169-703: Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American professional wrestling manager , executive and former promoter. He is signed to WWE , where he appears on the SmackDown brand . Born in Scarsdale, New York to a family of Holocaust survivors , Heyman debuted in the professional wrestling business in 1986, becoming known as the CEO and creative force behind the Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) promotion from 1993 until its closure in 2001. Before owning ECW, he
338-770: A ECW on TNN episode that was taped in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. On March 12, 2000, Dusty pinned Steve Corino in a singles match at the Living Dangerously PPV in Danbury, Connecticut. He continued to remain undefeated until he put over Corino at the CyberSlam event on April 22 at the ECW Arena . His final appearance came at an ECW TV taping in Toledo, Ohio, where he accompanied The Sandman to ringside in his match against Rhino , who
507-497: A Fatal Four-Way to retain the Universal Championship. At Extreme Rules 2018 , Kurt Angle said that if Lesnar, then-reigning Universal Champion , did not show up for Raw or agree to the terms of when Lesnar will defend the championship, he would be stripped of the championship. On July 16, 2018, episode of Raw , Heyman interrupted Angle, who was about to strip Lesnar of the title, and stated that Lesnar would hold on to
676-583: A Ladder match . On the August 13 NWATNA PPV, Rhodes and America's Most Wanted defeated Glenn Gilbertti and Simon Diamond and Johnny Swinger the following week Rhodes lost a bullrope match to Glen Gilbertti after Christopher Daniels interfered. On the October 1 NWA-TNA PPV, Rhodes and Jarrett defeated A.J. Styles and Russo. The following week Rhodes got a shot at the NWA title against Styles but lost when he passed out during
845-405: A "genius" was echoed by Tazz and Jim Cornette . Heyman is widely regarded as one of the greatest orators in professional wrestling history. Heyman's skills were praised by his former broadcast partner Jim Ross , who stated: "He was a really good antagonist because sometimes the best antagonists are the villains that say things that you know are true but you just don't want to hear them. Heyman had
1014-502: A "handler". If a wrestler's character calls for it, a handler is the only person who can manage the behavior of a "wild" wrestler who is prone to "go out of control". A classic example of this was The Undertaker , who in his early Deadman persona could only be controlled by Paul Bearer , through an urn which was said to have all of the Undertaker's powers. A legitimate example is Arnold Skaaland , who not only managed Andre The Giant for
1183-473: A Texas Bullrope match on November 23 in which Rhodes defeated Sullivan. Rhodes began appearing with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) in 2003, returning to the ring to feud against the villainous Sports Entertainment Xtreme faction. on the January 15 NWA-TNA PPV, Rhodes, Road Warriors and Jeff Jarrett lost to Vince Russo and Triple X . on the January 22 NWA-TNA PPV, Rhodes called out Nikita Koloff to reform
1352-453: A backstage booker and producer in WWE's NXT developmental territory. Billed as "the son of a plumber", Rhodes did not have a typical wrestler's physique; his character was that of the " common man ", known for the personality exhibited in his interviews. WWE chairman Vince McMahon remarked that no wrestler "personified the essence of charisma quite like Dusty Rhodes". Virgil Riley Runnels Jr.
1521-507: A confrontation between the two couples, Savage's ex-manager Miss Elizabeth allied herself with Rhodes and Sapphire and was instrumental in helping them win the WWF's first mixed tag-team match during WrestleMania VI . Rhodes suffered a foot injury a few weeks later, leading to his temporary removal from the house show circuit and replaced by Roddy Piper . He returned on May 12 and resumed his house show series against Savage. This time his dominance
1690-580: A creative, deciding the storylines which include Reigns. At the Crown Jewel event in October 2021, Reigns retained the Universal Championship after striking Lesnar with the title belt. Heyman's alliance with Reigns ended on the December 17, 2021 episode of Smackdown after Reigns fired Heyman and attacked him. As Reigns was about to hit him with a steel chair, Lesnar saved him from being attacked. On
1859-457: A disgruntled talent roster as causes for Mr. Heyman's dismissal". Heyman was escorted from the Coliseum and sent home. He was also immediately pulled from ECW's creative team after the altercation. McMahon attempted to put the blame on Heyman for the poorly received pay-per-view, and after a meeting with Vince and Stephanie McMahon , Heyman legitimately left WWE but remained under contract. Heyman
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#17328758837442028-409: A distraction to opposing wrestlers or referees . The role of a valet is a significant part of professional wrestling history, at least within the context of North American industry. Historically, North American women wrestlers often received less attention or recognition compared to their male counterparts and often did not enjoy the same exposure compared to their Japanese or Mexican counterparts. As
2197-515: A face-off with Mick Foley , Heyman announced that he was granted a draft pick from both Raw and SmackDown! by Vince McMahon . His Raw draft pick was former ECW wrestler (and Money in the Bank contract holder) Rob Van Dam , and his SmackDown! draft pick was Kurt Angle . Heyman predicted that Van Dam would defeat John Cena at ECW One Night Stand for the WWE Championship and then declare himself
2366-438: A feud between Lesnar and Rollins. At Battleground , Lesnar defeated Rollins by disqualification ( The Undertaker returned and attacked Lesnar). The Undertaker further explained his actions as revenge, not for defeating the streak but over Heyman's constant taunting. At SummerSlam , Heyman was at ringside when the match between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker ended in controversy; the bell was rung as The Undertaker tapped out, but
2535-512: A few wrestlers, including Sabu and 911 . A year later, the company was the flagship promotion of the struggling NWA. The NWA World Title Tournament was scheduled to be held in August 1994 for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship , at an ECW-hosted event mostly featuring ECW wrestlers. The proposed outcome was the current ECW champion Shane Douglas becoming champion, but Heyman conspired with Douglas and Gordon without
2704-580: A heated storyline with "Macho King" Randy Savage and his manager/partner Sensational Queen Sherri , who in turn found a rival in Sapphire. Rhodes began facing the former WWF World Champion on the house show circuit. As with Boss Man he was victorious in every encounter, although each would come by countout. On the March 25, 1990 episode of WWF Superstars he finally faced Savage in a televised encounter; Rhodes won via disqualification after Queen Sherri interfered. After
2873-535: A house show on May 29 in Montreal, Quebec. Substituting for Jake Roberts , he defeated Ted DiBiase . Promotional vignettes began airing, the first coming on the June 3rd edition of WWF Superstars of Wrestling with Rhodes appearing as the yellow polka-dotted " Common Man " Dusty Rhodes, a gimmick some felt was intended to humiliate him due to his synonymy with the rival JCP/WCW. Rhodes was introduced to WWF audiences through
3042-506: A match that featured Jimmy Valiant as the special guest referee, Jarrett retained the title after Terry Funk made a surprise appearance and interfered. This led to Rhodes challenging Funk to a Falls-Count-Anywhere Bunkhouse match, which Rhodes won. This would be Rhodes' final appearance with CCW until August, where he would team with his son Dustin against Phi Delta Slam . On July 15, 2005, Rhodes participated in Ballpark Brawl IV in
3211-598: A match, to serve as outside interference themselves, or to further a storyline without actually recording a real match by defending their associates from ambushes outside the ring by other wrestlers. The Acolytes Protection Agency (APA) had a unique gimmick where instead of a long-term association with one wrestler, tag team or stable, they would be hired by different wrestlers each week to act as their bodyguards or to prevent outside interference. Dusty Rhodes Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. (October 11, 1945 – June 11, 2015), better known as " The American Dream " Dusty Rhodes ,
3380-441: A month before, had quit the company. Behind the scenes, Heyman had no interest at first in returning to WWE, as he still felt he held bad blood with a lot of the staff, but reconsidered after Lesnar requested his presence after a lackluster promo with John Laurinaitis . The following week on Raw SuperShow , Heyman confronted Triple H , handing him a lawsuit from Lesnar for breach of contract. Triple H responded by shoving Heyman into
3549-454: A new promotion in Texas with Jim Crockett Jr. Disagreement arose, however, as Crockett wanted to build a traditional wrestling brand, while Heyman believed traditional wrestling was antiquated and a new take on the genre was needed. At this time, Eddie Gilbert was a booker for a Philadelphia-based promotion, National Wrestling Alliance (NWA)'s Eastern Championship Wrestling , which he did under
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#17328758837443718-550: A raft of current and future stars, including Terry Funk , Dick Slater , Bam Bam Bigelow , Al Perez , The Nasty Boys , Scott Hall , Dustin Rhodes , Mike Awesome , Dallas Page and The Big Steel Man (Fred Ottman, who would become Tugboat in the WWF). Dusty Rhodes made his debut for the company on March 4, 1989, at an event in Titusville, Florida, when he teamed with Steve Keirn to defeat
