WWE Hitting Reset For Paul Heyman Guys

[Jack-Hammer]

As of this past Friday's episode of SmackDown!, both Ryback & Curtis Axel are no longer "Paul Heyman Guys." Heyman severed his connection with Ryback this past Monday with a variety of verbal insults before undergoing another beating at the hands of CM Punk. They didn't go into any details as to why Axel & Heyman have split, only Axel stating that he no longer needed Heyman.

There was talk a few weeks back of separating Heyman from Ryback due to the huge heat Ryback has with WWE officials and what they view as a lack of progress. I'm not really surprised that Heyman & Axel have gone their separate ways as WWE wants to ultimately put pair Heyman with someone that they feel will be a top level star. This is a pretty clear sign that they don't see that in Axel's future and probably haven't for quite a while.

The next time we see Paul Heyman on television will probably include the return of Brock Lesnar. There's a report that came out a few days back stating that Lesnar's next feud would be against Ryback due to Heyman blaming Ryback for his injuries and that a match would probably take place at the Royal Rumble. If that goes down, I see it as a tune up for Lesnar before ultimately heading into the build for his allegedly scheduled match with Taker at WrestleMania XXX.

As for Axel, he's not going any further. He's a solid mid-card wrestler, but he's not got the personality or charisma to go any further. Whether it's in the ring, whether it involves having the look, whether it's the ability to connect with fans; Axel just isn't his father.

So, at some point, I think we're likely to see Heyman take on some new "clients" next year. I'm thinking it'll be after WrestleMania with WWE ultimately wanting Heyman to have all of his focus be on Lesnar's WM match. Who do you think will ultimately be the next "Paul Heyman Guy or Guys?" I think some of the more likely choices by the time WM is done MIGHT be, in no particular order:

Dean Ambrose
Seth Rollins
Roman Reigns
Antonio Cesaro
Daniel Bryan
Big E. Langston
Wade Barrett
Damien Sandow
Drew McIntyre
Sheamus
AJ Lee
Someone from NXT

I think Ambrose, Rollins, Reigns, Bryan & Cesaro are fairly self explanatory. The Shield have been consistently strong. If they turn Reigns face, then Heyman could do well with either Rollins or Ambrose.

Bryan has been extremely strong as a babyface but IF they decided to turn him heel, I could easily see him with Heyman.

Cesaro is someone that needs that little extra something to get over the hump. He's one of the best in-ring guys on the roster and if they want to keep him as a heel, then maybe putting him with Heyman and giving him a gimmick he's more comfortable with could work.

With WWE allegedly putting some more attention on big guys, Big E. Langston could certainly benefit from being with Heyman as long as they didn't have him as some fairly generic monster heel, such as what we saw when he was Ziggler's bodyguard.

Wade Barrett's time of gaining ground, in my estimation, is running out. I think WWE has dropped the ball with him as he's got all the tools. He has a good look, an in-ring style that suits his character, he puts on entertaining matches and he's solid on the mic. Pairing him with Heyman could be that little thing that gets him up over the hump.

Damien Sandow looks to have gone from being something of a snooty intellectual to a snooty intellectual with a mean streak. Since cashing in MITB, he's been portrayed in a much more aggressive light, such as him dominating Kofi Kingston this past Monday. I could see Sandow & Heyman meshing well together.

There was some talk, allegedly, a little while back in bringing back McIntyre as "The Chosen One." While I can't say I'm thrilled to see McIntyre in 3MB, I do respect the guy for doing his best with something so crappy & limited. He doesn't take to Twitter to piss & moan, he just does his best. McIntyre's someone that's improved, very much so in my eyes, both in the ring and as a presence since his initial big push several years back. He's a good sized guy with a good look, ask Mustang Sally if you don't believe me , he's athletic and while he's not exactly stupendous on the mic, he's certainly not horrible either. Heyman being something of a "guide" to this young guy whom he feels has been misused and had his potential wasted could be interesting.

With reports of Sheamus possibly turning heel upon returning, it's not at all impossible to imagine Heyman at his side. Sheamus doesn't exactly need Heyman, I thought he did a great job as a heel on his own, but Heyman's presence will only generate that much more heat for him.

