At its core, wrestling is a soap opera packed with power struggles, a quest to establish dominance, and the relationships made along the way. As a kid weaned on both soap operas and wrestling, I grew up watching beefy, brawny dudes slog it out for the attentions of Miss Elizabeth — the very demure manager of the legendary Macho Man Randy Savage. Fast-forward 40 years later and we don’t have big, meaty men slapping meat over Miss Elizabeth. Rather, we have big, meaty men slapping meat in an attempt to secure the services of Paul Heyman.
This year, the main event of Night One of Wrestlemania 41 centered on a Triple Threat match between Roman Reigns, CM Punk, and Seth Rollins. But these three modern legends didn’t scrap it out over a title — or even a title shot. They were revved up for the right to claim Paul Heyman as their manager. Heyman, the maverick mind behind the revolutionary ECW franchise that was later acquired by WWE, has a long reputation as a manager of champions and instantly elevates a performer by accompanying them ringside.
A Little Bit of Wrestling History Repeating
Professional wrestling operates on the premise that any problem can be solved with glorious cartoon violence, amplifying every emotion that comprises the human condition. It’s what hooks people of all ages and makes them fans for life.
If you stick around long enough, echoes of story lines repeat themselves. It’s no different than real life, where different generations make the same mistakes or find themselves drawn into recognizable patterns, time after time.
Over 35 years ago, the main attraction at Wrestlemania V involved the volatile Macho Man Randy Savage going head-to-bandana-wearing-head with the (kayfabe) ultimate “good guy” Hulk Hogan, fighting over the delicate hand of meek maiden Miss Elizabeth. With an emotional core fueled by jealousy, lust, and a metric fuck ton of cocaine, the match was the catalyst for Liz’s break with Savage and his descent into complete Macho Madness.
Shifting into his ultimate heel era, Savage needed an accomplice to help him scale new heights — a partner in wrestle crimes who would complement his particular brand of crazy. Enter Sensational Sherri Martel as Savage’s new manager.
The polar opposite of quiet Miss Elizabeth, Sherri was loud. She wore garish makeup, cleavage-baring outfits, and approached her promos with a similar intensity and decibel level as Macho Man himself. Best of all, instead of pacing and wringing her hands outside the ring, Sherri Martel frequently intervened in Savage’s matches. A former AWA and WWF women’s champion herself, Sherri was no stranger to in-ring ruckus. From a loaded handbag stuffed with a concrete brick to swinging chairs, Sherri was not afraid to mix it up on behalf of her charge.
Sounds familiar, eh?
A Wrestling Trope Refreshed
At Wrestlemania 41, WWE gifted us with a brigade of brawlers lining up for the managerial mastery of Paul Heyman. We’ve come a long way, baby!
While Miss Elizabeth is often mentioned in the same breath as Macho Man Randy Savage, she appeared to be in a perpetual state of worry. By contrast, Sensational Sherri (“Scary Sherri,” if you’re nasty!) looked like she was having the time of her life — screaming and slapping the shit out of anyone who stood in Savage’s path.
Where Elizabeth brought quiet devotion, Sherri brought fire. She was loud, intense, and ready to throw hands. The contrast between them became a template for future female manager roles — the saint and the siren.
But what happens when one man embodies both of those qualities?
Paul Heyman combines the emotional investment of Miss Elizabeth with the cunning ferocity of Sensational Sherri. Whether he’s wringing his hands at ringside or handing someone a foreign object, he elevates his client with an intensity that feels both strategic and personal.
When Heyman walks down the ramp with a wrestler, the audience knows that both Heyman and his charge are a force to be recokoned with.
The Many Men Who Are Paul Heyman Guys
While he’d dabbled with managing Kurt Angle, Bam Bam Bigelow, The Big Show, Rob Van Dam, and others on an intermittent basis, Paul Heyman forged lasting partnerships, sticking with several wrestlers for the long haul.
- He took CM Punk from indie darling to Best in the World status.
- From there, Paul Heyman unleashed (and occasionally tamed) The Beast Incarnate that is Brock Lesnar.
- He transformed Roman Reigns from bland baby face into Tribal Chief.
- And now, Heyman is poised to create even stronger scaffolding to elevate The Architect Seth Rollins.
