Though his character largely stands on its own as one of the best in professional wrestling history, The Undertaker knows a thing or two about working with a top-tier manager, as his work alongside Paul Bearer, aka the dearly departed Percy Pringle, truly produced some of the highlights of his careers.
From their early run together in the WWF, to the storyline where the “Deadman” was left for his younger brother Kane, and even the run where CM Punk stole Bearer's “actual” urn, Taker's career wouldn't have been nearly as prolific without his manager and plenty of other performers, from Brock Lesnar, to the “Tribal Chief,” Roman Reigns, wouldn't be the same without their managers either.
So naturally, when one of the all-time great managers, Paul Heyman, gets announced for the WWE Hall of Fame, Undertaker is going to have something to say on the matter, and say he did on his Six Feet Under podcast, celebrating the ECW boss for being one of the best to ever do it.
“Hall of Fame man. Well-deserved too. Not only has he got like a brilliant wrestling mind. But even for as long as he's been involved in the business and around, he's still so passionate. He's one of those guys like Paul Bearer was the same way with me. When he was managing Brock, and obviously, now he's managing Roman Reigns. He is so invested in those guys and their well-being, their decision-making,” The Undertaker said via SE Scoops.
“When I went solo in WCW, after Danny left, they put Paul with me. He was so instrumental in keeping me sane because I was so frustrated there with what they were doing with me. Obviously, the infamous meeting that I had with WCW's upper management. He was such an advocate for me, in the sense of getting me to Bruce [Prichard], who would eventually get me to Vince [McMahon] and that whole thing.
“He was a little better off than I was, I wasn't making any money. A lot of times, he would just pick up the rental cars instead of us splitting it or help me out when he could, but obviously, the biggest contribution on my part with him was just that connection to get me out of WCW and into an opportunity with WWE”
Interesting stuff, right? You bet, but wait, it gets even better, as The Undertaker had plenty more to say on the matter, including some of the inside baseball facts that only a true WWE lifer knows firsthand.
The Undertaker celebrates everything Paul Heyman brings to the table.
Continuing his praise for Paul Heyman on Six Feet Under, The Undertaker explained what makes the “Wise Man” such a compelling manager, as he does more than simply stand in his client's corner before making his way to the pay window.
“Paul, if he's passionate about an idea, or his guy is passionate about an idea, he will flat out go to battle. It's not his hill really to die on, but he will. He truly is representing, what they feel is the best move for where they're positioned. Not every manager is like that. Not every manager is as invested as Paul is,” The Undertaker noted.
“Paul can be brash and he can say some things that will ruffle your feathers. But overall he's very smart about the business. He's totally invested. A lot of times too, he'll go and rely things that maybe his guy doesn't wanna do. ‘Hey what you think about this.' Paul earns his money man. He does a really, really good job of advocating for his guys.
“Not everybody is that invested. But he'll fight and argue and try and get his point across and change people's minds which is what you want. As a talent sometimes, you're trying to focus on ‘Okay, I have to focus on this match' and whatever that might be. So it's nice to have somebody, who is so knowledgeable of the business, going in there and not to say politicking, but being an advocate.”
Whoa, is Paul Heyman the reason why Roman Reigns is still the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion? Was his “bottom of the third” comment actually public posturing for his client instead of a heel manager heeling it up in a heel-ish way? If it's the former, you've got to give it up to Heyman, he's made Reigns a ton of money without doing very much work, and if that isn't a sign of a good manager, frankly, I don't know what is.
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