I think it's just a matter of time before we see a "Paul Heyman Gal" introduced and AJ Lee certainly could be it. She doesn't exactly need Heyman, but I think it'd be a fun pairing, especially now that AJ seems to have left the "crazy chick" aspect of her character behind.

Pairing Heyman up with someone brought to the main roster from NXT is something that could happen. There's talk of Xavier Creed coming to the main roster soon, but I'm not sure that he'd really work well with Heyman. If there's anyone in NXT that I think should be on the main roster, it's Paige. The girl's ready and it has to really stick in her craw that there are women who haven't gone through NXT as she has. It has to be especially frustrating to see Eva Marie there when she can barely apply a side headlock. With Paige's gimmick as the "Anti-Diva", I could easily see her associated with Paul Heyman and quickly becoming the center of the Divas.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

I'll make the argument that the next Paul Heyman Guy should be someone who's effectively already shown to draw heat on his own, and not someone who the WWE hopes will benefit from being in Heyman's orbit; IMO, that approach really hasn't worked. Punk didn't need Heyman to get over -- Heyman helped seal Punk as a super heel. Since he's returned, Lesnar also doesn't need Heyman to do much more than be the voice of the promo, but he could've been successful on his own.

Ryback and Axel, on the other hand -- it's pretty clear the WWE were looking for Heyman to give these guys some juice to get over, and it only marginally worked for Ryback, and not at all for Axel. Not a knock on Heyman, but I think there's only so much heat he can give a guy.

So all that said, I gotta go with one of the guys from the Shield, Damien Sandow, or Daniel Bryan in a swerve. My personal favorite would be Dean Ambrose. He's already got a fantastic heel persona, and pairing him with Heyman would put that into overdrive. It would also move Ambrose up to the next level, and keep Heyman situated as that "genius" who "makes" talent. Sandow would be another great choice. I hope his intellectual with a mean streak continues. Again, I think both of these guys are going to be successful heels without Heyman eventually...Heyman will just accelerate that.

 

[ASKane]

He needs to be with a guy who doesn't talk for himself so I would remove Sandow, AJ, Ambrose and Rollins from your list.

Cesaro already has a manager.

Bryan's character does not fit with Heyman.

He should not be added to a unestablished superstar so rule out NXT guys.

I think Barrett, McIntyre and Sheamus should form a UK stable and Heyman doesn't fit in that group.

I don't think Heyman should go face so I would rule out Big E

I think he needs to be a heel managing a guy who doesn't do his own promos and I think he would work really well with a heel Roman Reigns. I also think he would work well with a heel Kofi Kingston if he shows the aggression he did when he feuded with Legacy a few years back. I think they could also do both as they would make a good team. They would both fit with Heyman as they are far more established than Axel and Ryback were at the time they joined and need a mouthpiece if they want to get to the next level

 

[Mustang Sally]

Wade Barrett's time of gaining ground, in my estimation, is running out. I think WWE has dropped the ball with him as he's got all the tools.

Depending on how far ahead WWE Creative actually plans, Wade being fronted by Paul Heyman might be exactly what they have in mind. We haven't seen Wade for awhile, with the presumption made by many that he's sitting at home awaiting a re-package. It could be that the dismissal of Axel and Ryback from the Heyman team coincides perfectly with whatever Wade's new deal will be. I can see the logic of pairing those Barrett and Heyman; it would surely result in one of the most verbally obnoxious unions ever.

There was some talk, allegedly, a little while back in bringing back McIntyre as "The Chosen One." ...... he's athletic and while he's not exactly stupendous on the mic, he's certainly not horrible either.

But if his speaking ability is his biggest weakness, giving him a mouthpiece might be the key to the puzzle, and who better to fill the bill than Paul Heyman? Personally, I have no idea what a Scottish accent sounds like, but I'm told it doesn't play well with American audiences. Also, I can tell by the cadence of his speech that McIntyre isn't effective on the mic......so, here's the answer. If there's anyone who can get him back to Chosen One status, it's Paul E. Dangerously.

