Line #13 Wrestling/PaulHeyman


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pheyman_3.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:One of the Greatest Minds in Professional Wrestling.]]
3
4	->''"Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyman..."''
5
6	->''"[[Wrestling/{{ECW}} THIS, my friends...IS E! C! F%*KING! W!!]]''"''
7
8	->''"'''''[[Film/{{Rollerball}} ROOOOOOOOOOOOOLL-ER-BAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLL!!]]'''''"''
9
10	Paul Heyman (born September 11, 1965) is an American {{professional wrestling}} promoter, commentator and booker best-known for managing Wrestling/{{ECW}} from 1993-2001.
11
12	He first broke into wrestling as a photographer in Memphis, similar to Wrestling/JimCornette. He first appeared in [[Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation AWA]] and later on Wrestling/{{WCW}} as "Paul E. Dangerously", a yuppie sports agent who managed Wrestling/TheDangerousAlliance PowerStable. After departing from WCW, Heyman was hired by the then-Eastern Championship Wrestling promotion (then part of the NWA) to help then-lead booker Wrestling/EddieGilbert, but shortly afterwards he assumed charge of the creative direction of the company following Gilbert's departure and eventually outright buying it. A year later, the company, the flagship promotion of the struggling NWA, broke away to become its own entity, and was rechristened as ''Extreme'' Championship Wrestling.
13
14	This rapid career rise, almost unheard of in the business, had a sticky wicket attached: Heyman was now managing literally ''everything'', resulting in a lack of corporate synergy and rapid burnout. Just before ECW folded, he [[KnowWhenToFoldEm sold off the company's assets and secretly entered talks with WWE]], a move deemed cold-blooded but necessary by insiders.[[note]]In the final days of ECW, Heyman did not even appear on the show, and was replaced as the leader of the backstage and creative by Wrestling/TommyDreamer.[[/note]] After ECW finally entered into bankruptcy in 2001 (just weeks after WCW was sold to WWF), Heyman became a broadcaster for the WWF, and during that time, he recreated ECW as a stable, which would become the Alliance after it merged with WCW during Wrestling/TheInvasionAngle. Heyman was "fired" following the 2001 ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries'' when the Alliance lost a do or die match that marked the end of the angle.
15
16	He was briefly a booker for ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackdown SmackDown]]'' before becoming its onscreen general manager and would later head the revived ECW brand. He would depart from the company after a behind-the-scenes dispute with Vince [=McMahon=] over ECW's only pay-per-view under WWE post-revival, ''December to Dismember''. He returned to WWE in May 2012, as the "[[InsistentTerminology advocate]]" for Wrestling/BrockLesnar, and would also align himself with Wrestling/CMPunk before later becoming his rival. He is the special counsel/"wise man" for Wrestling/RomanReigns since August 2020.
17
18	On March 4, 2024, Heyman was announced as the headliner of the Wrestling/WWEHallOfFame class of 2024.
19	----
20
21	!!These tropes will be taken to the EXTRRRRREME!:
22	* ActionSurvivor: Paul Heyman is not a combatant at all. Wrestling/ChrisBenoit {{no\|Sell}}-sold a kendo stick shot from him; Benoit was a relatively (by WWE standards) small wrestler who was not known for no selling at all.
23	* AintTooProudToBeg:
24	** When things are not going his way and he's about to suffer a beating from [[BullyingADragon the party he's gone out of his way to antagonize]], he'll be reduced to begging for his life.
25	** He would also do this for his clients:
26	*** One of the best examples of this was during the ''Survivor Series 2016'' pay-per-view event: [[spoiler:when he saw that Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} laid Wrestling/BrockLesnar out with two Spears and was about to go for the [[FinishingMove Jackhammer]], he desperately begged Goldberg to not go through with it. Goldberg didn't listen.]]
27	*** Does so again at ''Wrestling/SummerSlam 2017'' [[spoiler:when {{Wrestling/Braun Strowman}} drove Brock Lesnar through two announce tables and flipped the third one on top of him.]]
28	** It doesn't even have to be him or his clients suffering. During his run with Heidenreich, he begged him to stop his NoHoldsBarredBeatdown of Charlie Haas, because he was afraid Heidenreich would get fired for it.
29	* AmoralAttorney: His run in WWE from 2012 onwards had this in spades. He took to wear more sharp suits, and eschewed being referred to as a "manager" (albeit WWE seems to be phasing out the term "manager" anyway) in favor of being called an "advocate" for his clients.
30	* AscendedExtra: He originally joined ECW in the summer of 1993 to help then-booker Wrestling/EddieGilbert teach younger wrestlers how to perform on interviews, before later taking over as booker following Gilbert's departure and then buying the company outright.
31	* ArchEnemy:
32	** Jim Cornette, as they carried a long grudge that played out both on-screen and off.
33	** On-screen, ECW referee Bill Alfonso and [[Wrestling/JerryLawler Jerry "The King" Lawler]].
34	** Wrestling/TheUndertaker in WWF/E, who Heyman's been managing guys into feuds with since 2001. Making it only fitting when [[Wrestling/BrockLesnar his star client]] [[HeroKiller conquered]] [[DefeatingTheUndefeatable the streak]].
35	** Likewise Wrestling/JohnCena, who's been able to say the same since late 2003. Cue apropos when Brock Lesnar completely {{curb stomp\|Battle}}ed [[TheHero the face of the WWE]] to become its world champion.
36	* AuthorAppeal: Since he took creative control of Raw, there has been a marked increase in storylines involving married superstars getting cheated on by their wives. This is apparently inspired by the marital troubles of some of Heyman’s many friends.
37	** Speaking of the above, Heyman is also known for his LoveTriangle storylines, usually including a lesbian relationship. Some examples include Wrestling/TommyDreamer-Wrestling/BeulahMcGillicutty-Wrestling/KimonaWanalaya in ECW, Wrestling/TorrieWilson-Wrestling/DawnMarie-Al Wilson on ''[=SmackDown=]'' in 2002-2003, and [[Wrestling/RusevAndLana Rusev-Lana]]-Wrestling/BobbyLashley on ''Raw'' on 2019-2020.
