a very limited, short-term deal, to being a recurring character on a weekly basis -- being part of the ensemble cast of Monday Night Raw."
Like a lot of things in professional wrestling, it could not have been predicted: "The momentum keeps expanding the role."
That role of manager has changed over the years for Heyman, who is a long-time wrestling fan who went from a ringside photographer to manager to booker to promoter to TV commentator to manager again. It's been a remarkable ride for one of the key figures in the history of pro wrestling. Heyman's vision for what Extreme Championship Wrestling could be was the template for much of the current wrestling scene, a ramped-up pseudo-sport with compelling storylines that reflect the current times, violence, sex, and competitiveness mixed into a thrilling drama.
He doesn't see his current role, accompanying Brock Lesnar, Curtis Axel and Ryback to the ring as being a traditional manager.
"I don't look at this role as a manager. I've tried for many years not to be labelled a manager," Heyman began. "I'm not offended by the term, but 11 years ago with Brock, I wanted to be called an agent, not a manager. On television I continually now use the word advocate instead of manager, and that's because I think the role is much different."
Case in point, he's an in-ring performer on the current European tour. "If I look at my schedule right now, and I'm scheduled for all the tours for the rest of this month and for November, I don't have one booking as a manager. I'm booked all over Europe, I'm booked all over this country, in two-on-one handicap matches. So I'm booked as a wrestler right now, not as a manager. At 48-year-old, I still have not had formal training as a wrestler. The role has changed. We're not just doing the typical old-school gimmick matches that Lou Albano used to participate in. We're out there doing, like we did at Night of Champions, we're giving them some really physical confrontations. I think the role has changed and I don't know what the right phraseology is for what that role may be."
Thinking of the role that managers/agents/spokesmen might play down the road gives Heyman pause for thought.
"Where do the next generation come from? I think the next generation, it starts with the ability to sell a ticket and to entice people to buy a pay-per-view. So I think the first part of the job is to be a spokesman. Once you have that part nailed down, where else you want to take that role can be very varied. I would suggest my role with Brock is different than my role with Curtis Axel, and therefore my role is different than Zeb Colter's. And I would suggest that Zeb's role will be different than Ricardo Rodriguez's. Ricardo's job was primarily to be the guy who introduced [Alberto] del Rio. If you needed him to get involved, you could, but he was primary the guy who was Del Rio's personal ring announcer. Then there were things that were added to the act as time went on that made sense to add to it. I think it's different for everybody, but it starts with the ability to speak."
Two parts.
Paul Heyman didn't plan on being back in WWE for an extended period of time. He was initially meant to be the mouthpiece for Brock Lesnar and then be gone, back to his day job, in New York City, running one of the most successful multimedia agencies in town.
But there he is bumping in a Hell in a Cell match, and competing in handicap matches against CM Punk, with no real end in sight.
"I originally only came back to work with Brock Lesnar, and that was it. It was a very, very short-term. It involved SummerSlam and WrestleMania," said Heyman, promoting the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view. "And that's all that Brock had committed to when I came back. Things just took off from there."
The pairing and subsequent feud with CM Punk has been television magic for the most part.
"When CM Punk and I got together on television, it added just a whole new dynamic. It allowed me to take the character in many, many different directions," explained Heyman. "All of a sudden, it went from being a very limited, short-term deal, to being a recurring character on a weekly basis -- being part of the ensemble cast of Monday Night Raw."
Like a lot of things in professional wrestling, it could not have been predicted: "The momentum keeps expanding the role."
That role of manager has changed over the years for Heyman, who is a long-time wrestling fan who went from a ringside photographer to manager to booker to promoter to TV commentator to manager again. It's been a remarkable ride for one of the key figures in the history of pro wrestling. Heyman's vision for what Extreme Championship Wrestling could be was the template for much of the current wrestling scene, a ramped-up pseudo-sport with compelling storylines that reflect the current times, violence, sex, and competitiveness mixed into a thrilling drama.
He doesn't see his current role, accompanying Brock Lesnar, Curtis Axel and Ryback to the ring as being a traditional manager.
"I don't look at this role as a manager. I've tried for many years not to be labelled a manager," Heyman began. "I'm not offended by the term, but 11 years ago with Brock, I wanted to be called an agent, not a manager. On television I continually now use the word advocate instead of manager, and that's because I think the role is much different."
Case in point, he's an in-ring performer on the current European tour. "If I look at my schedule right now, and I'm scheduled for all the tours for the rest of this month and for November, I don't have one booking as a manager. I'm booked all over Europe, I'm booked all over this country, in two-on-one handicap matches. So I'm booked as a wrestler right now, not as a manager. At 48-year-old, I still have not had formal training as a wrestler. The role has changed. We're not just doing the typical old-school gimmick matches that Lou Albano used to participate in. We're out there doing, like we did at Night of Champions, we're giving them some really physical confrontations. I think the role has changed and I don't know what the right phraseology is for what that role may be."
Thinking of the role that managers/agents/spokesmen might play down the road gives Heyman pause for thought.
"Where do the next generation come from? I think the next generation, it starts with the ability to sell a ticket and to entice people to buy a pay-per-view. So I think the first part of the job is to be a spokesman. Once you have that part nailed down, where else you want to take that role can be very varied. I would suggest my role with Brock is different than my role with Curtis Axel, and therefore my role is different than Zeb Colter's. And I would suggest that Zeb's role will be different than Ricardo Rodriguez's. Ricardo's job was primarily to be the guy who introduced [Alberto] del Rio. If you needed him to get involved, you could, but he was primary the guy who was Del Rio's personal ring announcer. Then there were things that were added to the act as time went on that made sense to add to it. I think it's different for everybody, but it starts with the ability to speak."
