WWE's First Hall Of Fame 2024 Inductee Is...
Major WWE Hall of Fame 2024 update.
Paul Heyman has gone by many titles during his storied career in professional wrestling: manager, promoter, booker, announcer, GM, advocate and wise man. But now, he can add a new moniker to that list: WWE Hall-of-Famer.
The founder of ECW and current special counsel to Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns was announced as the first inductee of the Class of 2024 on Monday, a distinction that really could have come at any point in the past decade given his contributions to the industry.
The timing and location of the induction could not be any better, with the Hall of Fame ceremony taking place at the Wells Fargo Center the night before WrestleMania 40, all emanating from Philadelphia, the birthplace of Extreme Championship Wrestling and a city synonymous with New York native Heyman.
He’s been a promoter, a manager, an executive, a “Wiseman,” and now, a @WWE Hall of Famer.
There’s more to say about @HeymanHustle, but as always, it’s best to let him say it himself… with a live microphone in Philadelphia. #WWEHOF pic.twitter.com/qEZF4lxR3g
Advertisement— Triple H (@TripleH) March 4, 2024
Heyman's journey through the world of professional wrestling stretches back to the mid-80s as a photographer and writer before transitioning to manager. He achieved notoriety as manager Paul E. Dangerously in the NWA/WCW before becoming the godfather of extreme as the owner of ECW throughout the mid-90s until the company shut its doors in early 2001.
From that point on, Heyman became a fixture on WWE programming for the bulk of the past 23 years, first as an announcer, and later as Brock Lesnar's advocate and the GM for SmackDown. He also spent multiple stints as part of WWE's creative team. Most recently, he has served as the "Wise Man" for the Bloodline during the past three-plus years.
Who inducts Heyman could be a really interesting question, as former ECW stars Rob Van Dam the the Dudley Boyz are also members of the Hall of Fame. But other WWE legends also spent a spell in ECW, most notably "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who honed his Rattlesnake persona while between WCW and WWE.