Paul Heyman's Time As Paul E. Dangerously In WCW, Explained
In the modern era of professional wrestling, Paul Heyman is the consensus pick as wrestling’s greatest manager. Indeed, even longtime fans wouldn’t balk at him at least being a contender for a spot on the Mt. Rushmore of all-time managers, alongside figures like Bobby Heenan, Freddie Blassie, Jim Cornette, Jimmy Hart, and Sensational Sherri.
Long before he was the Wise Man for The Bloodline or Brock Lesnar’s advocate, Heyman first made his way into fans’ living rooms under the persona of Paul E. Dangerously, with his efforts in WCW shaking up the promotion and exposing him to a truly national audience for the first time.
Paul Heyman’s Early Work With Jim Crockett Promotions/WCW
Paul Heyman signed with Jim Crockett Promotions before ownership and branding shifted to re-identify the company as World Championship Wrestling. He arrived on the scene as a cocky young heel who promptly started feuding with Jim Cornette. Indeed, Heyman came across as something like a younger Cornette as a cowardly mastermind. It was a rare point when the tennis-racket-wielding manager played the babyface as each man backed different tag teams, and their personal issue culminated in a manager vs manager Tuxedo Match at the storied Great American Bash 1989 PPV (arguably the greatest PPV in WCW history).
Heyman would go on to campaign to get to manage Mean Mark Callous--the future Undertaker whom he purports to have seen great potential in. From there, Heyman transitioned to mostly a broadcasting role. In that spot he hosted, conducted interviews, and perhaps most memorably teamed up with Jim Ross for the first time to do commentary. In the process of singing JR’s praises years later, Heyman told Bleacher Report he learned a great deal from the Oklahoman as a mentor figure during that stretch working together.
Paul Heyman’s Rise And Fall Leading The Dangerous Alliance
Paul Heyman achieved his greatest heights in WCW as the manager and namesake for The Dangerous Alliance. While Ric Flair was off in WWE, and thus The Horsemen were inactive, and years before The New World Order changed the WCW landscape, Heyman’s faction set the bar. The group was defined by its remarkable talent—most of which had been underappreciated up to that point and either represented elite veterans (Arn Anderson, Bobby Eaton, and Larry Zbyszko), top-tier stars in their primes (Rick Rude and Madusa), and a megastar waiting to happen in young Steve Austin.
The limited success the group had in terms of capturing major titles has lessened their legacy to a degree, but from fall 1991 to fall 1992 they were arguably the most over act in the company. Fittingly, they etched their names in War Games history with quite arguably the greatest iteration ever of the match, opposite Sting’s Squadron.
It’s unclear if The Dangerous Alliance would have persevered into 1993—perhaps even feuding with a reunited babyface Four Horsemen group—had behind the scenes issues not gotten in the way. Heyman left the company on poor terms in late 1992, though, and the stable’s run was over.
Paul Heyman Didn’t Think WWE Should Invest In WCW
Paul Heyman certainly didn’t rest on his laurels after leaving WCW, instead assuming a leadership role with what was then known as Eastern Championship Wrestling—an increasingly hot regional promotion based out of Philadelphia. It was Heyman’s direction that would ultimately make ECW Extreme. Under his leadership, it would become an influence on smaller promotions as well as WWE and WCW themselves as they gobbled up talents whom Heyman’s creative and mentorship had gotten over.
The year 2001 saw a stark shift in the wrestling landscape, though as WCW and ECW alike floundered in their own ways, culminating in WWE acquiring both. WWE famously had an interest in continuing to promote events under the WCW banner. Heyman was working for WWE by the time critical decision were made and, to hear Bruce Prichard tell the tale on Something to Wrestle (h/t 411mania), Heyman actively campaigned against WWE putting more money into the WCW brand, including dedicating one of their weekly TV shows to it. Prichard described Heyman’s perspective that WCW was a dead brand. It could be this was legitimately Heyman’s business perspective; it could be that his opinion was colored by bitterness over how his time with WCW came to a close. Most of all, Prichard theorized that Heyman was angling toward WWE investing in ECW’s brand instead.
In the end, WWE bought WCW’s intellectual property at bargain rates and, before long, booked an angle in which WCW and ECW alumni combined forces as The Alliance. Interestingly enough, despite Paul Heyman’s resentment of all things WCW, he was charged with putting over their brand’s name and talents as The Alliance’s representative from the broadcast table. It was an ironic coda to his history with the promotion that spanned years, peaked with The Dangerous Alliance, and ended on far from pleasant terms.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErKeoqqSowaa%2BjZympmeglsKteceesKaZnmK9osHLZpxmnJGjtKa%2Bzq6qpbFdrLC4ecSxp6WZmaOypXs%3D