3887-515: A record of 21 wins. On the Raw following WrestleMania, Cesaro revealed himself to be a "Paul Heyman Guy". Cesaro eventually declared himself no longer a "Paul Heyman Guy" on the July 21 episode of Raw . After Triple H announced that Randy Orton would challenge John Cena at SummerSlam , Roman Reigns came out and fought with Orton backstage. Heyman then came out and told Triple H to implement "Plan C" which
4056-514: A result, the purpose of a valet role is to provide female talent more opportunities as well as visibility within the industry. It is thought that a valet, by virtue of her presence and/or the dynamics of her relationship with her associated wrestler, could contribute an element that amplifies their personas and get their act over. Many valets are not required to cut promos on their associated wrestler's behalf and generally have rather passive roles, since their physical appearance tend to be emphasized at
4225-667: A rule-breaking heel with Hart as his manager , teaming with Don Jardine , better known as The Spoiler. In 1968, Rhodes left Texas and entered the Kansas City territory, tagging with fellow Texan Dick Murdoch to form the tag team The Texas Outlaws . The team traveled both nationally and internationally, appearing in Big Time Wrestling (Texas), NWA Western States Sports (Texas), NWA Detroit, National Wrestling Federation (NWF), Championship Wrestling from Florida , World Championship Wrestling (Australia) , Tri-State Wrestling ,
4394-479: A segment with Vince McMahon and Eric Bischoff announcing ECW One Night Stand , with Heyman in charge. On the May 22, 2006 episode of Raw , Heyman appeared as ECW Representative promoting ECW One Night Stand . On May 25, 2006, it was announced that ECW would relaunch , as a third WWE brand. Heyman was in charge of the new brand on-camera but had minimal creative input off-camera as well. On the May 29 episode of Raw , during
4563-412: A series of vignettes in which he would gregariously and enthusiastically perform working class roles (including that of a plumber , butcher's apprentice , gas station attendant , taco cook, trash collector and pizza delivery man ), eventually being recognized by others at the end of the skit ("Hey! Aren't you...?"). Rhodes continued to wrestle DiBiase on house shows that month and was undefeated. He
4732-508: A shot at the NWA World Tag Team Championship on June 2 but they failed to win the titles. On the June 4 episode of Impact, Rhodes gave an interview with Mike Tenay but got punked out by NWA champ Jeff Jarrett. On the July 14 NWA-TNA PPV, Rhodes, Larry Zbyszko and 3Live Kru defeated Jarrett, Ken Shamrock , Hernandez , Chad Collyer and Onyx . On the August 25 NWATNA PPV, Russo suspended Rhodes from TNA and banned him from
4901-412: A singles match between Lesnar and Strowman for the now- vacant title at Crown Jewel, a match Lesnar won. At WrestleMania 35 , Heyman came out just after the opening segment, demanding that Seth Rollins fights his client to start off the main card. Lesnar and Rollins appeared thereafter. Lesnar then severely beat up Rollins before the match started. When the match finally started, Rollins ultimately won
5070-677: A solo wrestler, primarily in Florida , referring to himself as the "American Dream", a working class hero, and aligning himself with Eddie Graham. In 1977, Rhodes wrestled for Vince McMahon, Sr. 's World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) on and off for lengthy periods of time until 1983. During that time, Rhodes main-evented twice in Madison Square Garden, both times challenging for the WWWF Heavyweight Championship against reigning champion Superstar Billy Graham . Rhodes won
5239-585: A stable, which then immediately merged with Shane McMahon 's WCW to form the Alliance during the Invasion angle . Heyman was " fired " following the 2001 Survivor Series when the Alliance lost a winner takes all match that marked the end of the invasion angle. Heyman was replaced on Raw commentary by the returning Jerry Lawler . Heyman was the lead writer for SmackDown! from July 2002 to February 2003. On Heyman's 2014 WWE documentary Ladies and Gentleman, My Name
Paul Heyman - Misplaced Pages Continue
5408-503: A teenager, he fast-talked his way backstage at a World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) event at Madison Square Garden as a photojournalist. He was paid by the company for several of his photographs. He graduated from Edgemont High School . He attended SUNY Purchase and worked on-air as an opinionated, controversial host at SUNY's radio station and the WARY-FM New York radio station for Westchester Community College ; in 1985, at
5577-511: A television taping on July 25, 1994, in Macon, Georgia, he came to ringside and attacked Parker, before being overwhelmed by the manager and Bunkhouse Buck . After being rescued by Ricky Steamboat and Dustin, he made an appearance in Dustin's corner on the August 6th edition of WCW Saturday Night when his son faced Bunkhouse Buck. After delivering a bionic elbow to Buck when the referee was distracted, Dustin
5746-630: A time but was once assigned by promoter Vince McMahon Sr. as his real life handler. Skaaland was responsible for keeping Andre, known for his alcoholism, out of serious trouble and to ensure that he would reach a venue in time to wrestle a scheduled match. A few managers, like Paul Ellering , are legitimate managers in the truest sense of the word, taking care of the day-to-day needs of their clients by dealing with travel arrangements, rentals, lodgings and even contractual negotiations. Others, such as Jim Cornette or Gary Hart , participate as real-life bookers and/or road agents for their promotions behind
5915-479: A victory over Kamala . Later in the month, he appeared for IWA Mid-South in a tag team match with Ian Rotten in a victory over Chris Candido and Steve Stone. Rhodes made three appearances for the Japanese promotion HUSTLE in 2004, the first being on January 4 in a six-man tag team match with Steve Corino and Tom Howard against Mil Mascaras , Dos Caras , and Sicodelico Jr. , which Rhodes' team lost. The second
6084-500: A victory over Kid Kash . Rhodes participated in the first WrestleReunion , competing in an eight-man tag team match with D'Lo Brown , The Blue Meanie , and Tom Prichard against Steve Corino, Andrew Martin , Evil Clown, and the Masked Superstar. Rhodes faced Tully Blanchard at a Starrcade Tribute Show on November 19, where he was managed by Magnum T. A. and where Blanchard was managed by J. J. Dillon . Rhodes ended up losing
6253-552: A wrestler. Before departing, Rhodes was defeated by The Big Steel Man on May 13, 1989, for the PWF title at an event in Sarasota, Florida. His final match with the company was on May 20, where he wrestled Steel Man at an event in Fort Lauderdale. During the spring Rhodes also returned to the AWA for a few appearances. Nine days after his final PWF match, Dusty Rhodes made his untelevised debut at
6422-541: A writer, but was fired on his first day in the middle of his first TV taping. In 1991, WCW needed to re-structure its " heels ", so Heyman returned to the role of spokesman and ringside manager as the manager of the Dangerous Alliance, with Rick Rude as the centerpiece of the stable. According to Heyman, he and Stone Cold Steve Austin learned their craft from Rude. Heyman led Rude to the United States title and
6591-442: Is Paul Heyman , Heyman stated that the SmackDown! brand he was writing was beating Raw in ratings, merchandise and live show attendance during a time McMahon wanted real-life competition between the Raw and SmackDown! brands. While he was in WWE, Tazz spoke to him about Brock Lesnar , a WWE developmental wrestler. Heyman began mentoring Lesnar, and McMahon decided to make Heyman Lesnar's manager. Heyman helped Lesnar capture
6760-423: Is and going out of their way to find bigger and better opponents to challenge, or rally the audience to chant and cheer in support of their client during matches. Often the very act of aligning with a manager, or conversely breaking away from a manager they've worked with, can change a wrestler's alignment, making them a sudden fan favourite face or a heel. Certain wrestlers employ a specific kind of manager known as
6929-471: Is often considered to be one of the most innovative and creative bookers in the history of professional wrestling. As previously mentioned, his work in the development of "supercards" and gimmick matches did much to enhance the quality of entertainment and move the industry forward, as evident by other major promotions following with their own major cards and gimmicks. At the same time, however, he and JCP had an "old school" philosophy that did not bode well with
Paul Heyman - Misplaced Pages Continue
7098-502: The Alabama -based Continental Wrestling Federation . Behind the scenes, Gilbert was the head booker of the promotion , and Heyman became his assistant. Heyman was also the head booker for Windy City Wrestling in Chicago and started developing a reputation as being an innovative television writer and producer. In 1988, Heyman jumped to Jim Crockett Promotions , where Dangerously again managed
7267-547: The American Wrestling Association (AWA), and International Wrestling Enterprise (Japan). Rhodes did not have a typical wrestlers' physique, but he was well known for his personality, charisma and interviews. In 1974, Rhodes's character became a hero after tag team partner Pak Song and manager Gary Hart turned on him during a match in Florida against Eddie and Mike Graham . This led him to break out as
