10 Things You Didn't Know About Paul Ellering
Who is NXT's newest manager?
Fans watching last Wednesday's NXT TakeOver: The End saw the return of Hall of Fame manager "Precious" Paul Ellering. After American Alpha lost the NXT Tag Team Championships to The Revival, Jason Jordan and Chad Gable were attacked by Gzim Selmani and Sunny Dhinsa, who have been wrestling at house shows as "The Authors of Pain".
After Selmani and Dhinsa laid out the former champs, Ellering made his way out onto the stage, indicating that he was taking the reigns for the fearsome new team. All three men stood together before heading to the back.
Ellering is most famous for managing The Road Warriors, but has done and seen much in the nearly 40 years since he first entered the business. His path has taken him to the American Wrestling Association, the National Wrestling Alliance, World Wrestling Entertainment, and even New Japan Pro Wrestling as both a wrestler and a manager.
The Minnesota native has also made his mark outside the ring, though, competing in a variety of different sports and public avenues. He's even followed in the footsteps of another famous Minnesota-born pro wrestler in an attempt to make his mark in the world of politics.
Here are 10 things you didn't know about Paul Ellering.
10. He Set A Deadlift World Record
Paul Ellering is best-known for taking on a less-physical role as a manager, but he's also a multi-sport athlete in his own right. He made his pro wrestling debut in his mid-20s, but prior to entering the industry, he was a competitive weightlifter. In fact, Ellering was so skilled that he set a world record, deadlifting 745 pounds in the 220 pound weight class.
Ellering's weightlifting background was often brought up in the early years of his pro wrestling career. In the 1970s, he engaged in a long-term feud with fellow Minnesotan Jesse Ventura, defending the integrity of his home state from from the faux-Californian Ventura. The two tried to show each other up in weightlifting challenges.
Years later, Ellering's younger daughter, Rachael, would follow in her father's footsteps. In 2014, Rachael won the bronze metal in the World Power Lifting Championship, crediting her dad with helping her train for the event. At the contest, Rachael expressed an interest in continuing to practice powerlifting no matter where her career takes her.