Once again we are all gathered in the prestigious PWB Ballroom wearing our best tuxedos and gowns to honor another inductee in The sideshowRhaeem Wrestling Hall of fame. Since ECW’s One Night Stand is this Sunday I think it is only appropriate to induct one of the most controversial figures in professional wrestling into the these hollowed halls. He is a man that revolutionized wrestling and is the first inducted into the executive wing of my hall of fame Paul Heyman.

Heyman’s introduction to the wrestling business came when he served on the staff of several wrestling magazines, including Pro Wrestling Illustrated and Double Action Wrestling. In 1986, however, he made the transformation from spectator and journalist to participant, when he began to manage as Paul E. Dangerously on the independent circuit. Later that same year, however, he made a huge splash, managing Tommy Rich and Austin Idol against Jerry “The King” Lawler in the AWA Mid-Southern territory, going so far as to start a riot during an attack on Lawler in the Mid-South Coliseum.

After leading the Mercenaries to the CWA International Tag Team titles in 1987, Heyman arrived in the AWA. On October 30, 1987, Dangerously managed the Original Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey and Randy Rose) to the AWA Tag Team titles. A year later, Dangerously led Conbdrey and Rose to the NWA to feud with the Jim Cornette led Midnight Express (Stan Lane and Bobby Eaton). Dangerously would even step into the ring to battle Cornette in a Tuxedo Match at the 1989 Great American Bash.With the demise of Dangerously’s Midnight Express, he remained with WCW as a commentator before beginning to form his own wrestling stable, the Dangerous Alliance, which would include TV Champion Steve Austin, U.S. Champion Rich Rude, Madusa, Larry Zbysko, Eaton, and Arn Anderson. The Dangerous Alliance ran roughshod over WCW for the latter part of 1991 and most of 1992.

By the fall of 1993, Heyman had left WCW and begun booking for Tod Gordon’s Eastern Championship Wrestling. In 1996, Heyman bought the company from Gordon and Eastern Championship Wrestling became Extreme Championship Wrestling. ECW quickly gained a cult-like following with its hardcore style of wrestling and as an alternative to the cartoon like WWF and WCW. In 1999, after years of trying to secure a TV deal Heyman signed a three-year contract to air ECW on TNN (The Nashville Network, now Spike TV) on Friday nights. However, ECW’s debts were rising and Heyman couldn’t pay many of his workers. In short order, many of the organization’s top stars, including Raven, Mike Awesome and Taz left for WCW and WWE and because of this in 2001 ECW folded.

Heyman quickly found work with WWE over the next few years Heyman worked as a writer/booker, an announcer along side Jim Ross, manager of WWE Champion Brock Lesner, and even was allowed by the WWE to organize two ECW One Night Stand PPV witch served as a reunion for Heyman’s defunked ECW. In 2005, Heyman was put in charge of the creative department in Ohio Valley Wrestling, when after much prompting by ECW alumni Rob Van Damn, Vince McMahon made the decision to resurrect Extreme Championship Wrestling and Vince put Paul Heyman in charge. But Due to a dispute over ECW’s first solo pay-per-view under WWE (December to Dismember) which aired December 3, 2006 the following night WWE Chairman Vince McMahon removed Heyman from his position in ECW, and sent him home from the RAW/ECW taping in South Carolina. Heyman still remains under contract with WWE, his current position uncertain.

Paul Heyman would be the first to admit that he may have lacked the business skills to keep the original ECW going and he may have lacked the backstage politics to keep Vince and Stephine McMahon happy when it came to the new ECW but the one thing that Paul Heyman doesn’t lack is passion for the sport of professional wrestling. Every time Paul got the opportunity to grab a mic and cut a promo you could tell buy the tone of his voice and the look in his eyes that he loves this business. Vince McMahon and Eric Bischoff are often credited for revolutionizing pro wrestling in the late 90’s, well the truth is that most of there good ideas came from what they saw Paul Heyman doing with ECW. Without Paul Heyman there would be no NWO, no DX, no Stevie Austin vs Vince Vince McMahon feud there would be no Mick Foley coming off the top of the Hell in the Cell, there would be no TLC matches, and no RVD to put it simply he injected the word extreme into professional wrestling and that is why he is the forth inductee into the sideshowRaheem Wrestling Hall of fame.

Normally I this is the point I would link to a video of one of Paul Heyman’s great on camera moments but after spending an hour on Youtube I can’t just pick one Paul is a master at shoot promos so I decided to give you what I am calling Paul Heyman’s greatest hits:

• Click here to see Paul give a impassioned speech to the talent before the first ECW PPV.

• Click here to see Paul cut a shoot promo on TNN management on ECW’s last broadcast on TNN.

• Click here to see Paul cut the best shoot promo EVER on Vince McMahon.

• Click here to see Paul talk about success and failure as it relates to ECW.