7436-813: The Four Horsemen and The Russian Team in 1985. They were one of the more dominant tag teams in the promotion until 1986, when Magnum's career was ended in a car accident. Subsequently, he teamed with Nikita Koloff as The Super Powers . Rhodes was also a two time World Six-Man Tag Team Champion with The Road Warriors . Rhodes had feuds with Abdullah the Butcher , Terry Funk , Kevin Sullivan , Blackjack Mulligan , Nikita Koloff, Harley Race , Superstar Billy Graham, "Crippler" Ray Stevens and, most notably, The Four Horsemen (especially Ric Flair and Tully Blanchard ). Rhodes, Flair and Race fought each other many times over
7605-775: The NWA World Heavyweight Championship . Rhodes won the NWA World Heavyweight Championship three times; twice by defeating Race and once by defeating Flair. During a taping which took place at The Omni on September 29, 1985, Rhodes would save Flair from a beatdown at hands of Ivan and Nikitia Koloff and Krusher Krushchev, only for Flair to then turn on Rhodes and have Ole and Arn Anderson assist him in breaking Rhodes' ankle; this also forced Rhodes to vacate his NWA Television Championship . In October 1985, during his feud with Flair, Rhodes gave an interview that became known as his "Hard Times" promo, arguably his most popular promo : First of all, I would like to thank
7774-578: The No Mercy pay-per-view, the storyline was that she was forced to resign from her position as general manager (GM) of SmackDown! . Heyman returned to television to assume Stephanie McMahon's on-camera role as General Manager. On March 22, 2004, he appeared on Raw to take part in the annual WWE draft lottery . During the show he was drafted to the Raw brand to work for Raw general manager Eric Bischoff . Instead, he decided to "quit" rather than work for Bischoff,
7943-497: The Turner Broadcasting System following their purchase of the company) during a November 26 altercation with The Road Warriors . Furious with the interference, Rhodes booked a storyline in which Road Warrior Animal pulled a spike out of his shoulder pad and jammed it in Rhodes' eye, causing a severe laceration. Rhodes was then fired from WCW. Meanwhile, in late 1988 during the acquisition of Jim Crockett Promotions
8112-716: The United States Championship , and after the match Dusty came out to the ring to celebrate. That led to a slowly simmering feud with The Assassin ( Jody Hamilton ), who continually challenged Rhodes. On the June 12, 1993 edition of WCW Saturday Night the Assassin vowed to track down Dusty's mother if that is what it took to gain a response. On the October 30 edition of WCW Saturday Night the Assassin (now representing Paul Orndorff) again challenged Rhodes. A week later United States Champion Dustin Rhodes announced that his father would be in his corner in his upcoming defense against
8281-585: The WCW/New Japan Supershow II . Teaming with his son Dustin Rhodes once more, the duo defeated Kim Duk and Masa Saito in Tokyo, Japan. He began making house show appearances early in the year, usually in tag-team matches involving Dustin that saw Paul E. Dangerously tied to Dusty as part of the stipulation. On the May 16, 1992 episode of WCW Worldwide he seconded Nikita Koloff in his match with Big Van Vader ; he battled Vader's manager Harley Race to
8450-525: The WWE Undisputed Championship 126 days after Lesnar's main roster debut when Lesnar beat The Rock at SummerSlam to also become the youngest WWE Undisputed Champion at the time. At the Survivor Series , Heyman turned on Lesnar and allied himself with Big Show , while helping him win the title from Lesnar in the process. After McMahon defeated his daughter Stephanie in October 2003 at
8619-511: The World Wrestling Federation (WWF). When the WWF introduced Mike Jones as Ted DiBiase 's bodyguard, Bobby Heenan suggested naming the character Virgil as an inside joke on Dusty's real name. Also in the late 1980s, Rhodes became synonymous with what would become known as the " Dusty finish ", a trick ending in which a wrestler would win a match while the referee was knocked out, and the decision would be overturned. Rhodes
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#17328758837448788-452: The tag team of Eaton and Arn Anderson to the Tag Team titles . The Dangerous Alliance dominated WCW through most of 1992. Heyman was fired from WCW after clashes with booker Bill Watts . In February 1993, Heyman filed a lawsuit against WCW alleging wrongful termination and ethnic discrimination. The lawsuit was settled privately out of court. After departing WCW, Heyman attempted to start
8957-562: The "I Quit Bunkhouse Riot" as a member of Homicide 's team. On December 12, Rhodes defeated Jerry Lawler at an International Wrestling Cartel show that also featured Mick Foley as the special guest referee. Rhodes returned to ROH on March 13, 2004, where he competed alongside The Carnage Crew in a Scramble Cage match against Special K, which the Carnage Crew won. On July 24, Rhodes returned to Full Impact Pro (FIP) and defeated Gangrel . In October, he appeared for Northeast Wrestling in
9126-868: The "Three Wise Men" ( Lou Albano , Freddie Blassie , and The Grand Wizard ) in the World Wide Wrestling Federation (now the WWE). By the 2000s, major promotions like the WWE have favoured elevating the careers of wrestlers who are able to speak for themselves. As a result, the previously ubiquitous role of a manager has declined in favor of either female valets who occasionally get involved in wrestling matches, or by people who hold on-screen power as General Managers, Commissioners or various corporate officer positions. However, contemporary wrestling personalities such as Paul Heyman and Vickie Guerrero have demonstrated that managers are still effective at drawing heat, and when used judiciously, are capable of changing
9295-603: The April 29 episode of Impact, Rhodes announced that MMA fighter Tito Ortiz will referee the World title match at Hard Justice (2005) . In May 2005, TNA President Dixie Carter asked Rhodes to move onto a creative team, which included Jeremy Borash , Bill Banks, and Scott D'Amore . Rhodes resigned as booker, waiting out the rest of his contract with TNA, which expired soon after. Rhodes made his first indy circuit appearance on April 12, 2003, for Ring of Honor (ROH), when he participated in
9464-470: The Assassin's charge Paul Orndorff. Dustin successfully retained against Orndorff at Clash of the Champions XXV ; Dusty became involved after the match and attempted to unmask the Assassin. As 1994 progressed Dusty became involved in another angle with his son and The Stud Stable , offering commentary on the May 21, 1994, edition of WCW Saturday Night on Col. Robert Parker 's efforts against Dustin. At
9633-523: The Asylum a few days later on the August 27 episode of Impact, Rhodes showed up in the front row, and got attacked by Scott D'Amore and ejected again. On the September 1 NWA-TNA PPV, Rhodes under a mask billed as Midnight Rider teamed with Konnan and B.G. James to defeat Team Canada ( Eric Young and Bobby Roode and Johnny Devine ). On the September 8 NWA-TNA PPV, Rhodes defeated Scott D'Amore with Russo as
9802-417: The August 13, 2018 episode of Raw , Heyman revealed it was all a ruse as both Heyman (wielding pepper spray ) and Lesnar ambushed Reigns . Heyman would accompany Lesnar to SummerSlam, where Lesnar's 504 day reign as champion would come to an end after Lesnar was pinned by Reigns. Heyman would appear in a segment backstage at the Raw following SummerSlam to invoke Lesnar's rematch clause against Roman for
9971-476: The August 5 episode of Raw , Punk retaliated by choking Heyman while Heyman was in Curtis Axel's corner during a match. This prompted Lesnar to enter the ring and attack Punk. Heyman later challenged Punk to a 1-on-1 match for the next week's Raw , which Punk accepted. However, this was revealed to be a trap when Lesnar appeared prior to the match. The plan was foiled, however, when Heyman dared CM Punk to come into
10140-527: The Bloodline. Heyman was by Reigns' side as he beat Cody Rhodes at Wrestlemania 39 in the main event. Reigns' title reign as Universal Champion lasted 1,316 days when he ultimately lost to Rhodes at WrestleMania XL in April 2024. That same year, Heyman was announced as the first 2024 WWE Hall of Fame inductee and was inducted on April 5. After Reigns' title loss, Heyman turned into a tweener , after his character became innocent after Solo Sikoa , who joined
10309-550: The January 3, 2022 episode of Raw , Heyman once again aligned himself with Lesnar after he had won the WWE Championship two days earlier at Day 1 . The reunion was short-lived, as three weeks later at the Royal Rumble event, Heyman betrayed Lesnar by handing Reigns the WWE Championship belt to attack Lesnar, allowing Bobby Lashley to win the title from him in the process and re-aligning him with Reigns. Lesnar went on to win
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#173287588374410478-497: The July 22 edition of WWF Superstars; following a match between Big Boss Man and Jim McPherson he intervened to prevent Boss Man from using his nightstick against the defeated opponent. This transitioned Dusty into his first World Wrestling Federation feud. Rhodes made his in-ring debut on the August 13th edition of Wrestling Challenge when he pinned Greg Valentine after his opponent was distracted by Ronnie Garvin . That month he began his house show series against Big Boss Man and
10647-500: The November 30, 1998, episode of Monday Nitro , when Rhodes, who was guest refereeing a match between Barry Windham and Dean Malenko after being appointed by Eric Bischoff , defected back to WCW by disqualifying Windham and awarding the match to Malenko. Bischoff then fired Rhodes. On the December 28, 1998, edition of Monday Nitro , Ric Flair faced Eric Bischoff for control of the company for 30 days. After Flair submitted Bischoff, Dusty
10816-503: The October 19 edition of World Championship Wrestling, Rhodes was announced as being in the corner of Ron Simmons when the latter was scheduled to face Lex Luger for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Halloween Havoc 91. Rhodes would go on to be Simmons' cornerman that night, although Luger retained his championship. Dusty Rhodes made his return to the ring after nearly a one-year absence on January 4, 1992, at