 

[Mongoose McQueen]

The only star from that list who would fit well is Roman Reigns. The rest are established stars on the main roster or are irrelevant or failed to deliver on their previous pushes. Paul Heyman should not be managing British wrestlers as he is American and it would not very well IMO. Langston can talk for himself and that would completely demolish the Paul Heyman guy idea. The whole point of Heyman joining up with X star is to hide the weaknesses and show the strengths. With that being said, Reigns is a guy with all the potential in the world just waiting to be exploited.

In my experience, the only weakness he has is the fact that he can't talk very well. When The Shield do finally break up, Reigns should separate and team up with Heyman. He reminds me of Batista, all the attributes but weak in the mic skills department.

 

[Softcore Holly]

The only star from that list who would fit well is Roman Reigns. The rest are established stars on the main roster or are irrelevant or failed to deliver on their previous pushes. Paul Heyman should not be managing British wrestlers as he is American and it would not very well IMO. Langston can talk for himself and that would completely demolish the Paul Heyman guy idea. The whole point of Heyman joining up with X star is to hide the weaknesses and show the strengths. With that being said, Reigns is a guy with all the potential in the world just waiting to be exploited.

In my experience, the only weakness he has is the fact that he can't talk very well. When The Shield do finally break up, Reigns should separate and team up with Heyman. He reminds me of Batista, all the attributes but weak in the mic skills department.

Don't see why British wrestlers shouldn't have American managers, would love to hear the reasoning behind that one. That being said I wouldn't put Heyman with Barrett either, mainly because Barrett actually does have mic skills so Heyman would be better used elsewhere.

Reigns's mic skills are pretty ok considering that he's either already sharing the air time or standing mute behind the Authority. I think he can grow stronger on the mic if given the chance/air time. Just like Batista, who was weak on the mic but eventually grew to be great with it.

I feel sorry for Axel and Ryback, they were definitely 2 guys that could've really benefited from Heyman in their corner. Especially Axel, who mic skills wise might actually be the weakest I've seen in a long time.

 

[MCMG]

I find it very odd that they have dropped Ryback and Axel. He just started working with Ryback and Axel still needs his help. Moreover, there wasn't a proper resolution. If they wanted to split the two parties then have Axel losing his shit at Heyman rather than what they offered. That is what makes me think that Axel/Heyman may still be together and him and Ryback may feud over the Intercontinental Title. Not a bad feud for either.

If we are looking at new Paul Heyman guys than there are plenty names that could be used. The criteria isn't simply the inability to cut a good promo because he worked with Punk. Heyman is a lot more than just a mouthpiece so even someone like Damien Sandow or Dean Ambrose could use him. I think there are two obvious choices: McIntrye and Barrett. They both need something to kickstart their careers and Paul Heyman could help do that. In April, Henning was nowhere to be seen, now he is a champion who just feuded with one of the top three guys in the company. Obviously this wasn't just due to Heyman but his influence is important.

Look at the contrast between Lesnar and Punk and how Heyman acted as their manager. Heyman did the majority of the talking and Lesnar just had to stand their and look tough - perfect, at this stage, for Roman Reigns. Obviously he can cut a few promos but they would ease into that. The other style was to have manager/superstar work as a combination. This is why I personally loved Punk/Heyman. At the end of the day it was two friends with respect for each other, on top of the company and were simply the best. They could replicate some of that with Barrett, Sandow or Ambrose.

Once The Shield split, I think any of the three could work with Heyman and ensure they remain relevant at a transitional stage. Even someone like Dolph Ziggler could use Heyman just as short-term solution to help make them interesting. Ziggler/Heyman could be a good combination due to them both being narcissists.

There are plenty of options for Heyman. If they wanted to turn Bryan, Heyman would be a great way to give that momentum. My first choice would be Wade Barrett because I think he has the most potential and working with Heyman will undoubtedly help his career. I would love for McIntyre to get a chance but I'm not sure how far it can go. Look at Axel for an example.

 

[That Zon Kid]

He needs to be with a guy who doesn't talk for himself so I would remove Sandow, AJ, Ambrose and Rollins from your list.

Then why was he with Punk??????????????????

