10 Wrestlers You Won't Believe Were Once Paul Heyman Guys
10. Nathan Jones
In 2002, Vince McMahon was looking at breaking into new global markets. The WWE had already been touring the UK twice a year for over a decade, and he saw Australia as a country with huge potential. An English speaking country that once had a thriving wrestling scene of its own as part of the NWA, Australia had tailed off into nothing by this time. McMahon knew that the key to tapping into the Australian market was to follow the British template. Davey Boy Smith had been the central figure in the UK boom, and McMahon wanted to find a native Australian to lead the charge Down Under. He found Nathan Jones. Jones was a huge man, standing 611 and weighing 320 lbs. He had previously been Australias Strongest Man and had previously dabbled in MMA and wrestling, working for the short-lived World Wrestling All-Stars promotion. Oh yeah, hed also served seven years for armed robbery in the maximum security Boggo Road jail in Australia. Not being the most experienced or fine-tuned performer in the WWEs history, he was made The Undertakers protégé in storyline as a way of introducing him to fans in a positive light and keeping his involvement to a minimum. At Survivor Series 2003, Jones was a member of Paul Heymans heavyweight team, consisting of Lesnar, Matt Morgan, A-Train (Tensai) and Big Show, facing off against Kurt Angles Team Angle. Jones was dispatched by Angle after falling to the Ankle Lock. After the Survivor Series, Jones was used as a hired gun for Lesnar and Heyman, but his star was clearly falling as the WWE realised that Jones was no British Bulldog when it came to ringwork or even just understanding the wrestling business, despite having Heyman around him to learn from. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIi7cN-cOYM In December 2003, while ironically on tour with the WWE in Australia, he quit the promotion, unable to cope with the travel schedule. After wrestling a handful more matches, he retired in 2005, never to be seen again in wrestling circles. You can put Nathan Jones down as a failed experiment in global marketing.
Dean Ayass is a well known name to British wrestling fans. A commentator, manager, booker and ring announcer who has been involved in the business since 1993, Dean's insight into the business is second to none.