10985-523: The October 31 episode of Raw , Heyman and Lesnar confronted Goldberg , and Heyman was speared by Goldberg; he was later taken by ambulance to a hospital in Hartford, Connecticut . On the July 31 episode of Raw , Heyman appeared with Lesnar to announce to acting authority figure Kurt Angle that, should Lesnar lose the championship at SummerSlam , they will both depart from the company. At Summerslam, Lesnar defeated Roman Reigns, Samoa Joe, and Braun Strowman in
11154-588: The Original Midnight Express in a feud with the new Midnight Express ( Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane ) and their manager, Jim Cornette , as well as managing "Mean" Mark Callous . He settled into the role of an announcer, joining Jim Ross to call the matches on WTBS' World Championship Wrestling and other programming. Heyman admitted he learned more working with Ross than from his previous mentors. While in-between stints in WCW, Heyman went to work for ICW as
11323-570: The PWF as a developmental territory and to bring Rhodes into the WWF. He refused, as his desire was to grow the territory into a national brand that could compete with WCW and the WWF. However the Professional Wrestling Federation's backers did not have a desire to fund the company at a level necessary to enhance the territory further. In May he decided to part ways with the PWF and join the World Wrestling Federation as
11492-514: The Royal Rumble match and regained the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber , setting up a Champion vs. Champion Winner Takes All Championship Unification match against Reigns at WrestleMania 38 . Reigns defeated Lesnar, thus winning both the Universal and WWE Championships . It was around this time that Heyman would be announced as ‘The Wiseman’ as well as ‘Special Counsel’ to Roman Reigns and
11661-501: The September 3 episode of Raw , after CM Punk attacked John Cena , Heyman was seen driving the car Punk had entered. This began an alliance between CM Punk and Heyman. Heyman began accompanying Punk to the ring for his matches and promos. Because of the events of the previous weeks, on the February 11 episode of Raw , Heyman addressed the audience intending to resign from the company. CM Punk, however, convinced Heyman to not only stay with
11830-470: The Superpowers, but Nikita turned on him. On the February 26 NWA-TNA PPV, Rhodes and Vader defeated Don and Ron Harris by disqualification. On the March 19 NWA-TNA PPV, Rhodes, Jeff Jarrett and D-Lo Brown defeated Erik Watts , Brian Lawler and David Flair in a six-man tag team match a week later Rhodes defeated David Flair in a Bunkhouse match. On the April 9 NWA-TNA PPV, Rhodes defeated Brian Lawler in
11999-476: The Universal Championship at Hell in a Cell , but the rematch was denied by Kurt Angle. However, at Hell in a Cell, Heyman appeared as Lesnar interfered with the main event match between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman. The next day, Heyman appeared on Raw , setting up a triple threat match at Crown Jewel between Brock Lesnar, Braun Strowman, and Roman Reigns for the Universal Championship. However, following Reigns' leukemia announcement, Heyman would instead set up
12168-484: The WWE Championship in quick fashion, at a fan-less event, due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Lesnar then opted not to sign a new contract, thus leaving his professional wrestling career in uncertainty due to him becoming a "free agent". On the August 28, 2020 episode of SmackDown , Heyman aligned with the returning Roman Reigns , portraying the character of his special counsel. Besides his work as manager, Heyman also worked as
12337-695: The WWE. A male performer who accompanies a prominent female wrestler to the ring could be considered a valet as well, though this is exceptionally rare. While they are not managers in the traditional sense, enforcers —full-time wrestlers who accompany another wrestler to the ring—also serve both in and out of storylines to further the interests of a wrestler in their care. They are named after Arn Anderson 's nickname, The Enforcer, whose career has been highlighted by his association with Ric Flair and various members of The Four Horsemen stable. Enforcers appear in storylines where wrestlers need to have their back watched by keeping outside interference from taking place in
12506-452: The World's Heavyweight Champion. I don't have to say a whole lot more about the way I feel about Ric Flair; no respect, no honor. There is no honor amongst thieves in the first place. He put hard times on Dusty Rhodes and his family. You don't know what hard times are, daddy. Hard times are when the textile workers around this country are out of work, they got four or five kids and can't pay their wages, can't buy their food. Hard times are when
12675-630: The ability to tell his version of the truth, [he was] plausible. He just wasn't a heel getting himself over, he got talent over and did a great job." Heyman is the co-founder of the award-winning New York City firm The Looking4Larry Agency. The firm broke new ground with its initial campaign with Electronic Arts , THQ video games, 2K Sports , the Hard Rock Hotel, and Casino Las Vegas. Heyman also worked with Brock Lesnar , collaborating with him on Lesnar's autobiography, Death Clutch: My Story of Determination, Domination, and Survival . He has appeared in
12844-486: The age of 14, he called Capitol Wrestling Corporation , the parent company of the World Wide Wrestling Federation , and obtained a backstage pass for Madison Square Garden , his first official work in pro wrestling. Posed photographs from this period of Heyman with the WWF's three dominant heel managers of the period, Lou Albano , Fred Blassie and The Grand Wizard were later published by Pro Wrestling Illustrated as evidence that Heyman had studied heel management under
13013-623: The age of 19, he became a photographer, then a producer and promoter for the New York City nightclub Studio 54 . Heyman decided he wanted to work in professional wrestling when he saw Vince McMahon interviewing "Superstar" Billy Graham . He began as a photographer when he was 13 and bought his own photo lab to take photos of pro wrestlers in New York. He published his own newsletter, The Wrestling Times Magazine , and wrote for third-party wrestling publications such as Pro Wrestling Illustrated . At
13182-454: The athlete of the day supposed to look. My belly's just a lil' big, my heiny's a lil' big, but brother, I am bad. And they know I'm bad. There were two bad people... One was John Wayne and he's dead brother, and the other's right here. Nature Boy Ric Flair, the World's Heavyweight title belongs to these people. I'mma reach out right now, I want you at home to know my hand is touchin' your hand for
13351-442: The auto workers are out of work and they tell 'em to go home. And hard times are when a man has worked at a job for thirty years, thirty years, and they give him a watch, kick him in the butt and say "hey a computer took your place, daddy", that's hard times! That's hard times! And Ric Flair you put hard times on this country by takin' Dusty Rhodes out, that's hard times. And we all had hard times together, and I admit, I don't look like
13520-507: The backstage as the match began. Later that summer Dusty was again in the corner of Ron Simmons, this time on August 2, 1992, when he defeated Big Van Vader to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship . He later joined the broadcast team, usually working with Tony Schiavone on Saturday Night . He was paired with Schiavone and Bobby Heenan on pay-per-views. On February 25 his son Dustin defeated Paul Orndorff to win
13689-518: The behalf of DiBiase. That fall his son Dustin Rhodes began making televised appearances within the WWF; on the October 13 edition of WWF Superstars Dusty lost to Randy Savage by countout after being distracted by DiBiase attacking Dustin. Afterwards, Rhodes dropped the polka dot attire and adopted his traditional, Jim Crockett-esque attire. At the 1990 Survivor Series he led "The Dream Team" (himself, Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart , and Koko B Ware ) against "The Million Dollar Team . Unlike last year's edition,
13858-541: The best-known members of the Midnight Express . He also briefly resurrected his feud with Tully Blanchard in CCW, earning two consecutive victories over him, the second being in a Bunkhouse Brawl . On April 9, 2005, Rhodes challenged Jeff Jarrett (who was still contracted to TNA, but due to TNA's then-affiliation with the NWA, he was allowed to appear for other affiliated promotions) for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. In
14027-467: The championship for "however long he pleases". Angle then scheduled Lesnar to defend the championship at SummerSlam; if he did not, he would be indefinitely stripped. On the July 30 episode of Raw , Angle threatened Heyman's employment due to Lesnar's refusal to leave the backstage area and appear in the ring. After several failed attempts by Heyman to convince Lesnar to appear in the ring, Lesnar attacked Angle with an F-5 and choked Heyman. Two weeks later on
14196-410: The changes that were brought with fast moving media such as cable TV, etc. The long-standing storylines and the frequent use of the aforementioned "Dusty finish", techniques that had worked well during the NWA's territorial days, had now started to leave many fans dissatisfied with the promotion's booking. Rhodes was fired after Starrcade '88 , because of a taboo on-screen bloodletting (laid down by
