John's Jargon: 2nd Edition

John’s Jargon

From Professional Wrestling to Baseball and Everything In-Between

Revolution, Innovation & Passion:

The Paul Heyman Legacy

By John Napolitano

            On the humid afternoon of August 8, 2014, an unsuspecting, and albeit somewhat naïve, 17-year-old professional wrestling fan purchased the most desired documentary that the WWE has ever produced. That documentary is entitled, Ladies and Gentlemen, My Name is Paul Heyman, and it has had the entire Internet Wrestling Community buzzing. Paul Heyman is one of, if not the most controversial figures in pro-wrestling; who wouldn’t want to delve into a tell-all exposé about one of the most polarizing enigmas to ever pick up a microphone? Rerouting back to the narrative, that unsuspecting and somewhat naïve 17-year-old professional wrestling fan was me, and purchasing Paul Heyman’s new DVD was easily the smartest decision I have ever made.

            Firstly, Ladies and Gentlemen, My Name is Paul Heyman, is an educational experience like no other. Not only does the documentary dive deep into Heyman’s roots, background and upbringing, it details his journey from promotion to promotion and territory to territory and the encounters that not only progressed his career, but in some cases ended it. From New York to Florida, Memphis to Minneapolis and Atlanta to Philadelphia, Paul Heyman has impacted each and every person he has met along the way.

            But what makes Paul Heyman a standout talent? There have been countless entities within the world of professional wrestling who have been both influential and well known amongst the territories with less than half of the notoriety of Paul Heyman. The reason Paul Heyman is a top-tier talent is because of his revolutionary feats, innovative promos and undeniable passion.

            A revolution can be defined as a dramatic and wide-reaching change in the way something works or is organized. In 1993, the norm in professional wrestling was that of a cartoonish variety riddled with non-contemporary content; that is, until Paul Heyman took a small-time NWA promotion known as Eastern Championship Wrestling (ECW) and transformed it into the most extreme brand of wrestling ever conceptualized.

ECW, now dubbed Extreme Championship Wrestling, was widely regarded as a wrestling revolution, displaying absurd amounts of violence and a dedicated executive producer in Paul Heyman willing to break all of the rules of the business to not only make waves in the wrestling world, but stick it to both WCW and WWE. Despite ECW’s financial hardships and tendencies to cross the line, Paul Heyman was regarded as a God to both the ECW fans and the ECW locker room. His innate ability to motivate and inspire his employees was unlike any other, so much so that those who work for him regularly refer to themselves as a “Paul Heyman Guy.”

Heyman’s gift of oration has set him above and beyond any other manager, agent or promoter in wrestling history. His innovative promos in the AWA and ECW as “Paul E. Dangerously” have set new standards for managers looking to acquire heat from the fans. A large portion of Ladies and Gentlemen, My Name is Paul Heyman, is dedicated solely to the audacious promos he has cut from territory to territory, each one better than the last. The reason Paul Heyman has enjoyed such longevity in professional wrestling is because along with his promos, his character has progressed and evolved, adding new dynamics every so often in order to stay on the forefront of relevancy. Innovation is something that Paul Heyman thrives on and implements more effectively than anyone else.

            In my opinion, passion has become an antiquated characteristic in the world of professional wrestling. Naturally, there are those that claim to be passionate in whatever discipline they pursue. But unbridled and unconditional passion is a rarity nowadays. When Paul Heyman was 14 years old, he was so enthralled with professional wrestling that he invested in camera, hoodwinked Madison Square Garden into giving him a press pass and became a regular photographer before even departing the world of pre-pubescence. Paul Heyman’s desire to work hard and frequently for little to no pay speaks volumes for his passion for the business and is something one can only wish to emulate.

            After watching Ladies and Gentlemen, My Name is Paul Heyman, I have gathered that Paul Heyman’s legacy will be one of revolution, innovation and especially passion. Obviously, there are fathoms of uncharted talking points in this blog post; I have discussed particular areas that have resonated with me from Paul Heyman’s DVD, but you could write an entire series of novels on Heyman’s legacy and you would not even begin to scrape the surface of his contributions to the business. The WWE Universe is fortunate enough to have the pleasure of witnessing the “Evil Genius” Paul Heyman week in and week out as he continues to parlay his legacy into immortality.