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Dean Ambrose
Seth Rollins

All day. This is easy. Both Indy darlings, both have a groundswell of unruly supporters as it is, both are legit as it gets from an in-ring perspective, both are likely slated to soon split from the Shield.

I would lean more towards Rollins, as Ambrose is far from needing any help on the mic or with gaining heat, but at the same time, nether did Punk.

Also, Corey Graves from NXT. Would do fantastic as a nasty, insolent little individual.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Give him RVD. Van Dam has always been uneasy with WWE style promos. Heyman could do the talking and RVD could interrupt with little asides. It'd also be refreshing to see him as a heel for the first time in years.

Somebody might pop in and say that RVD would only come back for a few months at a time. Well that'd work great for his character. He can just say that he's off for a few months because he's such a star he doesn't need to work full-time. It's a natural transition from 15 plus years ago when he said he loved to work Mondays. Now he can say he only likes to work big shows.

 

[lil bitch Kid]

I don't buy that Axel has left Heyman, btw. He stood behind him, tried to defend him against Punk, and then all of a sudden he says he's no longer a Heyman guy. Another likely. I think that the plan will actually be to use Ryback to put Axel over IF there really is heat on Ryback. WZ is the one place that keeps reporting it while other sites said that there is, but then retracted it.

 

[#tamale]

Good. The WWE realized that they were only hurting the value of being a "Heyman" guy by associating it with Axel and Ryback. While Ryback has suffered the most horrid booking imaginable, him and Axel were damaged goods trying to be salvaged by WWE. Now that they are hitting reset on the Heyman guys, do not try to salvage damaged goods or use guys who can make it (or have made it) on their own.

Of the main roster, Heyman being paired with a member/members of The Shield makes sense. That faction has had strong booking since they have debuted. Personally, I want him to raid the NXT talent. Pair him with Bo Dallas. The dynamic would be electric. Alexander Rusev, Leo Kruger, and even Solomon Crowe could bring something unique to the table as clients of Paul Heyman. Try to bring the value of being a Heyman guy back before Axel and to a lesser extent Ryback ruined it.

 

[harrythem]

I'm going to ignore the obvious and go a bit more "off the wall" with my choice...

Tensai

Yeah there's been a load of damage done to his character but, watch his work from Japan, the guy can put together a helluva realistic, and top draw, match. He's got the in-ring skills and he's a good old sized guy that can look brutal, but he's lacking on the mike...so enter Heyman!

They could even use the story based on mostly fact, he was a guy that made it away from the WWE, he became a rather big star in Japan but he didn't fit into what WWE wanted so they made him a joke. Heyman could have "restored his belief and mean streak".

Well, I could see it working anyway.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

Once The Shield finally goes their seperate ways I think they all need to be completely solo & I'm sure WWE wants to see how well each of them can stand on their own as well. The only one out of the group that would even need a mouth piece like Heyman would be Roman Reigns & as was already mentioned, Reigns looks like he will be turning babyface in the not so distant future, so giving him one of the best heel managers of all time wouldn't benefit him in the proper manner.

Daniel Bryan is the probably the biggest mystery to me on this whole list. Not only is he extremely valuable as one of the only really over babyfaces in the entire company right now but he doesn't need a manager at all. Not to mention the pairing of Bryan & Heyman just seems odd to me, maybe not Ricardo & RVD odd but still odd. So I would say being a "Paul Heyman Guy" is definitely not for Bryan.

Antonio Cesaro would be my top choice for the next Heyman guy. Cesaro has all the tools to be a top guy but his first solo run fell a bit flat. I would attribute a decent amount of that to his poor booking in the past & lack of solid TV/PPV time but with a manager like Heyman at his side I think Cesaro could reach his full potential.

Big E Langston wouldn't be an awful choice but once again that would just be kind of a random pairing to me & frankly Big E's size is not enough for me to care about him. Langston has become a decent performer but to me he is just the African-American Ryback. Langston does some cool moves & can move fast for his size but he hasn't proven to me that he is worth having Heyman or that he is a future main eventer. So while it wouldn't be the worst choice, it's also not the best move IMO & WWE wanting to push "big guys" isn't enough reasoning for me to care about Big E or want to see him with Heyman.