14365-409: The chemistry that Punk and I had, that it would be very difficult to match that ... I've never walked through the curtain with someone I wasn't trying to audition as a WrestleMania main-eventer, and I never want to ... But sometimes the chemistry just isn't there". Heyman in 2013, regarding wrestlers he did not complement well with. Heyman and Axel delivered a brutal assault to Punk on Raw
14534-563: The company $ 7 million in arrears, with over $ 3 million owed to the company by InDemand pay per view. On January 28, 2003, World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. purchased ECW's assets from HHG Corporation in court, acquiring the rights to ECW's video library. Heyman became a commentator for the WWF on Raw Is War , replacing Jerry Lawler who had quit due to a dispute when his wife The Kat was fired in February 2001. During that time, he resumed his storyline rivalry with Jim Ross . In July, while retaining his commentator role, Heyman recreated ECW as
14703-529: The company, but also to be in Punk's corner at the upcoming Elimination Chamber pay-per-view for his WWE Championship match. Around this time, Heyman quietly cut off his signature ponytail . Later, CM Punk earned the right to fight The Undertaker at WrestleMania 29 after winning a Fatal Four Way match at Old School Raw . In addition, Heyman's other client Brock Lesnar was booked for a No Holds Barred match against Triple H at WrestleMania, with Triple H's career on
14872-480: The context of storylines , the manager positions their client for title opportunities , generally acts as a mouthpiece on their behalf, decides whom to trust as an ally, or serves as an exposed Achilles' heel to be exploited by their client's opponents. Managers could be utilized by a promotion's booker to instigate and strengthen storylines; their involvement could form the center of a controversy, for instance if they double-cross their clients or inadvertently cause
15041-448: The duo of Mike Graham and Steve Keirn were attempting to revive the dormant CWF Championship Wrestling from Florida territory. Once Dusty departed from WCW they reached out to him, and ultimately partnered to launch the new Professional Wrestling Federation in February 1989. Rhodes had larger visions for the fledgling regional territory, which included a name change from FCW to the non-regional PWF. The new startup promotion featured
15210-531: The duo of The Big Steel Man and Dick Slater . A week later at the PWF Homecoming event in Tampa, Florida, he pinned Big Steel Man to become the first PWF Heavyweight Champion. Later that spring as the PWF began to grow Rhodes received a surprise backstage visit from Bobby Heenan , who inquired on the state of the company's business. Shortly thereafter Vince McMahon reached out to Rhodes and made an offer to acquire
15379-637: The dynastic Anoaʻi family of Samoan professional wrestlers. Critics have praised his managing and promo skills. He has also competed sporadically in matches, usually as a comedic foil, including in the main event of the 2002 Rebellion event. Heyman was inducted into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2005 and the WWE Hall of Fame on April 5, 2024. Heyman was born in New York City 's Bronx borough on September 11, 1965,
15548-434: The end of Axel's association with Heyman as he continued to team with Ryback. Heyman returned on the December 30 episode of Raw alongside Brock Lesnar, who attacked Mark Henry . He stood by Lesnar as he feuded with Big Show and The Undertaker in the first four months of 2014. Lesnar ended The Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania XXX ; this was The Undertaker's first loss at a WrestleMania, as he previously had
15717-519: The exclusion of all other traits; other valets may deviate from convention and assert a dominant role over their wrestlers, if their characters call for it. In spite of their limited wrestling ability, perceived or otherwise, valets are more likely to participate in the occasional wrestling match in comparison to managers, and are frequently booked in mixed tag team matches against rival valets and their associated wrestlers as part of storyline angles. There are also numerous examples of female performers in
15886-406: The figure-4. On the October 15 NWA-TNA PPV, Rhodes and America's Most Wanted defeated Legend, Sonny Siaki and Ekmo Fatu. On the November 26 NWA-TNA PPV, Rhodes and Jarrett wrestled to a no contest in a Lumberjack Fan Strap match. After taking a few months off Rhodes returned on May 19, 2004, where he and James Storm defeated Dallas and Kid Kash in a " Bunkhouse Brawl " this led to the duo getting
16055-510: The film adaptation of the long-running Off-Broadway show Tony n' Tina's Wedding . Manager (professional wrestling) In professional wrestling , a manager is a supporting character paired with a wrestler (or wrestlers) for a variety of reasons. A woman accompanying, or "seconding", a male wrestler to a match is sometimes referred to as a valet . Performers who assume this role may be non-wrestlers, occasional wrestlers, older wrestlers who have retired or are nearing retirement,
16224-534: The first match on September 26 via countout, and lost the second, a Texas Death match , on October 24. Graham won after a mid-ring collision, falling on Rhodes for the three count. He eventually began working as a booker and wrestler with Jim Crockett Promotions (JCP) in the Mid-Atlantic, which eventually purchased World Championship Wrestling (WCW), formerly Georgia Championship Wrestling. Rhodes also teamed with Magnum T. A. as "America's Team", who opposed
16393-529: The following week, with Heyman breaking a kendo stick over Punk's back while Punk was handcuffed. Heyman was then booked to team with Axel against CM Punk in an elimination handicap match at Night of Champions . Heyman tried various times to get out of the match, which caused General Manager Brad Maddox to make the match into a no disqualification elimination handicap match. At Night of Champions, Punk eliminated Axel (who had been forced to defend his Intercontinental Championship against Kofi Kingston earlier in
16562-429: The gathering of the biggest body of people in this country, in this universe, all over the world now, reachin' out because the love that was given me and this time I will repay you now. Because I will be the next World's Heavyweight Champion of this hard time blues. Dusty Rhodes tour, '85. And Ric Flair, Nature Boy... Let me leave you with this. One way to hurt Ric Flair, is to take what he cherishes more than anything in
16731-557: The help of Heyman. Heyman announced Michael McGillicutty as the newest "Paul Heyman guy" on the May 20 Raw and gave him the new name of Curtis Axel . On the May 27 episode of Raw , Heyman appeared on the Highlight Reel with Chris Jericho , where Jericho challenged CM Punk to a match at Payback which Heyman accepted on Punk's behalf. The next week, Heyman and Jericho signed the contract to make it official. The same week on SmackDown , Jericho faced off against Curtis Axel. As Jericho
16900-418: The knowledge of NWA president Dennis Coralluzzo to have Douglas (and by extension, ECW itself) publicly denounce the NWA and its "tradition" after winning the tournament. In his post-match speech, Douglas aggressively assaulted the title's lineage, throwing the belt itself down, proclaiming the NWA a "dead organization" and declaring his ECW title a world-level championship. The plan for this shoot screwjob
17069-649: The latter's departure to the WWF and the Big Gold Belt controversy . Rhodes also served as the on-screen manager of Ron Simmons from 1991 to 1992, first forming a relationship with the former All-American during the summer of 1991. In a match that was advertised on World Championship Wrestling, on October 12, 1991, Dusty served as the special guest referee in a match at the Omni in Atlanta, Georgia, that saw Simmons and Barry Windham team up to defeat Mr. Hughes and Lex Luger . On
17238-423: The line. At WrestleMania, both of Heyman's clients lost their matches. On the April 15 episode of Raw , Heyman announced Lesnar had challenged Triple H to a steel cage match at Extreme Rules . The following week, Triple H accepted the match and delivered a Pedigree to Heyman. As a response, Lesnar and Heyman invaded the headquarters of WWE and trashed Triple H's office. At Extreme Rules, Lesnar defeated Triple H with
17407-417: The loss or forfeiture of their clients' championship titles. Outside of storylines, a manager's job is to help the wrestler they are paired with get over . The manager would cut promos on behalf of clients who may not be as charismatic (or had gimmicks depicting them as silent, or with limited ability to speak English). As such, successful managers almost invariably had the " gift of the gab ", though it
17576-461: The losses were under 1 minute as the WWF leveraged Rhodes departure. On December 28, 1990, he teamed with Jim Duggan to face Slaughter and General Adnan at Madison Square Garden. The match, which would be televised on Prime Time Wrestling on January 7, 1991, ended when Rhodes submitted to Slaughter. The conclusion to the feud with DiBiase came at 1991 Royal Rumble , where Dusty teamed with his son Dustin against Virgil and DiBiase. The Rhodes Family
17745-505: The man he cited for the death of ECW by raiding its talent. Heyman was replaced as SmackDown! General Manager by his former client Kurt Angle on March 25. On July 10, 2005, it was reported that Heyman took over the positions of head booker and writer in Ohio Valley Wrestling , a developmental territory maintained by WWE. It was during this time that he forged a real-life friendship with CM Punk . On May 23, 2005, Heyman returned in
17914-411: The many, many fans throughout this country that wrote cards and letters to Dusty Rhodes, The American Dream, while I was down. Secondly, I want to thank Jim Crockett Promotions for waitin' and takin' the time 'cause I know how important it was, Starrcade '85 it is to the wrestling fans, it is to Jim Crockett promotions, and Dusty Rhodes The American Dream. With that wait, I got what I wanted, Ric Flair
