The Many Faces Of Paul Heyman - Ranked From Worst To Best
2. ECW's Figurehead
Heyman initially tried to form a new Texas-based promotion with Jim Crockett Jr., after leaving WCW, but while Crockett wanted to establish a traditional wrestling-based brand, Paul had loftier ambitions. He and Crockett split, and he became Eastern Championship Wrestling’s creative leader in September 1993, allowing him to finally act on his vision of wrestling’s extreme future.
ECW’s major turning point came in August 1994, when Shane Douglas famously threw the NWA World Championship down, denouncing its tradition, and declaring himself the new ECW Champion in the process. A new era had dawned, and Heyman was its figurehead.
As an on-air character, Heyman was ECW’s public face, authority figure, and hype man all rolled into one. His fiery, uncensored promos made him a huge cult favourite, and while he didn’t always cover himself in glory behind the scenes, Paul’s performances never dipped when the cameras were rolling.
From his worked shoot on TNN to the 1997 WWE invasion, this phase of Heyman’s career was full of highlights. It ultimately ended with Paul joining Vince McMahon’s company when ECW went out of business in January 2001, but it made him a near legendary figure in the industry.