If you were new and had never heard of Paul Heyman..

[Ruthless-RKO]

... what would you think of his current character and current run in WWE, from the moment he turned up as Brock Lesnar's lawyer til now?

If you had never heard of and knew nothing of Paul E. Dangerously or ECW or anthing else in the past, would he do anything for you at all?

To me, he hasn't made any difference at all in any way to anyone who wasn't already a fan who would mark if he came into the ring and sneezed and then walked back to the locker room.

He's had a couple of absolutely ridiculous moments -- is there anything more meh than "I'm a lawyer and I'll sue if you touch me" and "Marry me, AJ"???? Couldn't Otunga have pulled those spots off as well?

The strange thing to me is that he seems to have this dual and conflicting role -- he's there to bring heat to Punk and help heel him out (which actually doesn't seem to work because I can't see how he brings any more heat from the 'casual' or 'newer' fans than Punk could bring himself); and he's there at the same time he's there probably to appease the IWC, which actually adds to Punk's popularity with his core supporters rather than helping heel Punk up.

I'm a Paul Heyman Guy, but I don't understand his current role and trying to look at it through the eyes of those who aren't colored by what he's done in the past I can't see what they would see in his current incarnation.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

It is an interesting question and as someone who is familiar with a lot of his work and reputation I am really not qualified to answer but I'll try anyway:

I don't think anyone would ever label Heyman a draw but I think he is entertaining (the man can make his skull turn purple). I think most fans, new or seasoned, want to hear what he is going to say and will keep Raw on when he is about to speak. He is not going to elicit the heat that someone like Vickie or Lauranitis might but that is ok as long as he stays relevant and interesting. I'm most happy that the smarks haven't crawled up his ass and started to applaud his work.

Unless I'm missing something.

 

[das1234]

i think even if you dont know him, he is very good on the mic and can get real heel heat. in a way, he is like a good version of vickie, but instead of having a harpy voice he uses lawyers and running away after big talks to get heat. he is so good at that that he would still be a great heel manager even if noone knew who he is.

 

[Iversen]

Heyman just looks sleazy and like the kind of person you want to punch in the face repeatedly. He comes across like that when he talks as well. So for those reasons I imagine if I knew nothing of Paul E. I would probably hate him every time he walked out. Heyman has done exactly what he needs to do. He's helped guys that would normally be over with parts of the crowd, despite being heel, actually get heat just because he's brilliant at getting under your skin. I would argue that his role isn't aimed at new fans because you've got to assume they are generally kids and parents who would boo the heels and cheer the faces anyway.

 

[Swarles Barkley]

I don't think Heyman called himself Lesnar's lawyer. I'm pretty sure he just called himself "Brock Lesnar representative."

Anyway, I don't know what people unfamiliar with Heyman would think of him. As someone who remembers the Dangerous Alliance, I am not qualified to judge how a newer fan, say those in the 10-19 age demo who never saw ECW, would view Heyman. I find him entertaining and pop whenever he is on screen, so I am what people who probably call a Paul Heyman mark. In any event, I think WWE programming is better when Paul Heyman is around. But this is a very interesting question.

 

[Diet Soda]

Interesting...

My first encounter with Paul Heyman was when he was doing the commentary for Wrestlemania X-Seven. I'm not sure if that was the first time he called for WWF, but either way it was the first time I saw him, and at the time I did think "who the hell is he?" Fortunately, he said within his second sentence that he was the owner of ECW, so I was like "oh, okay then".

Now, in 2012, there hasn't been a mention of his affiliation with ECW since his return to WWE programming (and if there has, I've not heard it). So I can expect some newcomers to be a bit confused if they haven't a clue about ECW, or did not watch Smackdown when Paul E. was the GM.

Either way, he has always made for an interesting character. Paul Heyman is like what The Penguin from Batman would be if he was broke.

 

[thebarber]

the problem is Vince is not booking Heyman to look strong or believable as a heel personality. Heyman's best work has always been behind the camera. Having him in charge of NXT or their developmentals like he was previously, Heyman's influence, writing and booking will shien through, giving a decent, non same old crap like we get on Raw and Smackdown. Vince always has issues with talent who are either more inj tune with the audience, or in fact plain better than him when it comes to booking. Jim Ross has forgotten more about wrestling than Vince would ever care to know, and as such he constantly gets buried. Heyman is forever made to look inept on tv. To answer the writers question, Heyman has brought zero to the Lesnar or Punk angles this year, Punk does not need a mouthpiece. Lesnar did but Heyman and Lesnar were booked stupidll in their respective angles with Cena and Helmsley.

 

[SinCityBlitz]

I have been watching Heyman since the NWA/WCW days so it's hard for me to be unbiased. But I will give it a try. He is good on the mic and plays the typical sleazy manager well. His job is to help Punk get over as a heel and being the mouthpiece of Lesnar. So far so good.

the problem is Vince is not booking Heyman to look strong or believable as a heel personality. Heyman's best work has always been behind the camera. Having him in charge of NXT or their developmentals like he was previously, Heyman's influence, writing and booking will shien through, giving a decent, non same old crap like we get on Raw and Smackdown. Vince always has issues with talent who are either more inj tune with the audience, or in fact plain better than him when it comes to booking. Jim Ross has forgotten more about wrestling than Vince would ever care to know, and as such he constantly gets buried. Heyman is forever made to look inept on tv. To answer the writers question, Heyman has brought zero to the Lesnar or Punk angles this year, Punk does not need a mouthpiece. Lesnar did but Heyman and Lesnar were booked stupidll in their respective angles with Cena and Helmsley.

