10 Things That Happened Last Time Paul Heyman Worked WWE Creative

3. Rey Mysterio Became More Than A Cruiserweight

In true Paul Heyman fashion, he took a performer who otherwise would've been left to rot in the forever-overlooked Cruiserweight division and turned him into one of SmackDown's top names. Rey Mysterio, a diminutive masked man WCW had sought to ruin by removing his USP (the mask) a few years earlier, was dynamite during the second half of 2002.

After debuting in a flashy exhibition of his skills against Chavo Guerrero on the 25 July episode, Rey quickly shot up the ranks, wrestled top guy Kurt Angle at SummerSlam and then went on to form a fun tag-team with Edge. Suddenly, he wasn't the saviour of the Cruisers. Instead, Mysterio was a credit to the upper card scene.

Heyman's booking helped him become more relevant than he had been since 1997.

That should never be forgotten. Heyman laid the groundwork for Rey's later rise to main event and World Title status in a company which traditionally kept those spots for bigger men. He became a superstar under Paul E's watch.