10 Wrestlers You Won't Believe Were Once Paul Heyman Guys
5. Jimmy Snuka
32 years after it happened, Jimmy Snuka is still best known as the man who leapt off the top of a steel cage at Madison Square Garden. Its status in wrestling folklore was later made even greater when footage showed that a young Mick Foley was in attendance that night, and that the moment he witnessed inspired him to become a professional wrestler. Snuka was involved in the main event of the very first WrestleMania and is a bona fide legend of the wrestling business. In 1996, Snuka was inducted into the WWEs Hall of Fame, becoming only the 18th person to be inducted. I had the privilege of working with Snuka when he visited the UK in 2006, and he was held in awe and respect by everyone he came across that weekend (he also discovered Ginsters Cheese and Onion pasties, but thats another story). But Jimmy Snuka was also a Paul Heyman guy, albeit briefly. In 1993, Heyman decided to form a new Dangerous Alliance. He took the same template as the WCW version, mixing experienced veterans whod seen it all and done it all, with younger talent whose careers were full of promise and potential. The first incarnation of The ECW Dangerous Alliance saw Paul E Dangerously bring together Snuka, Don Muraco, The Dark Patriot (Doug Gilbert under a mask) and Eddie Gilbert. Snuka had already become the first ever ECW Heavyweight Champion, winning a tournament in April 1992. By the time Dangerously came on board, hed already dropped the title to Don Muraco, and his tenure in ECW was coming to an end. While their in-ring relationship was brief, Jimmy Snuka is one of the most unlikely and high profile wrestlers to have been managed by Heyman over the years.
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.
