Wrestling: Grappling with the B-list

By Alex Marvez

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Paul Heyman is still hustling.

One of pro wrestling's most influential figures of the past 20 years, Heyman is focused on a new challenge: an Internet-based reality/entertainment venture called The Heyman Hustle showcased by The Sun, a Rupert Murdoch-owned tabloid based in the United Kingdom.

Filmed in New York, the show puts to use the gift of gab that made Heyman one of grappling's greatest managers. He interviews B- list celebrities like Survivor cast members, James Lipton and Ice T and his wife, Coco, as well as eccentric Manhattanites. The result: five- to 10- minute vignettes with the rapid pacing of his Extreme Championship Wrestling shows in the 1990s.

"I want to find the ordinary in the extraordinary and the extraordinary in the ordinary," he said. "I want to talk music with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to find out what songs affect their moods and emotions, because it may show the mechanics behind their mood swings or motivation. And as long as they have charisma, I want to talk with the hot dog vendor and pizza maker about politics and their views of the world."

Heyman still dabbles in wrestling, commenting on the genre on his Web site (heymanhustle.com). But he says he has no desire to return after leaving his World Wrestling Entertainment scriptwriting role in December 2006 following creative differences with the company.

"I absolutely believe I can out- book anyone in the industry today, but it's a one-brand business right now," said Heyman of WWE's dominance in the marketplace. "That brand runs differently than the type of writing and mechanisms that I use.

"I have no bitterness about the wrestling industry. I've lived out every dream and had the time of my life. But it wasn't fun any more. My time was up."

Heyman's legacy lives on in Extreme Championship Wrestling, though the promotion is far different from when he assumed matchmaking chores in 1993. Despite limited budgeting and TV exposure, Heyman revolutionized wrestling by introducing talent and styles like hard-core and lucha-flavored bouts unfamiliar in the U.S. Rey Mysterio, Rob Van Dam and two late WWE champions, Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit, received their career breaks in ECW.

Yet ECW couldn't survive a competitive marketplace. WWE and WCW copied many of Heyman's ideas and signed talent he couldn't afford. Heyman sold the promotion to WWE in 2001 and began working for the company as an announcer, manager (current Ultimate Fighting Championship star Brock Lesnar was his protege) and writer.

Heyman was part of the 2005 relaunch of ECW (8 p.m. Tuesdays, Sci-Fi Network), but it was clear his vision was markedly different from that of WWE owner Vince McMahon.