10 Things Everybody Gets Wrong About ECW

5. Paul Heyman Constantly Worked The Boys

Paul Heyman ECW
WWE.com

That Paul Heyman, eh? What's he like? Somehow, the silver-tongued devil was able to convince men and women to put their bodies on the line night in and night out for years without coming through with money that'd make the pain worth it. Cheques bounced and Heyman worked the boys constantly.

Except he didn't, not really.

Sure, nobody can claim with any sincerity that Heyman didn't know how to talk his way out of a tricky situation, but how is that any different to Vince McMahon or any other number of promoters? Paul didn't force his roster to do anything. They, whether duped by fancy 'rah-rah' speeches or not, did it willingly.

Make no mistake about it: everyone was in on ECW's rags-to-riches story, and they all wanted to prove they were the best locker room in the business. Heyman may have told some porkies to get through another business day, but it's hard to believe he could make anyone do anything they didn't actually want to.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.