Here's are two statements that should be acclaimed but may be reviled: A) It was Paul Heyman, and not Brock Lesnar, that broke the Undertaker's streak. B) If Brock Lesnar were not managed by Paul Heyman, he would have not been the wrestler that ended the streak. Paul Heyman is not Paul E. Dangerously. The cell phone wielding "psycho yuppie" that patrolled ringside in various territorial wrestling promotions and in World Championship Wrestling in absolutely no way would have ended up managing the man who broke the Undertaker's streak. Heyman's character as "Paul Heyman" is fantastic blend of work, shoot and public perception commingling at the point where being a "Paul Heyman Guy" on a storyline level involves being the protege of a master manager, owner, promoter, instigator and inspirational figure, along with agent, advocate and antagonist. There was once a time in the 1970s where the WWF's three lead heel managers - The Grand Wizard, Captain Lou Albano and "Classy" Freddie Blassie - were known as the "three wise men of the East." At a time where, though managers may be on the rise, they lack Heyman's established presence, Heyman is allowed to shine above all others. Insofar as to how this involved managers active three decades ago, Heyman blends aspects of all three wise men's best performance attributes, alongside character snippets of Jim Cornette, Gary Hart, Jimmy Hart and so many other legends whose WWF runs were either less-than-stellar or non-existent in his presentation. Thus, the heat he draws is classic, but skewed. He can pull a territorial trick out of his bag that he may have seen in Dothan, Alabama or Atlanta, Georgia out of his bag, but when say, putting over Brock Lesnar, add his own stereotypical overbearing New York Jew attitude to the trick, and it evolves into something all his own. Insofar as largely being the reason why Brock Lesnar was the man responsible for breaking the streak, if you watch Heyman's promo and ringside work in the weeks leading to, and proceeding from Wrestlemania, he's more than proven his considerable talents and worthy placement so high on the list. Aside from Lesnar, Heyman managed CM Punk during his 434-day WWE Championship run, managed the Dudley Boyz when they worked against the Undertaker, and in an angle killed the Paul Bearer character. As well, in 2002, he introduced WWE to Brock Lesnar, and then promptly managed him, the Big Show and Kurt Angle to the WWE Championship in succession. A compelling character who excels at being able to draw consistent heat from crowds who, in this era, are not so willing to "play along," he absolutely deserves such a high placement on this list.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