38	** Heyman's booking philosophy is focusing on the wrestler's strengths, while hiding their weaknesses, which he calls, "Accentuate the positives, and hide the negatives".
39	* BadBoss: Notorious for willfully screwing his workers out of pay. While everybody continued to work for no pay, Heyman slipped quietly to L.A. to cameo in ''Rollerball''. The salary from Paul E's film appearance (basically a golden parachute) wasn't invested in his dying business; rather, he allegedly hired an agent and wined & dined some TV executives to find other work. Nobody apart from Paul's right-hand man, Tod Gordon (himself a pariah for trading ECW workers to "Al-Qaida" aka WCW), knew about this, to the extent that Wrestling/ShaneDouglas was owed tens of thousands of dollars by the time ECW collapsed. Some wrestlers used it as fodder for angles. Steve Corino in Wrestling/RingOfHonor would also talk about how much Paul owed him, before [[CheapHeat blaming ROH fans for deserting ECW when it was going under]], New Jack would talk about how all his garbage wrestling ended up leaving him broke, forcing him to return to "regular" wrestling in PWX.
40	* BadassBoast: "You don't need to sell your soul to the Devil, the Devil sold his soul to ''me!''"
41	* BaddieFlattery:
42	** One of his favorite talking points to frame the magnitude of a Brock Lesnar match is to put over and praise a potential or guaranteed future opponent of Lesnar's and put over how strong, talented, badass, courageous, etc. they are and how they could beat any man on the roster…but then immediately turn it around to say they're not facing a man, they're facing a beast, and Brock Lesnar will still take them apart like if they were anyone else. This tendency routinely causes people to wonder whether this is "the one", the opponent and the time who Heyman will take the chance of betraying Lesnar again for — nevermind the fact Heyman's only back on the show because Lesnar wants Heyman cutting his promos.
43	** Subverted and thoroughly justified in October 2017 when he addressed Lesnar's ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries'' cross-brand opponent, WWE Champion Wrestling/JinderMahal; he states that he doesn't trash-talk Lesnar's opponents the way fans would like him to because that is [[DiscreditedTrope tired and played out]], and [[WorthyOpponent anyone positioned to fight Brock Lesnar must have something real to them]]... but [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness Mahal is an exception]], as he and Lesnar don't consider Mahal a WorthyOpponent or even a worthy WWE Champion and Lesnar plans to brutalize Mahal similar to how he did Wrestling/RandyOrton a few months prior at ''[=SummerSlam=] 2017''. In fact, this promo was such a rare return to Paul E.'s old-school scathing form that some believed Heyman was in part responsible for Mahal losing the WWE Championship to Wrestling/AJStyles before ''Survivor Series'' and thus changing the match to a dream-match scenario of Styles vs. Lesnar.
44	* BaitAndSwitch: At 2018's ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries'', before Brock Lesnar's match against Daniel Bryan, Heyman introduced "the single greatest pound-for-pound fighter in WWE history" while pointing at Bryan, before directing the gesture back towards Lesnar.
45	* BaldOfEvil: He used to have a scraggly ponytail back in WCW, but for years now he's been bald (but not quite a slaphead).
46	* BigBad: One of the more recurring ones in WWE, as he often persuades heels to work for him. Perhaps his biggest period was 2011-2013, where, for a time, he was managing multiple heels.
47	* BigNo:
48	** Gives several of these at Survivor Series 2016 right before [[spoiler:Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} hits Lesnar with his second Spear of the match to set up the Jackhammer and finish his [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomp]] of the Beast]].
49	** Paul can be heard screaming it at the top of his lungs as he watched his world as he knew it crumbled as [[spoiler:Wrestling/CodyRhodes set up his last [=CrossRhodes=] to beat Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Championship at [=WrestleMania=] 40]].
50	* BigOMG: He could clearly be heard screaming "Oh my God!" (complete with over-the-top facial expressions) when Brock Lesnar defeated the Undertaker and ended the Streak at [=WrestleMania=]. Without even being miked up. Even better, that was ''[[EnforcedMethodActing genuine]]''; only Lesnar, Undertaker, Wrestling/TripleH, Wrestling/{{Vince\|McMahon}}, and Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon knew that the match would end with a Lesnar win.
51	* BitingTheHandHumor: From the December 4, 2003 ''[=SmackDown!=]''. While working in his role as ''[=SmackDown=]'' [[CorruptCorporateExecutive General Manager]], Wrestling/DawnMarie walked into his office looking for a position in his "administration." She tried coming on to him, but Heyman turned her down, saying, "I'm not a [=McMahon=]. I don't do the help."
52	* TheBusCameBack: After leaving the WWE after the failed ''ECW December to Dismember'' PPV on December 3, 2006, he came back in 2012 to act as Brock Lesnar's legal advisor, and CM Punk's... erm, something or other. He later said that regarding Punk the correct term was "best friend." Keyword: ''was''.
53	* CatchPhrase:
54	** Since his return he has often opened his promos with the words "Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Paul Heyman".
55	** "My client, Brock Lesnar, conquered The Undertaker's undefeated streak at [=WrestleMania=]!"
56	** After Lesnar won the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and later the WWE Universal Championship, he would say "I am the advocate for the reigning, defending, undisputed WWE Heavyweight Champion of the World/Universal Heavyweight Champion, BRRRRRRRROOOOOOCK LLLLLESNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARR!"
57	** When talking about future outcomes, he'll almost always end his speeches with "That is not a prediction, that is a spoiler".
58	** During his time as the “wise man” for Roman Reigns, he always responds to Roman calling for him with “Yes, my Tribal Chief?”
59	** To his smartphone at least once every episode Roman Reigns is away, "Call Roman Reigns."
