The Undertaker Credits Paul Heyman With Helping Him Join WWE
The Undertaker has opened up about Paul Heyman’s influence on his career.
During WrestleMania 40 weekend, Paul Heyman will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Although Heyman has previously turned down the honour, he’ll finally take his place in the class of 2024 alongside, the US Express, Bull Nakano, Thunderbolt Patterson, and Muhammad Ali.
After beginning his career as a photographer when he was just a teenager, Heyman really hit his stride as a manager in the late 1980s with the CWA, AWA and later Jim Crockett Promotions which would become WCW.
Although Heyman was eventually fired by WCW in 1993, he’d already made an impressive impact on the business by not only working with established names but also appearing by the side of would-be megastars Steve Austin and The Undertaker.
Speaking on Six Feet Under, The Deadman paid tribute to Heyman for his “brilliant wrestling mind.”
“Not only has he got a brilliant mind, like a brilliant wrestling mind, but man, 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, I mean, he is so invested in those guys and their well being and their decision making.”
Paul Heyman Was Instrumental In Guiding The Undertaker
Undertaker went on to discuss the idea of being a ‘Paul Heyman guy,’ and said looking back he might have been one of the first. The veteran later broke down how Heyman went out of his way to help him early in his career, eventually bringing him to the attention of WWE.
“I was probably one of the originals and not even really aware of it because he was managing me 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 and 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, who would eventually get me to Vince 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 splitting it. He helped me out when he could, but the biggest contribution on my part with him was just that connection to get me out of WCW and into an opportunity with WWE.”
The Undertaker finally retired in 2020 after spending 30 years with WWE, he was subsequently inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022.
It was recently reported that The Undertaker will appear at WrestleMania 40, although there’s no word on what he’ll be doing.
H/t to WrestlingNews.Co