Paul Heyman

He’s been called a renegade, a rebel, a mad scientist who changed the way the world sees sports-entertainment. But there’s one word that best describes the man born Paul Heyman — dangerous.

The most outspoken individual in an industry populated entirely by outspoken individuals, the brusque New Yorker first gained enemies under the guise of Paul E. Dangerously in WCW. Managing Steve Austin, Arn Anderson and Rick Rude in a stable he dubbed his Dangerous Alliance, Heyman used a Big Apple attitude and an oversized 1980s cell phone to help his charges run through the likes of Sting and Ricky Steamboat.

Heyman may have spent his entire career as a manager and color commentator had WCW not released the hothead in 1993. Finding opportunity in failure, the innovator became associated with a Philadelphia-based independent promotion called Eastern Championship Wrestling and set about turning the modest company into the most daring organization sports-entertainment had ever seen. Drawing inspiration from alternative rock music and MTV, Heyman rechristened the promotion Extreme Championship Wresting and took it from public access to national pay-per-view through his endorsement of brutal bouts between a rotating cast of misfits that included the beer-swilling Sandman and an ex-con with a staple gun named New Jack.

Credited with inspiring WWE’s landmark “Attitude Era,” the controversial brand became the third-largest wrestling company in the world behind WWE and WCW before it was crippled by financial problems in 2001. Heyman joined WWE as Jim Ross’ broadcast partner after that, but it wouldn’t be long before the nonconformists of ECW reemerged in WWE as part of the infamous “Invasion.” Aligning himself with Stephanie and Shane McMahon in an attempted overthrow of Mr. McMahon’s empire, Heyman came scarily close to toppling the man he once accused of stealing everything from him, but ultimately failed to bring down WWE.

Now viewed as public enemy No. 1 by WWE executives, the fearless firebrand formed an alliance with an athletic freak by the name of Brock Lesnar in ’02. Standing behind “The Next Big Thing,” the agent found the perfect way to torture his greatest enemy, Mr. McMahon. If the head honcho wanted to do business with Lesnar, he’d have to go through Heyman first.

Although the troublemaker’s relationship with Brock briefly soured, Heyman found another entry into WWE through an ECW re-launch under the WWE banner in 2005. When that turned bad under the executive’s direction, the unpredictable mastermind was labeled a sports-entertainment pariah. But as always, Heyman was able to worm his way back in. Stunning the WWE Universe by appearing on Raw in May 2012, the perennial thorn in sports-entertainment’s side announced that Brock Lesnar quit WWE.

Sports-entertainment’s brainiac soon resurfaced as an ally to a new attitude CM Punk, who had one year prior referred to himself as a “Paul Heyman guy.” With Punk in tow, Heyman has become the first individual to manage four WWE Champions: Lesnar, Big Show, Kurt Angle and the aforementioned Punk — not to mention Austin prior to The Texas Rattlesnake winning the revered title.

One night after Punk’s historic 434-day title reign ended at Royal Rumble 2013, Heyman underwent a review conducted by Mr. McMahon, which was interrupted by the returning Lesnar, who brutalized The Chairman. Heyman later announced that Brock would face Triple H at WrestleMania 29 under the condition that The Game blindly sign the contract without knowing the bout's stipulations. It was classic Paul Heyman, doing what he does best — making life hell for the powers that be.

Heyman's debut at The Show of Shows wasn't his best night. He nearly took a chokeslam at the hands of The Undertaker during CM Punk's attempt to end The Streak. During Brock Lesnar's bout with Triple H, Heyman tried to help The Anomaly put an end to The Game's career. Before he could do any damage, though, Shawn Michaels took Heyman out with Sweet Chin Music.

With his clients going 0 for 2 at WrestleMania, there's no doubt that Heyman is hard at work scheming to get his men back to the pinnacle of sports-entertainment. One week after the event, Heyman challenged Triple H to a rubber match inside a steel cage at Extreme Rules on behalf of Brock Lesnar. On that same evening, the schemer was stunned when Punk walked out of the ring while delivering one of his signature diatribes. What does the mad scientist have up his sleeve?