60	* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: He reminds one of a sleazy New Yorker archetype. Paul would sell out his own ''mother'' if he saw the writing on the wall.
61	* ConsummateLiar: You can always trust Paul (to be dishonest)![[labelnote:*]]Unless he's talking about Brock Lesnar. Then you can expect him to actually be honest. Maybe.[[/labelnote]]
62	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: As the General Manager of ''[=SmackDown=]'', after he replaced the more reasonable Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon. Yeah, you read that correctly.
63	* TheCorrupter:
64	** He has a tendency in kayfabe to be able to convert ''anyone'' to his cause with a few honey-soaked words playing to their egos and insecurities.
65	** Subverted with his alliance with Roman Reigns. Heyman claimed that he didn't corrupt Reigns, but that ''Reigns'' corrupted ''him''. One would probably decry that as Heyman's typical deflection -- and then ''Clash of Champions 2020'' happened, and suddenly it looked like [[AxCrazy Heyman was telling the truth]].
66	* DarkerAndEdgier: His booking in [=ECW=] was a very famous successful example of this trope.
67	* DirtyCoward: Paul's kayfabe character is an arrogant, sneering asshole to make Wrestling/BobbyHeenan proud. He can shoot off his mouth the way he does because he can hide behind his clients, who double as his bodyguards. When those bodyguards are out of the way, Paul will grovel for mercy to anyone who threatens him.
68	* DistractedByTheSexy: In his arm-wrestling match with Missy Hyatt at ''[=WCW=] Clash of the Champions XIV'', January 30, 1991, after she took off her jacket to reveal low-cut spandex, giving her the easy victory. To his credit, from that occasion onwards he was able to [[NotDistractedByTheSexy overcome this weakness]] with time and wisdom.
69	* DrinkingTheKoolAid: Invoked the trope in-character as the explanation for [=ECW=]'s popularity; also used to refer to Heyman and the rest of the ECW wrestlers' cultlike mentality and loyalty.
70	* EtTuBrute: CM Punk had this reaction when Heyman screwed him out of winning the Money in the Bank ladder match (which, had he won, would have made a ''three''-time winner).
71	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: He genuinely cares for Brock Lesnar and was willing to put himself at risk to protect him from Triple H at Extreme Rules in 2013.
72	* EvenEvilHasStandards
73	** Like Wrestling/JerryLawler before him, he was not a fan of Wrestling/RightToCensor and took offense to Wrestling/JimRoss using the word "extremist" in describing them, as he didn't want a word used to describe ECW wrestlers, who famously broke standards, to be used to describe a stable of MoralGuardians.
74	** When he managed Heidenreich, he had this reaction to his client attacking Charlie Haas, while enraged at The Undertaker.
75	** Seemed genuinely horrified when Brock Lesnar broke Wrestling/ShawnMichaels' arm in the lead-up to Lesnar's match with Wrestling/TripleH at ''[=SummerSlam=] 2012''. It didn't seem so much the act as that Brock actually ''went through with it'' despite Triple H abiding by their commands.
76	** On the January 28, 2013 episode of ''Raw'', Brock Lesnar returned, interrupting Wrestling/VinceMcMahon's firing of Heyman. Soon after, Brock decided it would be a good idea to hit Vince with an [[FinishingMove F5]]. Heyman, on the other hand, did not and was horrified.
77	** Heyman also ''begged'' Lesnar during his rampage on the March 30, 2015 episode of ''Raw'' to not harm various people at ringside after Seth Rollins refused to give him his rematch for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship -- Lesnar didn't listen, and proceeded to upturn the announcers' table ''onto the announcers'', throw J&J Security over the SpanishAnnouncersTable, and then F5 both Wrestling/MichaelCole and a ''cameraman'' despite Heyman's pleas. Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon was also genuinely horrified by the act, tried to talk him down, and when he look posed to continue, didn't hesitate to suspend him and kick him out of the arena.
78	** At ''Wrestling/SummerSlam'' 2016, Brock Lesnar busted Wrestling/RandyOrton open with an elbow to the forehead and won his match via TKO. Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon came out to check on his wrestler (since Orton was signed to ''[[Wrestling/WWESmackDown SmackDown]]'', Shane's show), and Lesnar not only prevented him from reaching Orton, but hit him with an F5 for pretty much no reason. Heyman was not happy.
79	--->'''Heyman:''' WHAT DID YOU DO?!
80	** ''Survivor Series 2018''. During Brock's match with Daniel Bryan, Heyman who usually puts on a smug look on his face, looks terrified and worried the whole time. This is jusitified since Bryan's history of neck injuries that at one time nearly put him in an early retirement, not to mention Brock's specialty is ALL about slamming opponents on their head ''hard''. Just look at Heyman's reaction after the first of Brock's many suplexs is hit.
81	** ''Clash of Champions 2020''. Watching his new client Roman Reigns beat the utter hell out of Jey Uso, ''his own cousin'', just because the guy wouldn't submit and "acknowledge" him as head of the table, horrified even Heyman. To the point that Paul even tried to stop Reigns by calling him "tribal chief" himself and then literally demanded Jey's brother Jimmy throw in the towel to stop the massacre. No other moment illustrated this more than when Reigns' arms were raised in victory at the end of the match. No matter how brutal Lesnar got during a match, Heyman was always all smiles when he was victorious. He was ''not'' smiling when Reigns won -- instead, he looked utterly terrified, with a MyGodWhatHaveIDone look on his face, as if he realized that signing up with Reigns was a terrible, ''terrible'' mistake.
82	** In the April 12, 2024 episode of ''[=SmackDown=]'', he reacts in horror upon seeing Solo Sikoa bringing in Tama Tonga into The Bloodline and beat up his own brother Jimmy Uso right in front of him. The following week, Solo and Tonga, who he considers the latter his MFT, continue to assert their takeover of the Bloodline by beating up Wrestling/KevinOwens.
83	* TheFace: One of the reasons Heyman was paired with Brock Lesnar was because Lesnar wasn't very good on the microphone. Heyman typically did the promo work for them, while Lesnar just let his fists do the talking.