At Wrestlemania 41, Heyman’s conflicting loyalties collided, setting off a powder keg of Archduke Ferdinand proportions. Let’s take a quick glimpse into a history of the most noteworthy “Paul Heyman Guys” and the lead-up to multiple betrayals and a new era in the fallout.
Pal to the Prodigal Punk
Paul Heyman’s history with CM Punk goes back a long way. He championed the then-indie wrestler first during his time in WWE’s farm league when Heyman was booker/writer for OVW. When both made the jump to WWE, Heyman served as Punk’s manager.
Of course, Paul did what his onscreen persona does best: He betrayed Punk and sided with Brock Lesnar. A year later, CM Punk quit wrestling before eventually returning to both the squared circle and WWE in 2023.
The off-screen trust and friendship between the two played a role in their Wrestlemania 41 storyline with Heyman owing Punk a favor. Said favor involved Heyman escorting Punk to the ring in the main event and serving as his corner man.
The Advocate to Brock Lesnar
For roughly a decade, Paul Heyman served as The Advocate for Brock Lesnar. While Lesnar was solid on the mic, Heyman took him to the next level, delivering promos on his client’s behalf that set the table to make The Beast Incarnate even more fearsome. Under Paul Heyman’s guidance, Lesnar ended The Undertaker’s fabled Wrestlemania streak.
The resourceful Heyman also intervened during matches to help Brock secure a win in the event that multiple trips to Suplex City didn’t quite subdue his opponent. As an added bonus, Paul positively beamed outside the ring, looking at Brock with the same adoration a high school cheerleader reserves for the star quarterback.
When Lesnar left WWE to hunt and do Brock things in the wilds of Sascatchewan, Heyman took on a new client with Roman Reigns. When Brock briefly returned in 2022, Paul was torn. Although, once again, Heyman’s gonna Heyman. The one-time Advocate advocated for his own interests and betrayed Brock, siding with Reigns.
The Wiseman to Roman Reigns
When one turns heel and becomes a tribal chief, in addition to surrounding yourself with a cadre of cousins, it’s smart to enlist the aid of an advisor. As such, Paul Heyman became “The Wiseman” to Roman Reign’s Tribal Chief.
Along with the rest of the Samoan Dynasty, Reigns and his Wiseman lived happily on The Island of Relevancy until numerous power struggles tore the family apart. Through it all, Paul stayed true, mooning over Roman with a similar gaze he’d previously only held for Brock.
When CM Punk returned, Heyman was elated to see his friend back in the wrestling fold and commanding marquee status. That joy turned to anguish when Punk wanted to cash in a favor that Heyman had promised him. Although The Wiseman was already spoken-for, Punk wanted Heyman to accompany him to the ring when he main evented Wrestlemania 41. Seeing as though Roman Reigns was also in this Triple Threat main event (along with his former SHIELD-mate Seth Rollins), this posed a major conflict of interest.
The jealous Reigns — already betrayed by too many people he’d trusted — severed ties with his Wiseman. But not before mugging him and hurling him to the ground in an act that felt uncomfortably like Daddy hitting Mommy because the pot roast was cold. CM Punk ran to his rescue, throttling Reigns in an act of retribution while Seth Rollins looked on and smirked.
Vizier to The Visionary Seth Rollins
Heyman came to the dance with CM Punk at Wrestlemania 41. But at the end of the night, he left with Seth “Freakin'” Rollins.
Rollins himself has had almost as many epithets as Paul Heyman: The Architect. The Visionary. The Monday Night Messiah. With Reigns and Punk chucked aside, Seth stepped in to claim the manager whose betrayal just rewrote the power structure of WWE.
What makes this pairing interesting is that Rollins doesn’t need Heyman — not in the way Brock needed a voice, or Punk needed a real friend. Rollins is already a master manipulator, a showman, and a strategist. Theorizing out loud, perhaps what he wants is leverage. Seth doesn’t view Heyman as a father figure, but as a useful weapon.
But how long can that dynamic last?
On the Monday Night RAW after Wrestlemania 41, Seth Rollins strode to the ring in a bright yellow suit, accompanied by Paul Heyman. And because sartorial cues matter in the world of wrestling, Heyman signaled his alliance with The Visionary by sporting a canary yellow tie himself.
But at this juncture, Heyman might not be a one-man Advocate, solely stumping for Rollins. Bron Breakker joined them in a beatdown of CM Punk and Reigns, with Rollins raising the youngest Steiner’s hand and signaling the possible formation of a new stable.