Wade Barrett is just a lost cause IMO. He has some talent but I think it was proven back in 2010 when he main evented a few PPV's with the likes of John Cena & Randy Orton, the guy just isn't a top heel & that's what WWE wanted from him so they just decided to keep him around as a mid-carder & I can't blame them one bit. Barrett lacks that "it" factor. He just doesn't have the charisma or acting ability to make his character connect with the audience. If Ryback & Axel didn't work, I think Barrett would just be a disaster.

I see Damien Sandow as sort of a similar case to Bryan. He is doing great on his own, doesn't need a mouth piece by any stretch of the imagination & the pairing just seems awkward. Sandow is a top tier talent who will reach his ultimate potential & he doesn't need Paul Heyman to do it.

Drew McIntyre is just an even more lost cause than Barrett IMO, the only difference being that in the begining Barrett at least showed some real potential, I can't say the same for McIntyre. The only time McIntyre came close to really impressing me was in the Elimination Chamber match he was in back in 2011. Pretty much all of his other performances have felt phoned in or lackluster to me in some way. I'll agree he has matured a bit & I'm glad he doesn't complain about his spot in the company on twitter or something but I actually think he has technically regressed in some ways, I really don't think he does try his best all the time & I do think he is awful on the mic. So while he may be able to benefit from Heyman, I don't think he comes anywhere close to deserving a push like that.

Sheamus wouldn't be bad since it would be something really fresh for him & he has a size reminiscent of Brock Lesnar. The only problem is I think it would really only get over big time if once WWE turned Sheamus heel that they let him be extremely destructive & aggressive like Lesnar was when he first came in & I just don't see WWE doing that. So while I would probably enjoy the pairing of Sheamus & Paul Heyman if done right, I just don't see WWE taking that route.

AJ Lee is the female equivalent of Bryan or Sandow to me in this particular case. She is doing great on her own, she is one of the best females ever on the mic & she gets plenty of heat on her own, so I see no reason to pair her with Heyman.

But I do think introducing a Heyman Girl is a great idea & I think Paige is absolutely perfect for the role. She has the gimmick, the attitude, the skills in the ring, etc. She has pretty much everything except for name value, notable represantation to talk people into the building to see her & a spot from creative in the storylines. Give her Heyman & she is pretty much set.

So I would say out of the names listed (& probably the entire roster) Antonio Cesaro & Paige would be the two best WWE Superstars to be the next Paul Heyman Guy or Girl.

 

[Franck19]

The Shield will obviously split sooner or later as the whole Justice gimmick passed a while ago in my opinion and right now they are juste enforcers to Triple H and part of that Corporation spoof. I don't personally see an advantage for any of the three to actually go with Heyman I think Ambrose, Rollings and Reigns can go for solo runs without the help of Heyman.

Bryan as an Heyman guy, I don't see how they can pull it off unless Heyman turn totally Uncorporate and join forces with Bryan to kinda fight the dictatorship of Triple H and the McMahons but yet again I don't see the point in that as Bryan is highly hyped as a top babyface and futur WWE Champion.

Cesaro is quite a good choice, the Real American thing doesn't really work that much as he is way more over than Swagger and the chemistry between Cesaro, Zeb and Swagger isn't just that. But I think again Cesaro could be better of on his own and be pushed in the IC title picture as a dominant wrestler.

Big E just doesn't fit at all with Heyman I think it's just a no brainer nobody should even think of pairing those two.

Barrett and McIntyre are pratically the same, once were wrestler with great potentiel and WWE had great futur for the two, but now they are stucked in the Jobber/Mid-Card part of the company and putting them with Heyman would just sink the exposure of Heyman and make him useless in the company as everyone would just hope for the return of Lesnar.

Sandow is too good on his own just like AJ Lee. As for Sheamus good pairing idea, but just don't feel like it's a good idea to bring back the Celtic Warrior as a dominant heel with Heyman. He was just starting to get some good cheer from the crowd and he actually do good as a babyface.