84	* FatBastard: And unlike ComicBook/TheKingpin (with whom he otherwise could share some attributes), it is ''not'' a source of StoutStrength. He was comically nicknamed "The Walrus" at one point.
85	* AFatherToHisMen:
86	** During the ECW invasion of WWF/WWE. When he and the ECW locker room did not have a common enemy to stand against, he quickly abandoned this stance.
87	** A big reason why ''Barely Legal'' went off without a hitch is because Heyman met with each wrestler individually before the show. It was ECW's first live [=PPV=] and people were getting butterflies. Heyman probably had better things to be doing but he understood that morale needed to be kept up.
88	** In one of the periodic ECW documentaries WWE puts out, Dreamer is mentioned as saying to Heyman "I will '''die''' for this company." Obviously the adrenaline rush/head injuries weren't helping, but it's no secret that Paul Heyman was the Jim Jones of pro wrestling for a little while.
89	* FullNameBasis: With Wrestling/BrockLesnar. He doesn't call him just "Brock," he doesn't call him just "Lesnar," it's "BRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOCK LESNARRRRRRRRR!!!"
90	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Much of Heyman’s contributions to backstage scenes with the Bloodline is to stay in the back behind Roman and quietly react to whatever’s happening with hilariously ridiculous facial expressions.
91	* HammyHerald: Heyman is always, ''[[SeriousBusiness always]]'', the one to introduce Brock Lesnar when he enters the ring for a fight or segment. He also [[MouthOfSauron does all Lesnar's promos for him]]. By all indications this is because Lesnar, whatever his in-ring ability, is not good on the mic; when he returned to WWE, he cut one disastrous promo and, immediately recognizing that it was terrible, he pushed for Heyman to be brought back for this exact reason.
92	* HannibalLecture: A hindsight variation. During Triple H's feud with Lesnar, Heyman had him warned over and over that he was past his prime and would only be decimated. Naturally Hunter didn't take any of it seriously during the time, however after losing to Lesnar he was left genuinely wondering if he had a point and started a TenMinuteRetirement.
93	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Had this dynamic with CM Punk when he returned to WWE in 2012. ''Had'', because when Punk asked Heyman not to interfere with his matches anymore and told him he wasn't one of his "clients", but his best friend, Heyman decided to turn on him. He and Brock, meanwhile, are this both in-character ''and'' in RealLife.
94	* HeyThatsMyLine: He's pretty particular about being the only one allowed to introduce Brock Lesnar. If the in-ring announcer tries to do so, Heyman will non-verbally stop them, gesture to be given the microphone, and then introduce Lesnar as [[LargeHam only he can]].
95	* HistoryRepeats: When his then-client Wrestling/BrockLesnar defended the WWE Championship against Wrestling/BigShow at ''Survivor Series 2002'' despite Heyman's insistence Lesnar not do so, Heyman ended up betraying Lesnar and siding with Show, leading to Lesnar's first pinfall defeat in WWE. On the July 4, 2006 edition of the WWE version of ECW, Wrestling/RobVanDam defends the ECW World Championship against Big Show, despite Heyman telling him not to do so. Heyman once again screws his client, paving the way for Big Show to once again become champ with Heyman's help.
96	* HotBlooded: When he really gets going in his promos. He also mocked the idea in an interview with Renee Young while explaining how CM Punk was set to go off like a volcano but he, Heyman, was in control of his emotions... right.
97	* HypocriticalHumor: From the October 25, 2001 edition of ''[=SmackDown=]'': "How can Wrestling/JeffHardy wrestle in a baseball hat? What kind of man goes to work wearing a baseball hat?!" Said while wearing a baseball cap, {{lampshaded}} by Wrestling/MichaelCole.
98	* IFightForTheStrongestSide: If he's managing you, expect to be back-stabbed when someone tougher comes along. One of his mottos is to always look for "the next big thing". Which ironically enough turned out to be a [[Wrestling/BrockLesnar certain freakishly strong wrestler's]] RedBaron when he met him in 2002.
99	* ImprovisedWeapon: His cellular phone, when they first came out in the 1980s and were big bricks and easier to use to hit someone.
100	* InsistentTerminology:
101	** Has a habit of using unique descriptors when it comes to Brock Lesnar. Instead of "WWE Champion" or "WWE Universal Champion", (depending on which title Brock has) as every other man to hold the belt was/is known, he refers to him as the "Reigning, defending, undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight Champion/WWE Heavyweight Champion of the World." Brock also isn't a "wrestler" or a "superstar"; he's a "fighter" (similarly, he "fights" as opposed to "wrestling" or "competing").
102	** He also doesn't like being called a "manager", instead preferring being called an "advocate".
103	** This continues into his "special counsel" role with Roman, in which not only he do the prior stuff above for Roman (as the [[{{Pun}} Reign-ing]], defending, undisputed WWE Universal Heavyweight Champion]]), but also calls him the ''sole'' preeminent Champion of WWE, calling the other champions mere title-holders.
104	* JerkassHasAPoint: Most managers tend to backpedal by coming up with excuses as to why their clients came up short in a match, like how Lesnar came up short in his 2012 Extreme Rules match against Wrestling/JohnCena, even after ''slaughtering'' him for 20+ minutes. However, Heyman's excuse, that Lesnar was "only at 50%", contains a [[RealitySubtext kernel of truth]], as Lesnar's constant issues with diverticulitis have kept him from performing at full strength and even proved to be a detriment in some cases, like in his ''Wrestling/SummerSlam 2012'' match with Wrestling/TripleH. When Brock returned to full strength in late 2014 and beat the piss out of Cena in one of the most dominant performances ever by a world title challenger, it became clear that Heyman wasn't lying.
105	** And in [=WrestleMania=] XXX, Heyman kept encouraging an injured Brock on a few occasions with "[[YouPutTheXInXY You're the 1 in 21-1!]]", although the former was unaware that he would soon be proven right due to Vince [=McMahon=]'s decision that Brock would end the Undertaker's Streak.