That said, perhaps Rollins is the first client Paul Heyman picked not out of love, but out of ambition.
Behind Every Strong Wrestler is a Strong Woman. Or Paul Heyman.
Paul Heyman’s Wrestlemania 41 arc wasn’t just a managerial shift — it was a Shakespearean character study in loyalty, grief, and revenge.
To appease the increasingly paranoid Roman Reigns, Heyman did the unthinkable and low-blowed CM Punk, his longtime friend and spiritual son. It was a betrayal, but a reluctant one. And just like Shawn Michaels before he super-kicked Ric Flair into retirement, Paul’s face said it all: I’m sorry. I love you.
But then, moments later — after Reigns had berated and brutalized him, Heyman returned the favor. Paul was borderline possessed when he delivered that second low blow. The maniacal gleam in Heyman’s eyes when he mashed Reigns’ banana but good was as much camp as it was cathartic. It was the opportunity Miss Elizabeth never got: to tell her unhinged Macho Man to get bent and go into business for herself.
Miss Elizabeth had that permanently pained look — constantly worried for Randy Savage, her heart visibly breaking with every feud. Paul Heyman channels that same energy. Watch his eyes during a Roman Reigns promo. Watch his trembling hands when Punk is in peril. He’s not just a mouthpiece. He’s just as much a character fully vested in the action as the wrestlers vying for his business card. However, he pulls double-duty carrying the emotional burden for the audience. He’s not just a hype man for his clients, but leads the charge in selling the drama to the fans.
Like Miss Elizabeth before him and like Sherri Martel pitting her then-“boy toy” Shawn Michaels against Rick “The Model” Martel, Paul is both an active and passive party in this odd little triangle/quadrangle. He declares allegiance, but also strings clients along while weighing his options. He’s affectionate, yet assertive. Paul Heyman has a deep fondness for each of his “Heyman Guys,” but knows they’re equally as capable of betraying him and he still has to protect himself.
Two things can be true at the same time.
A Nurturing Force in a Hypermasculine World
The cynical optimist in me would have loved to have seen Night One of Wrestlemania 41 end differently:
In the closing moments of the main event, the theme to classic sitcom The Facts of Life plays. Paul Heyman — in full Mrs. Garrett mode — gathers his guys to the ring. Seth Rollins’ flair for the dramatic marks him as the Tootie of the gang. On the flipside, Roman Reigns is definitely a Blair Warner type, given his perfect hair and pedigreed family lineage. (Does that mean Jey Uso is Cousin Geri?)
Suddenly, Brock Lesnar’s music hits and The Beast has returned from his Canadian hibernation. Paul gets him to chill, telling Brock that he and CM Punk can take turns being Jo Polniaczek and Natalie Green. And everyone, reluctantly, hugs it out. Because big men have big feelings.
Wrestlemania 41 concludes with Paul telling each of his Heyman Guys that they’re all special to him for different reasons. This leads to a new and unstoppable stable, with Heyman presiding over the careers of each of his once-and-future clients.
But… We didn’t get that. As mentioned before, wrestling is a lot like real life. There isn’t always a happy ending. And yet, there is no ending. The cycle continues. Someone’s always going to befriend someone else. Sometimes that friendship endures. And other times, it ends in betrayal. And it goes on and on. Only time will tell where this next off-ramp takes us.
But one thing remains constant: Heyman isn’t just a manager, a marketing genius, wrestling historian, or icon-maker. He’s a nurturer, a whisperer, a therapist, and parental figure who understands — and sometimes warps to his own advantage — the emotional mechanics of men raised on violence.
In a world built on bravado and brute force, Heyman brings feeling. He gasps. He weeps. He makes the match mean something.
And when he betrays you, it hurts — because you believe he once loved you.
Behind every great wrestler is a slightly co-dependent and potentially unhealthy relationship with their manager. Miss Elizabeth knew this. Sensational Sherri knew it. And so does Paul Heyman.
Paul Heyman may not be a curtain-jerker, but he is the one pulling the strings.
- Paul Heyman: Photo by Megan Elice Meadows via Wikimedia Commons
- Heyman Before & After Low-Blow Observational Meme: Wrestletales on Instagram
- There’s Something About Paul E movie parody poster: Author unknown
I don’t know who any of these people are, but the words sure is fancy!