Battle of the Managers - Paul Heyman VS Paul Bearer

[ShatteredDreamsProduction]

After the sad passing of Paul Bearer earlier in the year. Many people, both wrestlers and fans, proclaimed that he was the best manager ever to have worked in the business.

Paul was especially credited with making The Undertaker an instant success, and also brought Kane, perhaps one of the most consistent wrestlers of the past 20 years to the forefront of the WWE.

His work with The Undertaker is legendary, from Undertaker being his Protégée,to turning on the undertaker and trying to lead various other wrestlers to beating the undertaker, with the likes of Kane, The executioner, Vader and Mankind all working under Bearerat some point.

Now, in the modern era, Paul Heyman is said to be the best mouthpiece in the business, perhaps the best mouthpiece ever.

Look at Brock Lesnar alone, can barely string a sentence together, but with Heyman talking for him, he was able to dominate WWE. So when he came back it was natural that Heyman was there at his side again.
Also he sent Punk to another level, Punk was already huge, but with Heyman by his side he was untouchable.
And now with Curtis Axel, they are all expecting big things from him, and one of the main reasons people think that is because he is working with Heyman.

So, my question is simple, who is the best manager, Heyman or Bearer, and why?

I am also interested to seeing who the Wrestlezone Universe believes can compete with these two as being the best manager.

 

[The Butcher]

Heyman. It'd be a closer race if we were to count Percy Pringle III as a part Paul Bearer's legacy, but we aren't so it isn't. From the Dangerous Alliance, to Lesnar, to his clients today, he's been great for a longer time and a more diverse cast than Bearer. He'd probably have an even more impressive managing resume if he didn't take a break to run a wrestling promotion.

And Bobby Heenan can not only compete with them, but he pretty much blows past every manager, in my book.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Wait a minute, is there a particular reason we're not counting Percy Pringle here? I realize a lot of people may not remember him, but Paul Bearer had a long time managing before he went to the WWE. I'd still go with Paul E. Dangerously based on stuff like the Dangerous Alliance, but it's very, very close.

 

[ShatteredDreamsProduction]

Sorry, I should have clarified that I do mean to include Percy Pringle.

I'm only 20 so I'm not going to pretend that I know about that era of his life and I obviously know him as Paul Bearer so that's only why I mentioned that part of his career.

Same goes for Heyman. All incarnations of his character are taken into account.

Sorry for any confusion

 

[dman1373]

Heyman. It'd be a closer race if we were to count Percy Pringle III as a part Paul Bearer's legacy, but we aren't so it isn't. From the Dangerous Alliance, to Lesnar, to his clients today, he's been great for a longer time and a more diverse cast than Bearer. He'd probably have an even more impressive managing resume if he didn't take a break to run a wrestling promotion.

And Bobby Heenan can not only compete with them, but he pretty much blows past every manager, in my book.

if you don't count percy pringle than paul heyman as paul e dangerously is out.

 

[The Butcher]

if you don't count percy pringle than paul heyman as paul e dangerously is out.

Paul E. and Paul Heyman are acknowledged as the same guy/same character with different names. Bearer and Pringle weren't.

Taking it all into account, I'd still take Heyman.

 

[dman1373]

Paul E. and Paul Heyman are acknowledged as the same guy/same character with different names. Bearer and Pringle weren't.

Taking it all into account, I'd still take Heyman.

Percy pringle was just as much acknowledge as paul e was to there future incarnation.

 

[The Butcher]

Percy pringle was just as much acknowledge as paul e was to there future incarnation.

What? Clearly writing isn't your strong point, so try reading:

http://www.wwe.com/classics/classic-lists/top-25-managers

Notice how the Paul Bearer article says nothing about Percy Pringle III, while the Paul Heyman article fully acknowledges his work as Paul E. Dangerously. And it's not just the article-- WWE has never treated Paul Bearer as if he was ever anybody other than Paul Bearer.