106	* KneelBeforeZod: To the Undertaker after stealing his urn, kidnapping Wrestling/PaulBearer and threatening to bury him in cement. It only worked once, as Taker took the urn back and ''buried Paul Bearer in cement himself''.
107	* LargeHam: One of the only people capable of upstaging ''Vince [=McMahon=]''.
108	* LaserGuidedKarma: His constant UnsportsmanlikeGloating about how Lesnar broke Wrestling/TheUndertaker's streak led to the Dead Man costing Lesnar a championship match in retaliation. To cite 'Taker's words on the matter, he was fine with having his streak broken; that's part and parcel of ''having'' a streak in the first place. Heyman running his mouth about it at every opportunity, however? That's another thing entirely.
109	* MadScientist: One of his [[RedBaron nicknames]] is "The Mad Scientist of Professional Wrestling".
110	* ManipulativeBastard: What he had to become after he lost his position as General Manager of ''[=SmackDown=]'' and thus no longer had any true authority on a show of wrestlers just itching to kick his ass.
111	* TheMole: The July 9, 2001 ''Raw'' had seen the surprise debuts of Wrestling/TommyDreamer and Wrestling/RobVanDam, followed by Paul's [[http://www.cagematch.net/?id=93&nr=1034 "This invasion just got taken to the extreme!"]] promo. That Thursday on ''[=SmackDown!=]'', he cut a promo where he proclaimed that he was the mole who had fed Shane [=McMahon=] the information he needed to buy WCW out from under Vince's nose.
112	* MouthOfSauron: His primary role as "[[InsistentTerminology advocate]]" is to serve as mouthpiece for Wrestling/BrockLesnar and later to a lesser extent for Wrestling/RomanReigns, who is much more eager to take the mic for himself.
113	* MyFriendsAndZoidberg:
114	** On the October 29, 2012 edition of ''Raw'', he addressed the crowd as "Ladies, gentlemen, and the people of Charlotte."
115	** During his appearance on "[[Wrestling/TheMiz Miz]] [[TalkShowWithFists TV]]" on the June 28, 2013 episode of ''[=SmackDown=]'', while introducing Curtis Axel, he said, "Ladies and gentlemen, and you too, Miz."
116	* MyNameIsInigoMontoya: How he introduces himself to the WWE Universe while cutting promos.
117	* MysteriousMiddleInitial: The "E." in "Paul E. Dangerously." While in ECW, he'd say "The 'E' stands for ''Extreme''," it was never clarified what, if anything, it stood for ''prior'' to ECW. Probably due to taking his ring name from ''Film/JohnnyDangerously'' due to him bearing a passing resemblance in his youth to Creator/MichaelKeaton, he added the "E." in order to keep the rhythm of the name, rather than be "Paulie Dangerously".
118	* NonActionGuy: He's been in some matches, but it's really not his role. Anyone who gets past his clients (who typically double as his bodyguards) can usually reduce him to pathetically begging for mercy.
119	* OhCrap: Heyman's a master of this face, and given that's he's also a master of the SmugSnake persona, it's almost always extremely satisfying to see.
120	** His face when [=McMahon=] fired him the night after ''Survivor Series 2001'' was priceless, especially since it ended the remnant of The Alliance once and for all.
121	*** It got even worse for Heyman when [=McMahon=] announced the former's replacement at the commentary desk, the returning [[Wrestling/JerryLawler Jerry "The King" Lawler]].
122	** A red-letter example was his trolling of Wrestling/EddieGuerrero and Wrestling/ReyMysterio (see PoliticallyIncorrectVillain), which he just ''had'' to cap off with "[[NoManOfWomanBorn ...and there's not a]] ''[[NoManOfWomanBorn man alive]]'' [[NoManOfWomanBorn who's gonna stand in my way!]]" Then Wrestling/TheUndertaker's GONG went off. His face instantly went to, "Wait a second, that's not who I think it is..." Then it went off again and the lights cut out. Cue epic "OhCrap" face, and, naturally, cue [[FinishingMove Tombstone Piledriver]].
123	** After Wrestling/{{Goldberg}} hit Lesnar with the second consecutive Spear during their ''Wrestling/SurvivorSeries 2016'' match and looked like he was going to go for the [[FinishingMove Jackhammer]], Heyman was ''on his knees'' at ringside with his hands together, desperately praying for either Goldberg to have mercy (fat chance of that), or possibly divine intervention.
124	** The July 30, 2018 edition of ''Raw'' sees an awesome DoubleSubversion. First, after Wrestling/KurtAngle fired Heyman on the spot for Lesnar's continued no-shows on ''Raw'', Heyman grabs Angle by the leg and begins begging to let him keep his job. Then Lesnar's theme begins blaring over the loudspeakers, causing Heyman to break out into a shit-eating grin as Lesnar gives Angle an F-5. Then Lesnar grabs a shocked Heyman by the throat, choking him and forcing him down to the mat.
125	** His reaction to seeing his newest client Wrestling/RomanReigns match against his own cousin Jey Uso. Roman was absolutely tearing Jey apart, and Paul was just watching in horror that someone is capable of doing this to his own family. When Roman begins demanding Jey to "acknowledge" him as the head of the table, Paul tries to calm him by saying "you're my tribal chief", but it doesn't work. What scary is that, with Brock Lesnar, you get the sense he has some semblance of control over him, like if he's about to kill someone, Heyman can somehow convince him not to. Roman, on the other hand, doesn't roll like that, and continues to beat his cousin until Jimmy Uso comes in and throws in the towel on behalf of Jey. Paul might work with Roman, but he certainly can't control him, and he knows that.
126	** At no point has Heyman more visibly bricked it during his tenure with Roman than ''Night of Champions 2023,'' specifically at the end of Roman's main event tag match against Wrestling/SamiZayn and Wrestling/KevinOwens alongside Solo Sikoa. Perfectly reasonable, really, when the man just saw his boss get ''murdered'' by his own cousin.