I know it's the new cool thing to do ripping Vince and the WWE but how in the hell do you book a guy like Heyman to look strong? His character is a sleazy type manager so he is going to take the abuse just like Heenan and Jimmy Hart did. It's their job. He is being booked fine. He is the manager of Punk and Lesnar. Two of the biggest names in wrestling today, how much higher do you want him to go?

The booking of Triple H and Lesnar was good. I didn't think they were booked stupidll.

 

[Zangash]

Well, I'm a... newer fan. Well, I started watching Smackdown when Paul London and Brian Kendrick were champs and MVP was first debuting... My first WM was Batista vs The Undertaker.

To be honest, I haven't thought all that much of him. He just seems like a manager who's really, really good on the mic. He seems to do his job well, and the dynamic between him and Punk taking turns on the mic really works well. Other than that... yeah, just another manager.

He doesn't do as legendary a job as one would expect coming from all the praise the IWC can give him, but his mic work in itself is enough for me not to care.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

All in all, I think Heyman's been entertaining in his current role. Not too much emphasis or attention is being put on him, he plays something of a support role to CM Punk and he does a good job in said current role. It's not particularly innovative, but who says something has to be innovative to be entertaining?

With the exception of Heyman's very first couple of appearances since his return, anything regarding ECW hasn't been brought up and, personally, I think that's a good thing. I know some fans, especially internet fans, jizz themselves whenever they think about ECW but, to me, ECW was the epitome of garbage wrestling. You didn't have to have any ability to be a top talent on the ECW roster, you just had to be willing to endure a shitload of pain & injury with little or nothing to show for it. The VAST majority of the roster was hugely overrated in terms of talent as well. That's not to say, however, that Paul Heyman wasn't creative because he was. He did something that had a lot of people talking and, no matter what you may have thought of ECW as a whole, it changed wrestling.

Right now, however, I don't really care what Heyman was doing 15 years ago. I feel the same towards any of the old school guys. What they did back in the day may have geen great but I'm concerned with what you can do in the here & now if you insist on being right smack in the middle of major storylines in a major company. In TNA, for instance, we've seen a lot of legends & veterans pass through over the past several years that were given top spots, big pushes or a job period based on what they'd accomplished during their prime rather than what they were capable of delivering now.

Heyman will be considered a legend when it's all said and done. That's great. But if I didn't think he was currently contributing in an entertaining way, I'd be the first to voice the opinion that he should go.

 

[closet_fan]

After seeing Punk and Heyman together for the last few weeks, I'm not sure why people still think Heyman is acting as Punk's mouthpiece. Quite the opposite. Punk has had some of the great interactions with guys like Cena and Foley without Heyman. Heyman is there, and rightfully so, to get Punk over as heelish as possible. Without him, people would still consider Punk a newer version of Austin, the anti-hero. Heyman keeps his mouth shut and opens it when it's appropriate.

As for what I would think, I would consider Heyman as a slimeball. He does the part to a T and has done a great job ever since his Paul E. Dangerously character.

I had to post a pic for those who DON'T know who that was. What a difference. Heyman certainly can't say he's starving.

 

[Just Do It]

I'd think for sure he was a television / film actor. Seriously, this guy is in a league of his own on the mic. Passionate and convincing, just brilliant. The little things he does, like when he drove away from Cena SLOWLY turning his head as he did so: brilliant.

 

[zwbruno]

Like many others have said, Heyman's role is to make Punk more dislikable, but after watching RAW the past few weeks I think he is also there for more bigger picture stuff as well. He is the perfect guy to play the 'devil on the shoulder' and I believe will be used as a scapegoat when Punk eventually stops being a full-time bad guy. Once Punk and Cena have run it's course and even perhaps Punk v Rock, I wouldn't be shocked to see Lesner and Heyman turn on Punk. That is a program that would be great.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

It'd be hard not to know his past as he still mentions it in most segments he does, like him being a former GM etc. As a wrestling character he was always a top heat magnet without his past. With it, he does give an air of the sleazy side of Vince and the wrestling business. The side that corrupts men with morals like Punk etc.

As it's PG an aimed at kids, I think WWE doesn't WANT ECW to be on the agenda, so he's more there as a traditional manager. We needed a new Bobby Heenan and so far it looks like Heyman has the gig.

 

[Teddy Irving]

He is doing exactly what he is meant to do in his role at the moment and that is just gain heat for Punk (not that I think Punk really needs all that much help with that, but having Heyman did increase the boo's and decrease the cheers).

Without knowing anything about Heyman's past you would dislike the guy, he is a greasy, slimy man. He attaches himself to big stars and does dirty work for them such as with Brock he was suing the WWE and with Punk he just seems to be backing Punk up with his decision not to go to HitC with Cena. Heyman to the casual fan would just be a man who gets in with those bigger than him so that he can bully people and do as he pleases without having to fear what will happen to him for it. And that is all before you even consider his mic work. I'm not entirely sure what it is but when he talks he is just one of those guys that would just annoy you no matter what he was saying.

I've seen his work before so my vision may be wrong here but that is how I would imagine he is viewed by those who haven't ever heard of or seen the Paul E. character.

In short he is a greasy slimeball who attaches himself to bigger and greater man so that he feels more powerful and feared by others.

 

[Slash-LN]

As many other people said I'd think he was just another sleazy slimeball manager. I would wonder what it meant to be "a Paul Heyman guy", why it took a year for him to come to the WWE (assuming I had seen the pipe bomb), why he aligned with only Brock Lesnar when he came in and not Punk right away. If I didn't know about the workings behind the scenes and stuff I would wonder why CM Punk suddenly needed Paul. I would most likely boo him every time he talked and would be waiting for someone to "beat him up".