18083-470: The match attacked Heyman on top of the cell, putting an end to their feud. On the November 11, 2013 episode of Raw , Heyman stated that he was no longer with Ryback as Ryback never officially accepted his proposal to become a "Paul Heyman Guy". After that, CM Punk came out to once again beat Heyman with a kendo stick. The following night on SmackDown , Heyman formally announced to Curtis Axel and Ryback that they were no longer Paul Heyman guys, therefore marking
18252-464: The match in under 5 minutes, carrying out a low blow when a referee was knocked down, and executing his finisher three times. In June 2019, WWE announced that Heyman would be the executive director of Raw . Heyman also appeared on SmackDown due to Lesnar being drafted to the brand in the 2019 WWE Draft , but shortly thereafter, Lesnar returned to Raw . Heyman continued to represent Lesnar up to WrestleMania 36 , when Drew McIntyre defeated him for
18421-419: The match. On December 3, 2005, Rhodes returned to Carolina Championship Wrestling for one night only to face Terry Funk in an "I Quit" match , which Rhodes won. Rhodes made his final major appearances on the independent circuit before returning full-time to WWE in mid-2006, defeating Jerry Lawler by disqualification at a Southern Championship Wrestling (SCW) show and also earning a victory over Steve Corino in
18590-486: The mid-1990s, managers were very common because they served a secondary purpose: "getting heat ". During the territorial era, most managers did not travel from territory to territory, but instead remained in one territory to provide instant heat to the promotion's new heel acts. Notable examples include "The Mouth of The South" Jimmy Hart in Memphis, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan in the American Wrestling Association , Sunny and
18759-470: The new ECW World Heavyweight Champion . At ECW One Night Stand, Van Dam defeated Cena to win the WWE Championship. After Cena knocked an ECW referee unconscious, Edge (in a disguise) appeared and speared Cena through a table, before taking out SmackDown! referee Nick Patrick , allowing Van Dam to hit the Five-Star Frog Splash on Cena. With no referee available Heyman ran down the aisle to count
18928-410: The night), leaving Heyman alone with Punk. After receiving a beating from Punk and being placed in handcuffs, just as Heyman did to Punk weeks before, Punk was about to attack Heyman with a kendo stick when Ryback interfered and cost Punk the match by putting Punk through a table. At Battleground , Punk pinned Ryback after a low blow. At Hell in a Cell , Punk defeated both Ryback and Heyman and after
19097-485: The ownership of a local pawn shop owner named Tod Gordon . Heyman came in to help Gilbert teach the younger wrestlers how to perform on interviews, but Gilbert's erratic behavior became too much for Gordon, who had a major falling out with Gilbert right before the UltraClash event on September 18, 1993. From that point forward, Heyman was in charge of the creative direction of the company. As Paul E. Dangerously, he managed
19266-490: The pin fall. The following night on Raw , Heyman confirmed that because the championship match was contested under "ECW rules" (which meant, essentially, there were no rules) that the decision stood and Van Dam was the "Undisputed" WWE Champion. As the WWE Champion, Van Dam was the number one man in the reformed ECW, so on the debut of ECW on Sci Fi the next night Heyman, announced as an "ECW Representative", presented him with
19435-491: The process. Hall then pointed to Rhodes as he revealed an nWo shirt. The three began to drop repeated elbows on Zbyszko before Rhodes announced, "That's tradition, WCW! Bite this!". Announcer Tony Schiavone left the broadcast booth in shock, but later returned ripping Rhodes for his actions for most of the rest of the night. As a member of the nWo, Rhodes served as the manager of The Outsiders , Hall and Kevin Nash . This lasted until
19604-741: The program. The duo would bicker throughout the show, which lasted throughout the summer of 2001 and represented the last "original" programming of the old WCW. After both WCW and ECW were bought by WWE (WWF), Rhodes went to compete in his own promotion, Turnbuckle Championship Wrestling with ex-WCW and ECW superstars in Georgia, Florida and Tennessee. During this time he feuded with Terry Funk and Steve Corino in other territories. In 2002, Rhodes competed in Pro Pain Pro Wrestling based in Philadelphia feuding with Kevin Sullivan . This would lead to
19773-633: The re-instated ECW World Heavyweight Championship. Van Dam elected to keep both title belts and was recognized as both the WWE Champion and ECW World Heavyweight Champion. On the July 4 episode of ECW , Heyman helped Big Show defeat Van Dam for the ECW World Heavyweight Championship. At the Raw/ECW taping in South Carolina in December 2006, it was announced that Vince McMahon had sent Heyman home, citing "slumping television ratings and
19942-459: The referee did not see it. This allowed The Undertaker to defeat Lesnar after he passed out to the Hell's Gate . At Hell in a Cell , Heyman was present when Lesnar defeated The Undertaker in the rematch, ending their feud. Heyman returned with Lesnar on the January 11, 2016 Raw , and was ringside with Lesnar for the Royal Rumble . Lesnar was eliminated in the match by Bray Wyatt , after interference by
20111-418: The rest of The Wyatt Family . He accompanied Lesnar to the ring at WrestleMania 32 where Lesnar defeated Dean Ambrose in a No Holds Barred Street Fight. On July 19 at the 2016 WWE Draft , Lesnar and Heyman were drafted to the Raw brand. Heyman returned alongside Lesnar on the August 1 episode of Raw, hyping the match between Lesnar and Randy Orton at SummerSlam while Lesnar took an RKO from Orton. On
20280-607: The results were far different. DiBiase was teaming with Rhythm & Blues and a mystery partner, the latter who turned out to be the newly arrived Undertaker . The future Hall of Famer would dispatch Ware and later pin Rhodes, with Ted DiBiase ultimately remaining as the sole survivor. Around this time in the fall Dusty Rhodes received an offer to return to World Championship Wrestling as its head booker. He now began to lose regularly, falling again in defeat to Ted DiBiase in house shows during December 1990 but also losing to Rick Martel, Virgil, and new top heel Sgt. Slaughter . Some of
20449-405: The ring and accept the challenge as CM Punk, who had anticipated the trap and hid under the ring, emerged and attacked Lesnar. However, Punk failed to get his hands on Heyman as Curtis Axel came to Heyman's aid. This led to a match between Lesnar and Punk at SummerSlam , which Lesnar won after interference from Heyman. "I think the bar was set so high with the chemistry that Brock and I have, and
20618-518: The ring for three more house show matches that fall, teaming with Dustin to defeat the Stud Stable. His last in-ring match for World Championship Wrestling in this run came on November 24, 1994, in Albany, Georgia, where Dusty and Dustin Rhodes defeated Arn Anderson and Bunkhouse Buck in a steel cage. Through 1995 he was exclusively on commentary for WCW and did not participate in any in-ring angles. Dusty
20787-464: The ring name "Dusty Rhodes". Upon meeting Rhodes, Gary Hart suggested that he change his ring name to "Lonesome Rhodes", a character Andy Griffith portrayed in the film A Face in the Crowd . Rhodes reportedly replied: "Well...I don't plan on being 'Lonesome'. I think I'll stick with Dusty." Hart took an immediate liking to Rhodes and convinced Von Erich of the young wrestler's potential. Rhodes became
20956-418: The ropes, leading Heyman to announce that he would file a lawsuit against Triple H for assault and battery. On the June 18 episode of Raw SuperShow , Heyman declined Triple H's challenge for a match against Lesnar at SummerSlam on Lesnar's behalf. Later that month, Heyman stated that Brock Lesnar would answer Triple H's challenge himself at Raw 1000 . Lesnar would go on to defeat Triple H at SummerSlam. On
21125-434: The scenes while performing concurrently as managers. In the early years of pro wrestling , the vast majority of professional wrestling managers were men, and female managers were rare. A number of prominent women like Miss Elizabeth , Sherri Martel and Woman made their debuts during the 1980s professional wrestling boom and went on to have storied careers in several wrestling promotions as wrestling managers. Up until
21294-469: The show and was replaced as the leader of the backstage and creative by ECW wrestler Tommy Dreamer . Heyman could not get out of financial trouble and ECW closed on April 4, 2001. Heyman also supposedly had never told his wrestlers that the company was on its dying legs and was unable to pay them for a while. ECW entered into bankruptcy in 2001 (just weeks after WCW was sold to WWF for $ 2 million, after AOL Time Warner wrote off over $ 100 million in debt), with
21463-518: The show for his match with Chris Jericho. After Payback , a WWE.com exclusive video aired with Punk telling Heyman that he is his friend and not his client. On the June 17 episode of Raw , Punk challenged Alberto Del Rio , mentioning that he did not want Heyman managing him anymore. Following Punk's match, he was attacked by Lesnar. The next week on Raw , Punk demanded answers from Heyman, who swore he did not ask Lesnar to attack him. Punk forgave Heyman and then faced Darren Young and, following his win,
21632-474: The son of Jewish parents Sulamita (née Szarf; 1928–2009) and Richard S. Heyman (1926–2013). His father was a prominent personal injury attorney and World War II veteran, while his mother was a Holocaust survivor who suffered through experiences in Auschwitz , Bergen-Belsen , and the Łódź Ghetto . By age 11, he was running a mail order business selling celebrity and sports memorabilia from his home. While still