127	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: In his post-''Survivor Series 2016'' interview with Michael Cole, Heyman was noticeably unshaven, bedraggled, and during some parts actually ''cried.'' You'd think it would be because of Lesnar's CurbStompBattle by Goldberg, only for Heyman to wholly admit that both he and Lesnar had vastly underestimated Goldberg due to his 12 years of inactivity from wrestling. That wasn't the part that had Heyman in fits; what was throwing Heyman for a loop was seeing Lesnar in a mood he's ''never'' seen him in before, a mood in which Lesnar feels the need to ''prove himself.''
128	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain:
129	** Crossed with BullyingADragon[=/=]TooDumbToLive: At the ''[=WCW=] [=WrestleWar=] '91'' [=PPV=] on February 24, 1991, he made the very dumb decision to issue racist threats to ''[[Wrestling/GiantGonzalez El Gigante (Giant González)]]'', who was '''7'7"''' and over 400 lbs., and of course Gigante beat him up for it.
130	** In a great example of TheDogBitesBack: At ''WCW Halloween Havoc 92'', October 25, 1992, [[Wrestling/{{Vader}} Big Van Vader]] (w/manager Wrestling/HarleyRace) defended the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/wcw/wcw-us-h.html WCW United States Heavyweight Title]] against [[Wrestling/NikitaKoloff "The Russian Nightmare" Nikita Koloff]], retiring him in the process, for [[Wrestling/RickRude "Ravishing" Rick Rude]], who was challenging Wrestling/MasahiroChono for the [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/nwa/world/nwa-h.html NWA World Heavyweight Title]] that night. After the match, Paul E. fired Wrestling/{{Madusa}} from what remained of the Dangerous Alliance (Paul E., Madusa, and Rude)[[note]][[Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin "Stunning" Steve Austin]] had broken away, Wrestling/ArnAnderson and Bobby Eaton were aligned with Michael Hayes, and Larry Zbyszko had been kicked out following his costing the D.A. the win in [[GimmickMatches War Games]] against Wrestling/{{Sting}}'s Squadron ([=Sting=][=/=]Wrestling/RickySteamboat[=/=][[Wrestling/{{Goldust}} Dustin Rhodes]][=/=]Nikita Koloff[=/=]Wrestling/BarryWindham) at ''[=WrestleWar=] 92'' on May 17.[[/note]], [[http://www.cagematch.net/?id=93&nr=195 saying that he only hired her "because the other hooker had a prior engagement," and finished with "And because you're a woman and I know that means that you're stupid, I spell it out for you: F-I-R-E-D! FIRED! FIRED! FIRED!]]" Madusa, of course, proceeded to kick Paul E.'s ass right off of the stage, even scaring away Vader, who would go on to become the company's resident ''[[WrestlingMonster monster heel]]'', and Race, an ''8-time'' NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
131	** In his run as a heel manager, Heyman was very much disparaging of Hispanic wrestlers like Wrestling/EddieGuerrero and Wrestling/{{Rey Mysterio\|Jr}}. After a bigoted speech to the both of them after a match on ''[=SmackDown=]'' on March 18, 2004, he ranted on about his "vision" for ''[=SmackDown=]'' and made the mistake of boasting that [[NoManOfWomanBorn there wasn't a man alive who would stand in his way]]. This was the cue for Wrestling/TheUndertaker to show up and enter the ring, proceeding to Tombstone Heyman after Mysterio and Guerrero pushed him right into Taker's arms.
132	* PowerStable:
133	** The Dangerous Alliance, most famously in WCW, though he had different versions of the group in ECW, ICW/IWCCW (New England), and Continental (Alabama).
134	** The (WCW/ECW) Alliance in WWE in 2001.
135	* PutOnABus: Left the WWE after the failed ''ECW December to Dismember'' PPV in December 3, 2006. [[TheBusCameBack He would later come back]] in 2012 to act as Brock Lesnar's and CM Punk's legal advisor.
136	* RedBaron: (as manager Paul E. Dangerously): "The Psycho Yuppie"; (as booker/promoter of ECW) "The Mad Scientist of Professional Wrestling."
137	* RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun: "My client, Brock Lesnar, conquered the streak!"
138	* RewatchBonus: Knowing that Paul is a longtime family friend of The Wrestling/SamoanDynasty, combined with his role as "Special Counsel" in Roman Reigns' 2020 FaceHeelTurn, puts all of Heyman's BaddieFlattery towards "The Samoan Badass" in his long-running world title feud with Brock Lesnar in a whole new light.
139	* RunningGag: For a while, during the constant reminder that Brock Lesnar conquered Wrestling/TheUndertaker's streak... his mic would mysteriously be cut out.
140	* SandInMyEyes: Heyman was clearly overwhelmed at the enthusiastic crowd at ''ECW One Night Stand 2005'' chanting "THANK YOU PAUL" for five minutes straight, but he tried to pass it off.
141	-->'''Heyman:''' I want you all to know I'm not crying. My eyes are red because I was in the back [[TheStoner smoking a joint]] with [[Wrestling/RobVanDam Van Dam]]!
142	* SayMyName: One of [=ECW=]'s greatest moments is the crowd chanting "THANK YOU PAUL" for five minutes straight during ''ECW One Night Stand 2005''.
143	* ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney: This behavior eventually cost him his job as the ''[=SmackDown=]'' GM, as he went well beyond the bounds of his authority several times.
