I'll admit it: As a wrestling fan, I've always hated Paul Heyman.I guess I've always been more than a bit of a mark. I've liked the faces and hated the heels the way I was supposed to. I guess that's part of why I've been able to suspend my disbelief for so long, to be a highly educated man who can watch and enjoy professional wrestling without shame.
The more I watch wrestling, the more I read the behind-the-scenes news, the more I research the business for a possible forthcoming novel, the more I enjoy the work Paul Heyman does. His microphone work--promos, commentary, whatever--is among the best the pro wrestling business has ever seen. He knows the business inside and out, and he's one of the greatest minds in the business. Watching his promos after Wrestlemania XXX, both for Brock Lesnar and for Cesaro, has been entertaining and enlightening. In one promo, all he said was, "My client, Brock Lesnar, conquered the streak!" He repeated that fifteen, twenty times. And the heat grew and grew and grew from the crowd. He didn't have to say anything else. That was enough. Brilliant stuff. And I find myself liking him more and more.
Recently he appeared on two episodes of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's podcasts--Austin does a family-friendly podcast and an "unleashed" podcast--and Heyman was just brilliant. If you want to learn a bit more about the business, you could do worse than listen to Paul Heyman and Steve Austin sitting down in front of a microphone. Here's a link to download the family-friendly first interview, and here's a link to download the "unleashed" second interview. Enjoy!
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