21801-601: The special guest referee. On the October 29 episode of Impact, Rhodes started his campaign to replace Vince Russo as the Director of Authority. Later, he became the Director of Authority at their November 7, 2004 pay-per-view , Victory Road . At the same time, Rhodes acted as head booker and writer. On the April 8, 2005, episode of Impact, Rhodes made the on-air decision to make all matches at Lockdown PPV in Six Sides of Steel. Then on
21970-504: The stable in 2022 , took temporary leadership of The Bloodline after exiling Jimmy Uso and inducting Tama Tonga , Tonga Loa , and Jacob Fatu . On the June 28 episode of SmackDown , Heyman was kicked out of The Bloodline after refusing to acknowledge Sikoa as the Tribal Chief, turning Heyman face for the first time since 2022 in the process. On the November 15 episode of SmackDown , Reigns attempted to contact Heyman, however his number
22139-440: The tactics depend on several factors, especially alignment. Managers, when used judiciously, can completely change the tone and inner workings of a wrestling match. A heel manager, for example, may instruct their clients to constantly duck tougher opponents or interfere in their matches to secure a win by cheating. A face manager, on the other hand, may spend the majority of their interview time talking about how tough their client
22308-654: The tag team partner of the wrestler they are managing, or new wrestlers who are breaking into the business (or a specific company) and need experience in front of the crowds. The wrestler who is paired with a manager may be referred to as their charge, client, or ward. A professional wrestling manager's portrayal as a wrestler's decision-maker is usually fictional and has nothing to do with a wrestler or promotion's real-world counterpart or road agent . Managers are akin to storyline agents for an actor or an athlete ; they help their client to book matches and appearances, and otherwise work to further and guide their career. Within
22477-504: The team folded. In 1967, Rhodes saw an advertisement in the newspaper for Tony Santos' professional wrestling promotion Big Time Wrestling, based in Boston . Rhodes drove to Boston, and despite not having any wrestling experience, bluffed his way into working for the company by using his real life friendships with Bobby Duncum and the Funk brothers. Billed as Dusty Runnels, one of his first matches
22646-428: The tone and inner workings of a wrestling match by contributing drama and tension. Although "manager" and "valet" are terms sometimes used interchangeably for a woman who accompanies a wrestler to the ring, a major point of difference is that the former is specifically depicted as a professional spokesperson who crafts and/or guides a wrestler's career, while the latter may serve as little more than eye candy and/or as
22815-448: The tutelage of the "Three Wise Men". Heyman met Dusty Rhodes at a Jim Crockett Promotions taping, when he entered a production meeting. In 1985, Heyman was hired by New York Studio 54 as a photographer. The same year, he became producer of Studio 54 and hosted the first Wrestle Party 85 show. He called Jim Crockett, who sent Ric Flair , Dusty Rhodes and Magnum T. A. The show featured Bam Bam Bigelow 's debut and an award to Flair. At
22984-558: The urging of Bigelow, Heyman made his managerial debut on January 2, 1987, initially appearing on the Northeast independent circuit before moving to a more high-profile stint with Championship Wrestling from Florida in February 1987. There, he joined forces with Kevin Sullivan and Oliver Humperdink , and acquired the name Paul E. Dangerously because of his resemblance to Michael Keaton 's character in Johnny Dangerously . After CWF
23153-475: The video games WWE Day of Reckoning , WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw , WWE 2K14 , WWE 2K15 , WWE 2K16 , WWE 2K17 , WWE 2K18 , WWE 2K19 , WWE 2K20 , WWE 2K22 , WWE 2K23 , and WWE 2K24 . Heyman portrayed a sports announcer in 2002's Rollerball , and an uncredited role in the WWE film Countdown . After a family emergency forced the original actor to pull out, he was chosen by I Am Legend executive producer Michael Tadross to play "Gino" in
23322-487: The woman to come in the ring and dance with her after a victory. She would become his manager and was named "Sapphire". As Dusty represented "The Common Man", she was intended to represent the "common woman". On November 23, 1989, at The Survivor Series he led a quartet dubbed The Dream Team composed of Brutus Beefcake , Tito Santana , and The Red Rooster to victory against The Enforcers (Big Boss Man, The Honky Tonk Man, Rick Martel , and Akeem ). Rhodes would finish
23491-843: The world and that's the World's Heavyweight title. I'm gon' take it, I been there twice. This time when I take it daddy, I'm gon' take it for you. Let's gather for it. Don't let me down now, 'cause I came back for you, for that man up there that died 10–12 years ago and never got the opportunity to see a real World's Champion. And I'm proud of you, thank God I have you, and I love you. Love ya! The promo apparently resonated with wrestling fans so much that people came to him in arenas in tears to thank him for "honoring their plight". In 2015, an ESPN article referred to "Hard Times" as Rhodes' best interview, writing, "In just over three minutes, Rhodes fully encapsulated every ounce of his charm by endearing himself to blue-collar mid-America". During his stint as booker, JCP were engulfed in aggressive competition with
23660-443: The wrestling industry who started off as valets and went on to be recognized as marquee competitors in their own right, such as Lita , Trish Stratus , and The Fabulous Moolah . Male supporting characters who fit the original definition of a valet are uncommon in professional wrestling; a recent example was Ricardo Rodriguez , who performed as Alberto Del Rio 's on-screen attendant and personal ring announcer during his tenure in
23829-563: The writing team on McMahon's corporate jet the day after the pay-per-view. The argument with McMahon was over a disagreement over the Extreme Elimination Chamber match at December to Dismember. Heyman thought that Big Show should be eliminated in the Elimination Chamber match by CM Punk via submission, to push the rising star. Big Show agreed with this idea, wanting to help push Punk's career, but McMahon disagreed, and Punk
23998-491: The year dispatching Boss Man in house show matches around the country, sometimes in "ball and chain" encounters. Having finished the year with just one untelevised loss, Dusty entered 1990 as a dominant force within the World Wrestling Federation. He competed in the 1990 Royal Rumble and eliminated Bret Hart before in turn being thrown over the top rope by Earthquake . After dispatching the Boss Man, he next became embroiled in
24167-646: Was a United States Heavyweight Champion , and multi-time World Television , World Tag Team and World Six-Man Tag Team Champion . He also won many regional championships, and is one of seven men inducted into each of the WWE , WCW , Professional Wrestling , and Wrestling Observer Newsletter Halls of Fame. His sons, Dustin and Cody , both pursued careers in professional wrestling, currently performing for All Elite Wrestling and WWE , respectively. Following his retirement from wrestling, he made occasional on-air appearances on WWE television and pay-per-views and worked as
24336-508: Was a manager under the ring name Paul E. Dangerously in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and other promotions. He is the co-owner of New York City 's Looking4Larry Agency. In WWE, Heyman had managed or has served as manager for a record seven world champions ( The Undertaker , Big Show , Kurt Angle , Brock Lesnar , CM Punk , Rob Van Dam , and Roman Reigns ), although besides Reigns, he also managed several members of
24505-496: Was able to gain the pinfall. This ultimately led to Dusty's second match since departing the WWF, where he would team with Dustin to defeated Terry Funk and Buckhouse Buck at Clash of the Champions XXVIII . After a vignette that saw Dusty travel to "The Scrap Bar" to recruit The Nasty Boys, he teamed with them and Dustin to defeat Buck, Arn Anderson, Terry Funk, and Rob Parker in a War Games match at Fall Brawl 94 . He returned to
24674-552: Was absorbed by Jim Crockett Promotions, Bigelow brought him to Memphis and the Continental Wrestling Association (CWA) to manage Tommy Rich and Austin Idol in a heated feud with Jerry Lawler , a war which later carried over to the American Wrestling Association (AWA), with the Midnight Express ( Dennis Condrey and Randy Rose ) taking over for Idol and the face - turned Rich. The Paul E. Dangerously gimmick
24843-553: Was against the decision of Bobby Lashley being booked to win the ECW World Championship, and instead wanted to have CM Punk win it, a decision McMahon disliked. This was one of multiple behind-the-scenes creative disagreements between Heyman and McMahon that led to the split, and that Heyman had been overruled on a number of decisions regarding the product over ECW's only pay-per-view under WWE, December to Dismember . McMahon and Heyman clashed in front of several members of
25012-520: Was amongst those who came out to the ring to celebrate with The Nature Boy. He left WCW in 2000 and went to Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), making an appearance at the Guilty As Charged PPV on January 8, 2000, where he was attacked by former ECW World Heavyweight Champion , "King of Old School" Steve Corino . On January 28, 2000, he wrestled his first match in over five years, teaming with Tommy Dreamer to defeat Corino and Raven at
