Love him or hate him, you cannot deny the fact that Paul Heyman changed professional wrestling. Considered by many as a 'mad genius', the effects of his brainchild ECW can be felt in the industry to this day.
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One of Heyman's best qualities is that he is able to hide the weaknesses of a wrestler while highlighting his strengths. We have seen that throughout the course of Heyman's career, whether it is as a manger or a booker. He just has the ability to get the best out of a wrestler. As a result, quite a considerable number of great wrestlers ended up as Paul Heyman guys.
10 Tazz
Tazz is a prime example of Paul Heyman's genius. Nobody else could have achieved what Heyman did with Tazz, who neither had the wrestling ability nor the size to be a top star in the industry.
A master at hiding his talent's flaws and highlighting their strengths tenfold, Heyman managed to turn him into the Human Suplex Machine and one of the most intimidating characters in all of wrestling. It is no surprise that he would not taste the same success after ECW because nobody knew how to use him better than the ECW head honcho.
9 The Miz
Here's one man who is not generally associated with Paul Heyman. Before becoming a WrestleMania main eventer, The Miz was a Tough Enough runner-up struggling to find his feet in WWE's developmental territory in Atlanta. And it is safe to say that at that point of time, nobody could have predicted the things that he would go on to achieve in the business. Nobody except Paul Heyman that is.
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Heyman saw in The Miz what nobody else did and brought him to OVW. It was still a few years before The Miz would unlock his true potential but if not for that start under Heyman, it is unlikely that he would have even made it to the WWE's main roster.
8 Rob Van Dam
The talent that Rob Van Dam possessed was never in doubt. It is just that neither WWE nor WCW seemed interested in him because he did not fit the mold of what they viewed as a potential star. Their loss was ultimately Heyman's gain as he would bring RVD to ECW where he would become one of the most exciting performers in all of wrestling.
He was different than anything that the fans had ever seen and his greatness was undeniable. Ultimately, when the Philadelphia-based promotion folded, WWE would sign him and he would go on to become the WWE Champion for a brief period, proving to be one of ECW's greatest ever export.
7 Big Show
Big Show's incredible size meant that he could always be booked as a legitimate threat to anybody and he would go on to enjoy an over two-decade long career in the WWE. Many people forget though that he was struggling badly in the early 2000s and it was his association with Paul Heyman that would give his career a second lease on life.
Brock Lesnar was an unstoppable machine by the time Survivor Series 2002 rolled around, but a Paul Heyman heel turn at Madison Square Garden saw Big Show crowned as the WWE Champion. And that was exactly the boost that Show needed in his career to reestablish himself as a top star.
6 Rey Mysterio
One of the most influential wrestlers of his generation, the mark that Rey Mysterio left on the industry can be clearly seen in the styles of the modern wrestlers.
It is hard to think though that not too long ago, no American promoters would take the chance on someone like Mysterio just because of his lack of size. That was until Paul Heyman brought him into ECW and introduced a style of wrestling to the American audience that they had never seen before. And it is safe to say that pro wrestling in the USA was never the same again.
5 Mick Foley
Foley would join up with Heyman in ECW, where he would show the wrestling fans his incredible range as a performer. His ability to put on an entertaining match was never in question but the character work he showcased during this time was almost unparalleled.
His anti-hardcore promos against the ECW fans were some of the best in the history of wrestling and by the time he departed for the WWE, a star had already been born.
4 Brock Lesnar
It was evident from the very beginning that Brock Lesnar was going to be a huge star in the WWE. He was an absolute physical specimen and was capable of holding his own in the ring. The Beast Incarnate had one flaw in his game though - he was terrible on the mic.
This is were Paul Heyman came in and, other than revolutionizing pro wrestling as the leader of ECW, it is as the manager of Brock Lesnar that he is best known for. Lesnar's best work was always with Heyman by his side and it is no surprise that they have been a dual act for almost the entirety of the former UFC Heavyweight Champion's second stint in the WWE and for most of his rookie year in 2002.
3 CM Punk
While Brock Lesnar was always destined to be a main event player in the WWE, the same cannot be said about CM Punk. He was always brilliant in the ring and on the mic. However, Punk wasn't the guy the company were looking as their future star, at least initially.
Heyman was always a believer in Punk from his very early days in OVW, WWE's then developmental territory. And it is safe to say that Punk repaid that faith through the course of his career, becoming one of the most recognizable stars that the WWE has produced this century.
2 Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin was the biggest star that the WWE ever produced. But that was not how the industry viewed him during his early career. While always an incredibly talented performer, he seemed destined to be a midcard act.
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Heyman saw the star potential in Austin earlier than most and would famously claim that he was going to be the biggest star in the industry by the end of the decade while managing him as 'Stunning' Steve Austin in WCW during the early 1990s. And in hindsight, that was not a prediction but a spoiler!
1 The Undertaker
Before transforming into The Undertaker, he was 'Mean' Mark Callous in the WCW. And he was told by their management that nobody would ever buy a ticket to see him perform. They could not be any more wrong if they tried and he went on to become one of the biggest box office attractions in the history of professional wrestling.
One man who would not have been surprised by his success though was Paul Heyman, as he had managed him in the WCW and would later help him get into the WWE when the company let him go. The rest is history.
