10 Greatest Paul Heyman Creations
3. Steve Austin
When 'Stunning' Steve Austin injured his triceps while touring Japan with WCW, his subsequent firing by Eric Bischoff while on the injury list left the wounded 'Rattlesnake' in a tough spot. Unable to work and with no income, Austin received a surprise phone call from former-manager, Paul Heyman.
Soon enough, Austin was part of ECW and, although he couldn't wrestle due to injury, Heyman utilised Austin for his interviews and backstage segments. The injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise and allowed Austin to develop his mic skills and evolve as a wrestling personality.
Heyman encouraged Austin to harness his frustrations with Bischoff and WCW into impassioned promos and the results were some of the best interviews of Austin's career up to that point. His time in ECW is widely regarded as the turning point of his career and the unofficial birth of the 'Stone Cold' persona.
That same year, Austin would make his way over to the WWF as a direct result of his time in ECW. After a brief run as The Ringmaster, Austin would eventually become the 'Stone Cold' character that we know and love today. If 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin was the forest fire that set the Attitude Era alight, then Paul Heyman was the one that threw the cigarette in grass.