144	* SelfDeprecation: After [[Wrestling/TheDudleyBoys The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von)]] left ECW for WWE in September 1999, Heyman repackaged their manager Sign Guy Dudley (real name Lou D'Angeli) as a knockoff of ''himself,'' (or rather, his previous "Paul E. Dangerously" manager persona) as "Lou E. Dangerously." Lou E. even assembled his own stable, the New Dangerous Alliance, with "The Enforcer" C.W. Anderson, long-time ECW jobber "Beautiful" Bill Wiles, valet Elektra (real name Donna Adamo, the real-life wife-turned-ex-wife of Alex "Big Dick Dudley" Rizzo), and ''Erik Watts,'' the legendarily talentless son of legendary promoter "Cowboy" Bill Watts, who had fired Paul E. from [=WCW=] in January 1993. On the January 1, 2000 (taped December 23, 1999) episode of ''ECW Hardcore TV,'' Japanese [[GarbageWrestler hardcore wrestler]] Kintaro Kanemura d. C.W. Anderson (w/Lou E.) Before the match, Lou E. cut a promo where he said that he wasn't paying tribute to Paul E. because Paul E. sucks.
145	* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: The weak, out of shape, scheming sensitive guy who acts as a mouthpiece to Brock Lesnar's strong and tough manly man.
146	* ShareTheMalePain: When Rey Mysterio hit Brock with a low blow at ''Survivor Series'' 2019, Heyman could be seen doubling over in the background, squinting and shouting, "Oh, my God!"
147	* ShoutOut: Heyman's early ring name "Paul E. Dangerously" was a reference to the Creator/MichaelKeaton movie ''Film/JohnnyDangerously'', as Heyman bore a passing resemblance to Keaton when he was younger.
148	* SmugSnake: Oh, he's such an asshole that in WCW the fans cheered for ''Wrestling/JimCornette'', of the "beat Ricky Morton with a tennis racket" fame, just because they were so desperate for someone to shut up Paul E. Dangerously. He wasn't any better in WWE, and he could usually get away with shooting his mouth off because his clients tended to be very large men with {{Hair Trigger Temper}}s who also served as his bodyguards.
149	* SoapPunishment: Came off on the receiving end of this when Wrestling/{{Rhyno}} lost a "Wash Your Mouth Out With Soap" match to Wrestling/JohnCena, all the while in a Sharpshooter courtesy of Wrestling/ChrisBenoit.
150	* SoProudOfYou: After Brock Lesnar won against the Undertaker at [=WrestleMania=] XXX, a surprised Heyman shouted out a few [[BigOMG Big "OMG's!"]] before running up to Brock and shouting "You did it!" repeatedly while feeling so proud for him at the same time.
151	* TakeThat: The first in his series of promos promoting Wrestling/BrockLesnar as the challenger for Wrestling/JohnCena's WWE World Heavyweight Championship includes this:
152	--> '''Paul Heyman:''' ''[refering to The Undertaker as a myth]'' The same myth that Brock Lesnar hears every week on television when John Cena is referred to as being the greatest WWE Champion of all time.
153	* TalkShowWithFists: "The Danger Zone," in [=WCW=] and [=ECW=].
154	* TemptingFate:
155	** His rant to Wrestling/EddieGuerrero and Wrestling/ReyMysterio at the end of the first ''[=Smackdown=]'' following [=WrestleMania=] 20 contains two examples of this, the first delayed and the second more immediate:
156	*** Boasting that, as ''[=SmackDown=]'' General Manager, Heyman was the only one still guaranteed to have a job on Thursday nights following the then-upcoming 2004 WWE Draft. For the final pick of the draft, Wrestling/EricBischoff ends up drafting Heyman to ''Raw'', prompting Heyman to [[ScrewThisImOutOfHere quit on the spot]].
157	*** "...and there's not a ''[[ExactWords man alive]]'' who's gonna stand in my way!" Um, Heyman? Bad words to say when you've got someone like ''Wrestling/TheUndertaker'' around.
158	** He's developed a very bad habit of tempting fate with Triple H, insulting his [[Wrestling/StephanieMcMahon wife]] (and getting clocked in the face as a result), then later insulting his children (getting him wailed on by both [[PapaWolf Triple H]] and [[MamaBear his wife]]). Granted, he had a reason to act cocky, since they didn't get their claws into Heyman for long before [[OhCrap finding out that he'd brought Lesnar along as a surprise peace keeper.]] He was often GenreSavvy enough to do this again in later promos where he tries this (you can usually tell if Lesnar's theme is about to blare, depending on whether Heyman is suicidally [[BerserkButton pushing buttons]] or [[OpinionFlipflop sniveling cautiously]]).
159	* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Not exactly a trailer, but leading up to 2014's ''[=SummerSlam=]'', Heyman mentioned in just about every interview that Brock Lesnar would thoroughly squash John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. A very bold prediction, given Cena's tenacity and the fact that [[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt championship matches are rarely so one-sided]]. But Heyman was right all along.
160	* {{Troll}}:
161	** So, why did he continue to taunt Stephanie [=McMahon=] about her children after he had gotten enough rise out of her to get what he wanted? Why did he feel the need to insult Wrestling/BigELangston, who had done nothing wrong and nothing to him? Why... well, you could be on this entry all day if we decided to list every last thing to show why Paul Heyman is an example.
162	** On January 26, 2014, CM Punk abruptly, legitimately leaves WWE. Four months later, the ''Payback 2014'' PPV takes place in Chicago, Illinois; Punk's hometown. So, naturally, Heyman [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3leeQkAq9LE addresses it the only way he knows.]]
163	* UncleSamWantsYou: Uncle Paulie wants '''[[http://40.media.tumblr.com/440b4f5f71e3fa098d8a9e000befa365/tumblr_nqznbaApFx1sg99p0o1_500.jpg YOU]]''' for the Dangerous Alliance!
164	* UnderestimatingBadassery:
165	** Heyman tends to think little of some of the people that he and Wrestling/BrockLesnar feuds with, such as Wrestling/TheUndertaker or Wrestling/TripleH. This usually ends with them getting their asses handed to them.
166	** On the November 28, 2016 episode of ''Raw'', Heyman tearfully admits this mistake to Wrestling/MichaelCole during an interview following the conclusion of ''Survivor Series 2016''. According to Heyman, he and Brock thought that {{Wrestling/Goldberg}} would be an easy payday, considering Goldberg hasn't wrestled for 12 years. Goldberg proved both Heyman and Lesnar wrong by [[CurbstompBattle squashing The Beast]] in 86 seconds.
