LionDen
04-03-2013, 05:05 AM
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Paul Heyman first talked his way into a wrestling event when he was 13, scamming a press pass and then working shows at Madison Square Garden as a photographer. And so began a hugely successful career for Heyman in the world of professional wrestling.
He’s taken on some of the best of the business under the alias of Paul E. Dangerously. He’s bounced in and out of the ring as a feared competitor, loudmouth commentator and manager of the some of the craziest wrestlers in a truly nutty and fiercely followed arena of sports entertainment. Back in the day, Heyman attracted a cult for his antics in the ring — hurling chairs, breaking tables and bringing an electric do-anything style to the world of pro wrestling. He owned Eastern Champion Wrestling from 1993 until 2001, when it went belly up. More recently, Heyman has been the general manager of “SmackDown” and a fan-favorite color commentator on “Monday Night RAW.”
These days, this Edgemont resident is excited about the upcoming “WrestleMania 29,” the annual pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment. It will be held Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.., and is expected to draw some 90,000 fans. Before things get too crazy, we asked Heyman to sit down with us for a few questions.
Q: Pro wrestling is a phenom that just won’t quit. What do you think is behind the sustained fan interest for so many years?
A: WWE has become part of pop culture. It’s an institution. And now, WWE is not just a television staple, a pay-per-view juggernaut and a global touring troop with sellouts all over the globe. It’s also the leader in social media interaction with its very own fan base.
Q: You’ve had quite a run at WWE. What’s your role now?
A: I serve as the advocate for Brock Lesnar and the strategist/confidante for CM Punk. I am a blessed man. I get to work with my two best friends in front of a global audience.
Q: What should we be watching for at WrestleMania 29?
A: The audience gets a chance to say good-bye to Triple H, as he has clearly met his match in Brock Lesnar. And the audience gets to witness history being made as CM Punk breaks the Undertaker’s legendary 20-0 WrestleMania streak.
Q: So how much is scripted and how much is live and off the cuff?
A: That all depends on how much talent you have, your knowledge of what sells and how much you’re willing to stick your neck out to exploit the opportunity of having a live mike on live TV.
Q: You graduated from Edgemont High School in 1983. How did you happen to go from Edgemont into the heart of pro wrestling — as a bad boy, no less? It’s not the typical career trajectory for a Jewish kid at a high-pressure, college-track school in Westchester.
A: I decided it was high time someone led these Edgemonters to the promised land. What’s the typical career trajectory? Answer to someone else? Work your way up to become executive vice president? Stress yourself out to pay off a mortgage because you moved back into the neighborhood? My classmates should look at my life and say, ‘I should have pursued my dreams like Heyman did!’ ”
Q: You were a promoter at Studio 54 in the mid-1980s. Any good stories?
A: I was a photographer, a publicist and a promoter at Studio 54 when I was 19 and 20 years old. I will need to research certain statutes of limitation before repeating any stories. And yes, they’re all that good.
lohud
Paul Heyman first talked his way into a wrestling event when he was 13, scamming a press pass and then working shows at Madison Square Garden as a photographer. And so began a hugely successful career for Heyman in the world of professional wrestling.
He’s taken on some of the best of the business under the alias of Paul E. Dangerously. He’s bounced in and out of the ring as a feared competitor, loudmouth commentator and manager of the some of the craziest wrestlers in a truly nutty and fiercely followed arena of sports entertainment. Back in the day, Heyman attracted a cult for his antics in the ring — hurling chairs, breaking tables and bringing an electric do-anything style to the world of pro wrestling. He owned Eastern Champion Wrestling from 1993 until 2001, when it went belly up. More recently, Heyman has been the general manager of “SmackDown” and a fan-favorite color commentator on “Monday Night RAW.”
These days, this Edgemont resident is excited about the upcoming “WrestleMania 29,” the annual pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment. It will be held Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.., and is expected to draw some 90,000 fans. Before things get too crazy, we asked Heyman to sit down with us for a few questions.
Q: Pro wrestling is a phenom that just won’t quit. What do you think is behind the sustained fan interest for so many years?
A: WWE has become part of pop culture. It’s an institution. And now, WWE is not just a television staple, a pay-per-view juggernaut and a global touring troop with sellouts all over the globe. It’s also the leader in social media interaction with its very own fan base.
Q: You’ve had quite a run at WWE. What’s your role now?
A: I serve as the advocate for Brock Lesnar and the strategist/confidante for CM Punk. I am a blessed man. I get to work with my two best friends in front of a global audience.
Q: What should we be watching for at WrestleMania 29?
A: The audience gets a chance to say good-bye to Triple H, as he has clearly met his match in Brock Lesnar. And the audience gets to witness history being made as CM Punk breaks the Undertaker’s legendary 20-0 WrestleMania streak.
Q: So how much is scripted and how much is live and off the cuff?
A: That all depends on how much talent you have, your knowledge of what sells and how much you’re willing to stick your neck out to exploit the opportunity of having a live mike on live TV.
Q: You graduated from Edgemont High School in 1983. How did you happen to go from Edgemont into the heart of pro wrestling — as a bad boy, no less? It’s not the typical career trajectory for a Jewish kid at a high-pressure, college-track school in Westchester.
A: I decided it was high time someone led these Edgemonters to the promised land. What’s the typical career trajectory? Answer to someone else? Work your way up to become executive vice president? Stress yourself out to pay off a mortgage because you moved back into the neighborhood? My classmates should look at my life and say, ‘I should have pursued my dreams like Heyman did!’ ”
Q: You were a promoter at Studio 54 in the mid-1980s. Any good stories?
A: I was a photographer, a publicist and a promoter at Studio 54 when I was 19 and 20 years old. I will need to research certain statutes of limitation before repeating any stories. And yes, they’re all that good.
lohud