If you reply, please take your time and try to make a cogent statement.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Out of the two of them I'll say Paul Heyman, I found Bearer to be far too predictable with his constant betrayals. While I'm not a big fan of Heyman with most wrestlers, I loved his work with Big Show and Brock Lesnar.

But the best of all time is Bobby Heenan in my book. Nobody else ever came close to his managerial pedigree in my opinion.

 

[CMbrose Punk]

As far as managers go, of course Bobby Heenan is the best but that's not the point of the thread. We're talking about who's better: Heyman or Pringle. I'm going to have to go with Pringle. His work as Paul Bearer is iconic of his era. Without his involvement and impeccably consistent performance, the Undertaker character would never have gotten over as much as it did, let alone have the staying power that it's had. And I don't mean to take anything away from Mark Calloway, but Pringle added a layer of depth to it that just wouldn't have been there without him. Paul Heyman will be remembered for being much more than just a manager thanks to his overall knowledge and creative mind for the business. His work as a manager is good, but it doesnt compare to Paul Bearer and the Undertaker, Kane, and Mankind. It's just too classic.

 

[harrythem]

For me it's Heyman and it isn't even remotely close. Just going by the Dangerous Alliance in WCW, that was an amazing stable and, even as a WWF fan at the time, I loved watching those guys over in WCW.
Bearer helped Undertaker, but Taker had the conviction and talent that the gimmick would've worked and lasted anyway, he was just the icing on the cake....When it came to Heyman he helped Lesnar no end on the promo side of things...Hell, he even managed to make the Big Show look like a serious threat (something that noone had done in WWE up till that point).

Yeah Bearer was a great manager and did help introduce Kane. Man I loved both their work thinking about it even more....but I loved Heymans more.

 

[Mustang Sally]

It isn't really a question who the better manager is, because these guys weren't actually managing anyone. They're performers, people playing a part in a production. Therefore, we should look at them as actors rather than managers. It used to amuse me when Miss Elizabeth was called the manager of Randy Savage; I remember Gorilla Monsoon claiming that Liz was a "tough negotiator" when handling Macho Man's affairs, which gave me a good laugh. At other times, Mean Gene Okerlund was asking her if she enjoyed shopping the stores in New York City when WWE played Madison Square Garden. Apparently, Liz was multi-faceted.

The question being asked about the two Pauls is better answered by deciding whom you favored as a performer. To that, Paul Bearer was more of a comedy act than someone portraying an actual manager, while Heyman sooner sticks to the role of providing guidance for his "client." Bearer spewed vague warnings about what Undertaker was going to do to his opponent, while Heyman was (kayfabe) instructing his man how to go about doing it. Bearer's role ended when management decided to let Undertaker do his own talking; Heyman's part can go on forever.

To answer the question, I prefer to watch Heyman. He's a yapping adrenal gland and possesses one of the best talents for speaking I've ever witnessed.

 

[CMbrose Punk]

It isn't really a question who the better manager is, because these guys weren't actually managing anyone. They're performers, people playing a part in a production.

That can be said about every on-air personality in the wrestling business. The referees arent actually refereeing; theyre the middle man in the line of communication between the performers that also dictate the pace of the match, including when wrestlers go into holds during commercial breaks, etc. Ever notice that every referee now has one of those Agent Smith ear pieces? Yea they're plugged in for a reason. I hate to break it to you, but wrestling is fake. Every single on-air person is playing a part in the production.

The "manager" is a blanket term that covers both the over-the-top characters like Paul Bearer, and the more realistic characters like Paul Heyman. And everything in between. Paul Bearer wasn't a comedic act. You may have not taken his gimmick seriously because it was so over the top, but there were tons of fans who allowed their belief to be suspended long enough thanks to the way Bearer delivered that over-the-top performance.

Paul Bearer had the urn. Paul E. had the big ass cell phone. They both assisted their wrestlers at ring side, and did most of the talking during promos. They're both managers, despite how different they are from each other. The Paul Bearer gimmick ran its course because the business changed. All the over-the-top gimmicks ran their course. The business gradually shifted away from those sorts of gimmicks. The man behind Paul Bearer went on to perform as Percy Pringle in the independent circuit and continued to work up until his untimely death.