167	* UnsportsmanlikeGloating: Would ''not'' shut up about how Lesnar ended the Streak for the next year and a half. Unfortunately for him, this backfired ''magnificently'' when 'Taker decided to cost Lesnar his chance to regain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. If that weren't enough, 'Taker stated the following night on ''Raw'' that he wouldn't have done that had it not been for Heyman's constant gloating, more or less stating that this was all Paul's fault.
168	* VerbalTic: He always refers to Brock Lesnar by his full name during his promos, or as he puts it "BROOOOCK LESNAAAAAR!"
169	* VillainousBreakdown: Following Rollins' big (and clean) win over Lesnar at ''[=SummerSlam=] 2019'', Heyman began ranting about the WWE denying his client an automatic rematch clause... and is at a loss for words immediately after saying it before going back inside Lesnar's locker room, heavily implying that he and Lesnar are planning something, which is later confirmed to be true: going after Kofi's World Title by paying a visit to ''[=SmackDown=]!''.
170	* VocalEvolution: From the very beginning of his career, Heyman, also known as Paul E. Dangerously back then, once had a smooth, deep baritone voice at the age of 21-- until at the age of 28, his voice began to sound pretty shrill and squeaky, which he still retains to this day.
171	* WeUsedToBeFriends: With CM Punk. When Punk told Heyman he didn't need him any more, Heyman - who up till that point had been in Punk's corner - promptly turned on him, claiming that all of Punk's success had been because of him.
172	* WildCard: Upon the 2021 return of Wrestling/BrockLesnar, where Heyman's true loyalty lies between him and Wrestling/RomanReigns has become a key storyline. Played up especially hard at ''Crown Jewel (2021)'', where in the closing moments of the main event when an incapacitated ref provided the opportunity, he simply threw the Universal Championship belt in the middle of the ring between the two and simply gave the vague instructions of "[[YouKnowWhatToDo You know what to do with it]]." The ambiguous was lifted when he fully aligned with the former, and as a result the latter champ fired him on December 17, 2021 of [=SmackDown=]. Turns out, he's still aligned with Roman Reigns, instead of Brock Lesnar.
173	* WomanScorned: A rare male example, Heyman showed an example of this after CM Punk "turned" against him. ([[SelfServingMemory Heyman turned against CM Punk and tried to spin it the other way.]]) From the August 26, 2013 episode of ''Raw'', while beating a handcuffed CM Punk with a kendo stick:
174	-->'''Paul Heyman:''' I LOVED YOU! I martyred myself for you! I fathered you! I cared about you! You were everything to me! Everything! I gave you my heart! You broke my heart! I loved you!
175	* WorkedShoot: Heyman's signature style of promo, not to mention multiple [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Crowning Moments of Awesome]] for him. Pick a Heyman [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vswZ73WETpc shoot]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_xzLijve40 promo]]. ''Any'' Heyman [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XnzZXpVHMs shoot promo]]. Yes. '''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVh19RNGl_g Any.]]'''
176	* WorthIt: Heyman claimed this after his snide remarks provoked Triple H's wrath ''again'', especially since he got to bite him back by booking a career-defending match against Brock Lesnar afterwards.
177	* WorthyOpponent:
178	** Heyman and Wrestling/JimCornette speak of each other's talents far more warmly in recent years.
179	** More indirectly, he generally hypes up any opponent for Brock Lesnar as one. Subverted with Jinder Mahal, whom he ''tore to shreds''.
180	* WouldHitAGirl: Well, he ''tried,'' but Madusa kicked his ass several times in late 1992, which was appropriate (see under PoliticallyIncorrectVillain above), as he was a {{Heel}} NonActionGuy facing a {{Face}} ActionGirl.
181	* XanatosGambit:
182	** A week prior to his client Wrestling/BigShow's WWE Championship defense against Wrestling/KurtAngle at ''Armageddon 2002'', Heyman secretly picked up Angle as a client as well. No matter who won, one of his clients would be walking out of the pay-per-view as champ.
183	** He analyzed this beautifully during his guest appearance at ''[[Wrestling/WWEFastlane Fastlane 2017]]'' with regards to the Universal Championship match between Kevin Owens and Goldberg, the latter being his client Brock Lesnar's eventual opponent at ''[=WrestleMania=] 33''.
184	--->'''Heyman:''' My client wins tonight.[[labelnote:*]]Reasoning being, either Goldberg would be weakened by a loss to Owens heading into his battle with Lesnar, or he would be walking in with the Universal Championship for Brock to potentially take. The latter happened, as Goldberg beat KO for the title, and Lesnar took it from him.[[/labelnote]]
185	* YiddishAsASecondLanguage: Sarcastically said [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazel_tov "Mazel tov"]] in his promo on CM Punk on the August 16, 2013 ''[=SmackDown=]''.
186	* YouPutTheXInXY: In ''Wrestling/WrestleMania XXX'', Paul kept encouraging a beaten Brock that the latter was "the 1 in 21-1" (although Heyman didn't know that ending Wrestling/TheUndertaker's Streak was Wrestling/VinceMcMahon's decision hours before the match). And when the Streak had ended, Heyman kept repeating this mantra, especially in ''Monday Night Raw'':
187	-->'''Heyman:''' Brock Lesnar is the 1 in 21-1!
188	----
189
190	->'''"Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to remind you that... [[RuleOfThree My client, Brock Lesnar, conquered the streak!]] [[ReallyGetsAround My client, conquered the streak!]] [[RunningGag My client, Brock Lesnar, conquered the streak!]] [[BrokenRecord My client, Brock Lesnar, conquered the streak!]] [[OverlyLongGag My client, Brock Lesnar, , conquered the streak!]] [[RunningGagged My client--]]'''\

Context Wrestling / PaulHeyman