25181-712: Was an American professional wrestler , booker, and trainer who worked for the National Wrestling Alliance and the World Wrestling Federation , later known as WWE. Rhodes was considered a star wrestler and presented the persona of an American everyman, the American Dream personified. Rhodes is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. Rhodes was a three-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion , and during his time in Jim Crockett Promotions / World Championship Wrestling , he
25350-581: Was an extension of Heyman's own personality: a brash New Yorker with a yuppie attitude, often seen holding a mobile phone, which was occasionally used as a "foreign object" (according to Heyman, he decided to use the mobile phone as a weapon when he watched Gordon Gekko in Wall Street ). After departing the AWA, Heyman went back to the CWA. Heyman joined with Eddie Gilbert and his wife and valet Missy Hyatt and together they feuded with Lawler before moving on to
25519-455: Was attacked by Titus O'Neil until Curtis Axel saved him, to Punk's chagrin. Heyman announced that he would team with Axel against The Prime Time Players the next week, again to Punk's disapproval. At Money in the Bank , Heyman betrayed CM Punk, costing him his chance at the Money in the Bank briefcase by hitting him three times with a ladder, knocking Punk off the ladder when he was ascending. On
25688-722: Was born on October 11, 1945, in Austin, Texas . After graduating from Albert Sidney Johnston High School in Austin, Rhodes played baseball and football at West Texas State (now known as West Texas A&M University ). Turning professional, Rhodes tried out for the American Football League 's Boston Patriots , but was cut. He then played for the Hartford Charter Oaks in the Continental Football League until
25857-480: Was closing in on the victory, Heyman stood on the announcers table and yelled: "It's clobbering time". Punk's music began to play, distracting Jericho long enough for Axel to pick up the victory. At Payback, Heyman coached Axel during his match with Wade Barrett and The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship with Axel winning the match and the title. Heyman accompanied Punk to the ring later in
26026-488: Was defeated in a match that saw Virgil turn face afterwards. This would mark the end of Dusty Rhodes' career as a full-time in-ring competitor. Rhodes returned to WCW in 1991 as a member of WCW's booking committee, making his first appearance only 11 days after his last WWF appearance at the Royal Rumble. On the May 25 edition of World Championship Wrestling he launched an interview segment called "The Bull Drop Inn". Booking disagreements between Rhodes and Ric Flair led to
26195-485: Was dominant, defeating the rulebreaker in every encounter. Rhodes scored his first televised win against Boss Man on the August 21 edition of Prime Time Wrestling . At SummerSlam 89 he appeared on his first-ever WWF PPV, defeating The Honky Tonk Man . Meanwhile, on the road his dominance continued as he remained undefeated against the Boss Man. In October a Rhodes fan, Sapphire , began to be featured at ringside during his televised matches. Rhodes would eventually invite
26364-572: Was for the BTW World Heavyweight title against champion Frank Scarpa in the Boston Arena . Having little money, Rhodes slept in his car and spent Thanksgiving with Rufus R. Jones in a Boston soup kitchen . Rhodes moved on to Fritz Von Erich 's Texas territory World Class Championship Wrestling in 1968, at that time also called Big Time Wrestling. It was in Texas where Rhodes first adopted
26533-569: Was interested in some ECW wrestlers, such as Terry Gordy and 2 Cold Scorpio . McMahon paid Heyman $ 1,000 per week to rent Scorpio. Heyman also acknowledged how an effort to put ECW on the USA Network failed after USA Network President Steven Chau became aware of an email Vince McMahon sent which pressured him and other network executives to put ECW on the USA Network. In the final days of ECW, Heyman became persona non grata as he did not appear on
26702-694: Was known only to those three. That same week, Heyman and Tod Gordon rechristened the promotion, eliminating the regional branding "Eastern" and declaring the promotion Extreme Championship Wrestling . They broke the company away from the NWA, and ECW became its own entity. Heyman encouraged wrestlers to express their true feelings about the WWF, the NWA, and WCW. In May 1995, Heyman bought out Gordon and became sole owner of ECW. During his time in ECW, Heyman found an ally in Vince McMahon 's WWF. McMahon had sent some WWF wrestlers to ECW (under WWF payroll) to develop them and
26871-615: Was more profound as he started to defeat The Macho Man by pinfall around the country. This continued until June 3, 1990, when Dusty's lengthy undefeated streak was finally ended by Savage in West Palm Beach, Florida. Rhodes began teaming with Sapphire to face Savage and Sherri on house shows, resuming his winning streak and remaining undefeated. Later that summer Sapphire began to receive gifts from an unnamed benefactor during Dusty's televised matches. At SummerSlam Sapphire no-showed her scheduled match with Queen Sherri. Later that night Dusty
27040-496: Was no longer in service. On the November 22 episode of SmackDown , Heyman returned and announced CM Punk as the fifth member for the Original Bloodline's team for Survivor Series: WarGames . Heyman's work as a promoter and booker has been praised by many wrestling fellows and critics. Former ECW World Heavyweight Champion Raven called him "the most creative genius the business has ever seen". Raven's description of Heyman as
27209-417: Was not unheard of to see managers paired with wrestlers who had no trouble cutting their own promos. A notable example of this would be CM Punk , who was managed by Paul Heyman from 2012 to 2013. Punk had no trouble cutting his own promos, but Heyman would also cut his own promos alongside Punk in support of his client's act. While the basic goal of a manager to give their wrestlers a push does not change,
27378-436: Was on March 7, where he teamed with his son Dustin against Shinjiro Otani and Satoshi Kojima , which he also lost. The third was on May 8, where he defeated Corino. Starting in December 2004, Rhodes made regular appearances for Carolina Championship Wrestling (CCW), where his first match for the promotion saw him team up with The Rock 'n' Roll Express to take on Dennis Condrey , Bobby Eaton , and Stan Lane , all three of
27547-639: Was originally on the side of WCW when its battle with the New World Order (nWo) began in 1996. At Souled Out 1998 , Larry Zbyszko asked Rhodes, who was working the PPV broadcast, to accompany him to the ring for his match against Scott Hall . Zbyszko won the match by disqualification due to interference by Louie Spicolli . Rhodes entered the ring, delivering his trademark elbow smashes to Spicolli as Zbyszko stood and grabbed Hall. Rhodes went to elbow Hall, but seemingly inadvertently hit Zbyszko instead turning heel in
27716-554: Was pinned however on June 6 in a dark match against DiBiase at a WWF Superstars taping in Madison, Wisconsin. Many years later, this match was included as part of the WWE Unreleased: 1986–1995 DVD set. It was said that Rhodes was asked to lose in this match to test his willingness to put over other talent. Aside from this defeat, "The American Dream" remained undefeated against the upper-level heel . Rhodes made his televised appearance on
27885-466: Was scheduled to face Randy Savage in a one-on-one encounter; prior to the match Ted DiBiase announced that Sapphire had left Rhodes for The Million Dollar Man's money. Distracted and distraught, Rhodes was pinned by Savage. Dusty immediately transitioned to a feud with The Million Dollar Man. Unlike his previous series with Boss Man and Savage, this time Rhodes would come out on the losing end. He lost numerous house show matches after Virgil interfered on
28054-555: Was seconded by Steve Corino. Dusty then returned to WCW where he reignited the feud once more with long-time nemesis Ric Flair. On the WCW Greed PPV on March 18, 2001, he entered a WCW ring for the final time, teaming with Dustin Rhodes to defeat Ric Flair and Jeff Jarrett . Following the purchase of WCW, the World Wrestling Federation allowed Turner South to continue to air classic matches on their "WCW Classics Program". Much like Heenan and Monsoon, Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair hosted
28223-520: Was the return of Lesnar, who would have a match against Cena at SummerSlam. Lesnar defeated Cena at SummerSlam to win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship . At the Royal Rumble , Heyman was at ringside when Lesnar retained his WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Cena and Seth Rollins . At WrestleMania 31 , Heyman was at ringside when Lesnar defended his title belt against the 2015 Royal Rumble winner Roman Reigns, but Lesnar
28392-495: Was ultimately eliminated first. After allegedly turning down an offer from Stephanie McMahon to return to his post writing television for WWE developmental television shows, Heyman officially parted ways quietly with WWE on December 17, 2006. After a five-year absence following the controversial departure after the December to Dismember PPV in 2006, Heyman returned to WWE on the May 7, 2012 episode of Raw SuperShow as Brock Lesnar 's legal advisor, announcing that Lesnar, who returned
28561-540: Was unsuccessful as Rollins cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase and made the match a Triple Threat match. Rollins pinned Reigns for the win. The next night on Raw , Lesnar was suspended after he demanded a rematch for the title and attacked several innocent people. In June, Heyman and Lesnar returned to the WWE after Lesnar was named the No. 1 contender to the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, igniting
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