He couldn't go back to the WWE unless they needed him as Paul Bearer because his performance in that role is so iconic that it will forever be etched in the minds of the fans. Paul Heyman is more flexible in that regard because his gimmick hasn't really changed much after all these years. He's more of a method actor, while Paul Bearer is more of a character actor. Apples and oranges.

As far as character actors go in regards to managers, Paul Bearer was simply the best by far. But when it comes to method actors, Bobby the Brain Heenan has Paul Heyman beat for now. Heyman might surpass Heenan one day, but only time will tell.

 

[SigTauBlacklabel]

Ever notice that every referee now has one of those Agent Smith ear pieces? Yea they're plugged in for a reason. I hate to break it to you, but wrestling is fake. Every single on-air person is playing a part in the production.
.

since I got a job in Television news i realized how important a role the IFB (that is what the "agent smith" things are called)... plays. I would imagine though that it was the manager's deal back in the day to communicate calling the shots as to when to end the match seeing as how Vince/Bischoff/someone in charge was basically at ringside.. during most of Paul E, Heenan, or Bearers runs. When to end it. So yeah.. With that said.

I gotta go with just in staying power alone, Heenan.

 

[Mark0820]

I'm going with Paul Bearer. Kane and Taker have been two of the best and most consistent wrestlers WWE has had for 20 years. As good as some of Heyman's clients have been, none are as legendary as Taker is. That alone puts Bearer over the top. He also managed Mick Foley as Mankind. I'm a huge CM Punk fan, but he's not yet in the category of those two men. Neither is Lesnar.

 

[CMbrose Punk]

since I got a job in Television news i realized how important a role the IFB (that is what the "agent smith" things are called)... plays. I would imagine though that it was the manager's deal back in the day to communicate calling the shots as to when to end the match seeing as how Vince/Bischoff/someone in charge was basically at ringside.. during most of Paul E, Heenan, or Bearers runs. When to end it. So yeah.. With that said.

Back in the old days, it wasnt really the managers as much as the referees, announcers, and even the time keeper. They all used to communicate to each other with hand gestures, kinda like pitchers communicating with their catchers in baseball. The manager's job was more about getting the crowd involved than anything else. The best managers could work a crowd just as well as the wrestlers, if not better.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

Paul Heyman by a landslide like it isn't even close and just look at the superstars he managed not only in ECW but in WCW too when he was Paul E. Dangerously with the Dangerous Alliance and then fast forward all these decades later managing the likes of Lesnar, Punk, and Axel, he has done a lot and whatever superstar he manages, they go on to greatness

 

[Trill Co$by]

This is a tough one really. If we go by just their Heyman and Bearer personas in WWE, then I'd say Paul Heyman. He had more depth to his character than Bearer did, and at the end of the day most of his guys needed him whereas Bearer was just the guy who brought the guys to the door.

However, when you talk about their overall careers as managers [and don't count their booking/promoter times] then things get more complicated. Afterall, as Percy Pringle III, William Moody is probably second only Bobby Heenan. He managed and was the mouth piece for several stars, including the likes of a certain Rattle Snake that would make his rise in the WWE years later. But at the same time, Heyman as Paul E. should never be counted out. The Dangerous Alliance is still considered one of the best stables ever done by a lot of wrestling historians.

So in a WWE sense, I'm going with Heyman. But in abroad, I'm pulling behind Bearer.

 

[HBsam31]

Paul Bear/Percy Pringle is definitely one of the greats, but I prefer Heyman. Even as a kid The Dangerous Alliance was one of my favorite groups to watch. I remember Paul E. Dangerously and Jim Cornette fought in a tuxedo match, and that was some entertaining stuff. He then goes on and starts his own promotion, and then joins the WWE and manages Brock Lesner. He was the perfect mouthpiece for the beast Lesner. He is still going strong today, and while I always enjoyed Paul Bearer, Paul Heyman has always been one of the better managers to me.