NXT is I think the best place to look at. Right now the obvious choice is of course Paige who's character fit perfectly well with Heyman and having an "Heyman Girl" would be different. Wrestler Wise in NXT right now, good think comes out of Rusev, Solomon Crowe could be a good thing too as he is well established already as an Indy wrestler and Heyman is quite the Indy type of guy.

In the end, Paige is the only perfect solution, there is other good guys that could fit the role but il depends on what WWE is looking for. If they want to push an already established guy like Cesaro or do they step outside the box and take someone nobody expect like they did with Axel ?

 

[mustafa33]

i would love him being part of authority story line to add more spice to the mix and having number of guys by his side ...from which later on he can select the most potential guy under his wing...as WWE is looking to invest in wrestlers larger than life than that guy would be matt morgan!

 

[the_peoples_adam]

HEYMAN is stayed to manage LESNAR once he comes back..I dont think he will manage anyone...I would love to see him manage ROMAN..But ROMAn will have to turn HEEL then....Personally i think HEYMAN should not manage anyone currently....He should come back to the commentary section to give us some momentum....Commentary needs him...

 

[thechef]

your list made me think that Paul heyman could get a small team of heyman guys and they would be:
sheamus, drew McIntyre, wade Barrett and Paige from nxt (if they want a chick,to help make their diva division more important)
and he could spin it to say that the U.K have the best wrestlers and that the U.K has the best doctors (in relation to his current injured shtick where he was in Europe seeing doctors) and basically declare himself an honorary U.K resident. If they make it about the U.K being the best and not so much about USA sucking then it could work i think. this would leave Brock in the lurch a bit but he only works a limited schedule so they could work around it.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

The only star from that list who would fit well is Roman Reigns. The rest are established stars on the main roster or are irrelevant or failed to deliver on their previous pushes. Paul Heyman should not be managing British wrestlers as he is American and it would not very well IMO. Langston can talk for himself and that would completely demolish the Paul Heyman guy idea. The whole point of Heyman joining up with X star is to hide the weaknesses and show the strengths. With that being said, Reigns is a guy with all the potential in the world just waiting to be exploited.

In my experience, the only weakness he has is the fact that he can't talk very well. When The Shield do finally break up, Reigns should separate and team up with Heyman. He reminds me of Batista, all the attributes but weak in the mic skills department.

I agree that Roman Reigns would be the perfect candidate to be a Paul Heyman guy. Reigns has "IT", and I would place a lot of cash on him being a World Champion very soon, probably within a year.

However, I do think Vince will end up pushing Reigns as a face after the demise of The Shield, WWE need new top level faces and I see Reigns being the guy that the company go for. His good looks, physique and power make him ideal choice to be one of the main faces of the WWE.

This could affect him being a Paul Heyman guy, as I don't see The Shield breaking up in a way that keeps Reigns heel, and they arent going to pair Heyman up with a face. The former Mr E Dangerously is a born heat magnet and needs to remain heel. If he DID manage a heel Reigns, it could be along the lines of Brock Lesnar being "The Next Big Thing", with Reigns destroying of the roster and quickly progressing to main event level with Heyman as his mouthpiece.

However, if Reigns turns Face, which I think he will....I can't see them putting him with Heyman.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I don't buy that Axel has left Heyman, btw. He stood behind him, tried to defend him against Punk, and then all of a sudden he says he's no longer a Heyman guy. Another likely. I think that the plan will actually be to use Ryback to put Axel over IF there really is heat on Ryback.

Interesting view, but forgetting the storyline for a moment, I can't help thinking that the day Curtis Axel is no longer represented by Paul Heyman is the day Axel goes back to mid-card anonymity. I'm talking about Joe Hennig's actual career path: I believe the reason he was elevated to the main roster was because of Paul Heyman's role with the company. If he's not with Heyman, he'll wind up tag teaming with guys like Yoshi Tatsu......which is still an improvement over being suspended in Never Never Land as Hennig was for a very long time.

 

[Rocky84]

Thank God! Honestly, Axel was pathetic....has been since his McGilicutty(sp?) days. Never bought that he deserved to be even mentioned out of Hayman's mouth let alone managed by him.

