10 Things That Happened Last Time Paul Heyman Worked WWE Creative
7. Al Wilson
Well, we did say it wasn't all good.
WWE were obsessed with raunch and courting controversy in late-2002. Over on Raw, there was talk of necrophilia and 'HLA' (the regrettable 'Hot Lesbian Action'). On SmackDown, pensioners were getting down and dirty with hot Divas like Dawn Marie and dancing in their underpants. The pensioner in question? The immortal Al Wilson.
The funny thing here is that Heyman's first episode as Executive Director of Raw this past week upped the amount of soap opera-style drama and profanity. This can be traced back first to his original ECW days, then his stint as SmackDown's creative chief in '02. Back then, Paul E enjoyed a bit of the same 'ha ha' typically attributed to Vince McMahon's love of sophomoric humour.
Al, Torrie Wilson's father, was a class example. He gobbled up TV time in lengthy segments with Dawn and his daughter, and he ended up marrying Marie before passing away in storyline. It was horrible, if light-hearted, stuff, and a reminder that not everything Heyman touches turns to gold.