10 Wrestlers You Didn’t Know Have Bad Reputations

3. Paul Heyman

Christian Cage
WWE.com

Paul Heyman revolutionised professional wrestling through ECW. The landscape looks significantly different and considerably worse without his seismic influence over it. 

Beyond the fiction of the medium, Heyman was cast as a babyface within the wrestling fandom. Heyman was the writer in touch with the post-casual fanbase of the early 2000s, the man who appealed to their discerning tastes through the SmackDown Six era - but was ostracised for beating Vince McMahon at the ratings game. Heyman was also depicted as the man who tried but valiantly failed to restore the spirit of ECW in 2006. In 2024, having masterminded the rise of the heel Roman Reigns character, Heyman is received as something between industry saviour and creative demigod. 

Yes, people are aware that Heyman was an inveterate carny who screwed a lot of people over, but in a weird way, that actually enhances his mystique as someone who best played the dirty, fascinating game over which we’re all hopelessly obsessed. 

Paul Heyman exploited Sunny’s real-life addiction issues for a ratings stunt and screwed over Chris Candido financially, as he hid many others. The circumstances surrounding Candido’s 2005 passing make for especially tragic reading with that information in mind.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!