Ryback is fine on his own...I like his bullying angle, but with guys like him, you can only do so much in this PG era...I guess we are at PG-13 level now since they kicked it up a notch, but still, he needs to be more violent imo. He is too much like Brock to be with Paul....it wasn't right since it was almost like he was his replacement.

I think Hayman should stop managing anyone not named Brock for now. Let this stench clear away first before we make him a sideshow. Hard to take him seriously when he's ****ing himself out to everyone in the locker room to get them over.

 

[The Eighties]

I'd like to see Heyman with a traditional stable of 3 to 4 talents, a singles guy that he can try to help get to the main event, a tag team and maybe a Diva.

For the singles guy I'd go with either Cesaro as a wrestling machine promoted by Heyman the mouthy heat magnet, or I'd go with Ziggler or Sandow as a guys who can talk but who would be elevated by having Heyman to bounce off with their promos, kinda like how Rick Rude and Mr. Perfect worked with Bobby Heenan.

For the tag team I'd pair two NXT guys like Corey Graves and Aleksander Rusev, opposites for sure but brought together under Heyman and both with singles potential down the line.

I know most want Paige as the Heyman girl but I actually think Summer Rae might fit better with him, the lecherous Heyman smitten with the supermodel-esque Summer in a devious alliance with Heyman promoting her as the quintessential Diva against the alternative Divas like AJ Lee, Paige and maybe Emma.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

American Wolves. It'd be the best possible way to introduce them if they sign. If not then Ambrose. The credibility if "Heyman guy" is only there if you actually are what people would associate as a"Heyman guy". So no john Cena although that'd be out of the box and fun.

 

[rge2010]

CM Punk brought to light the 'Paul Heyman guy' thing and it worked a charm. They were fantastic together and the connection meant something.

I had no issues with Curtis Axel being a Paul guy either. He needed a break and the kid does have talent and I thought that Heyman would take him to the next level by talking for him but sadly it wasnt to be. I think Lesnar had something to do with this as him and Curt Henning were good friends.

Finally on to Ryback. This was merely for storyline purposes which means the 'Heyman guy' thing has become commercial. It ended before it even started so for me the Heyman guy thing has lost a lot of credibility.

Heyman needs to cut a 'shoot style' promo on the WWE now for giving him dunces. Its the only way they can claw this back. We all believed Heyman was a genius and would see something others havent. What he did with Lesnar was incredible, his work with Punk was great - but he has failed with his two latest pet projects.

I say put an established star with Heyman now, someone who has that connection. That man is none other than RVD. Established, a big name and could do with a mouth piece. Only then further down the line would I give him someone else, once Brock Lesnar has wrecked havoc and left again. I think that man should be Dean Ambrose or Roman Reigns. Both have the tools to succeed, Heyman could take them to that next level.

 

[Radical]

Axel is and always was boring as shit. He's one of those guys who was just in the right time at the right place and he'll have his name in the record books no matter what with a pretty decent, undeserved, IC title reign where he did absolutely NOTHING special with his title defenses.

Without Heyman, unless Axel makes a pretty serious character change he is going to be out the door pretty damn soon because people literally fall asleep when he wrestles and it is even worse when he talks.

Ryback is a product of WRONG place, WRONG time as he was actually pushed well out of the gates with that string of victories but then he was shot into a few PPV main events where he had no chance to look strong and he suffered ever since. If he was done 'right' he would have continued that winning streak into a #1 Contendership for the IC or World Title and won that with some legitimacy and held it for a while as a FACE. Because he was getting mileage with the fans with all that "FEED ME MORE" stuff. Then when he lost the the title he could do the heel turn saying "fans gave up on him when he lost the title so why should he care about them" etc, etc. And he'd be in a much better position now.

But, that didn't happen and now he is suffering from it. He is destined to go the way of a guy like Bam Bam Bigelow. Big (not fat, I know), and involved in fairly high profile feuds but never likely to be a top champion. Not sure what the WWE can do to salvage him as a character anymore. He's already done the bullying angle (which was kind of given up on) and they tried giving him the Heyman push and it didn't work. He's between a rock and a hard place.