The Many Faces Of Paul Heyman - Ranked From Worst To Best
8. The Turncoat
Heyman’s return to television several months after the Invasion, when he introduced Brock Lesnar to the world in March 2002, but his faith in ‘The Next Big Thing’ had seemingly expired by the year’s end. With Lesnar set to defend his WWE Championship against Big Show at Survivor Series, Heyman was convinced his client had no chance of winning, and tried to talk him out of it. Lesnar refused, however, and Heyman turned on him at the PPV, with his interference handing Brock his first pinfall loss.
Paul joined forces with Show in the aftermath, and the war with Lesnar rumbled on. Brock cost Show the title at Armageddon, and a few nights later, Heyman took the new champion, Kurt Angle, on as a client, leading to the infamous WrestleMania XIX match in which Lesnar botched a Shooting Star Press. Paul was set to manage Angle in the ‘Mania bout, a real-life falling out with Vince McMahon prevented this, and the feud was abandoned.
The period lasted just a few months, making it a mere footnote on Heyman’s lengthy managerial career. It’s impossible to rank this stage any higher as a result, though Paul’s performances were as impeccable as ever, particularly during the Survivor Series turn.