9 Things WWE Fans Should Know About The Undertaker & Paul Heyman's Relationship
Wrestling managers play a huge role in making a wrestler's character work on television, and it's their job to sell the wrestlers' gimmicks and abilities to the fans in such a way that the crowd would automatically rally behind the wrestler. Paul Heyman is one such manager who does the job to perfection, and he has made the careers of multiple wrestlers entrusted to him over the years. One such wrestler who Heyman managed over the years is The Undertaker.
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The two legends know each other from their time together in WCW and they both traveled together in their journeys to become the best at what they do. With that said, let's take a look at nine things WWE fans should know about The Undertaker and Paul Heyman's relationship.
9 The Undertaker Is One Of The Original Paul Heyman Guys
The wrestlers who have used the managerial services of Paul Heyman over the years collectively come under the term "Paul Heyman Guys." Being a Paul Heyman guy means that there is at least a 70% chance that a wrestler will go on to achieve great things in his career.
The Undertaker is also a part of that list, as he used Heyman's services during their time together in WCW as Mean Mark Callous and Paul E. Dangerously. Heyman accompanied The Deadman to the ring and acted as his mouthpiece, which gave The Undertaker an early boost to his career.
8 Their Feud On SmackDown
While they were allies during their time in ECW, they became rivals for the first time when they were part of the SmackDown roster in 2004. Heyman asked his clients, The Dudley Boyz, to kidnap Paul Bearer and took possession of the urn, which gave Heyman full control over The Undertaker.
It led to a handicap match between The Undertaker and The Dudley Boyz at the 2004 Great American Bash PPV. Heyman threatened The Deadman that if he doesn't willfully lie down and take the pinfall loss, he will bury Paul Bearer in cement. But The Undertaker emerged victorious in the match and stopped Heyman from burying Bearer, only for him to do the deed himself as he felt there was no use for Bearer.
7 Heyman Proposed Two Angles For The Undertaker/Brock Lesnar Feud
It's no secret that Paul Heyman is one of the greatest creative minds in pro wrestling history. He tried to use that ability to improve the storyline between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker going into WrestleMania 30 and pitched two angles for The Deadman to Vince McMahon.
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He first suggested that WWE use the footage from Lesnar and Undertaker's staredown at a UFC event, and then suggested that WWE mention the history between him and The Deadman in WCW as his manager in the build-up to WrestleMania 30. However, Vince McMahon didn't like both ideas and went ahead with the already-planned angles.
6 Heyman Praised The Undertaker's Achievements Backstage
Paul Heyman never had a single bad thing to say about The Undertaker throughout the three decades of their friendship. Such was the respect he had for the Deadman, and he never shied away from praising The Undertaker's contributions to the business.
On one such occasion, Heyman stated that The Undertaker also deserves to be credited for the contributions he made to the backstage affairs as well. It was custom for the other wrestlers to approach The Undertaker for advice whenever they needed his help, and The Deadman always gave a lending ear and helped them in any way he could.
5 Paul Heyman About What Originally Drew Him To The Undertaker In WCW
While talking about his relationship with The Undertaker in an interview, Paul Heyman talked about what originally drew him to the Deadman during their time together in WCW.
Heyman talked about how The Undertaker had some magic behind his entire presence and lauded his ability to move like a cruiserweight despite being a giant and his unmatched intelligence in understanding the business as the traits that originally made him want to work with The Undertaker in WCW.
4 The Undertaker Praised Paul Heyman's Work With Roman Reigns
The Undertaker knew what Paul Heyman's contribution could do for a struggling wrestler's career as he personally experienced his assistance in WCW. Hence, when Heyman became the on-screen manager of Roman Reigns in 2020, The Deadman hailed it as a welcome move as Heyman's involvement would really benefit Reigns in portraying his new heel character.
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The Deadman was not wrong, as with Heyman's managerial services, Roman Reigns has evolved into the most dominant force in the present-day WWE scene as the leader of The Bloodline and the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion.
3 The Undertaker Faced Heyman's Clients At Consecutive WretleManias
The Universe took it upon itself to write new chapters in the history between Paul Heyman and The Undertaker when the Deadman faced two of Heyman's clients in two consecutive WrestleMania events.
The Undertaker's WrestleMania undefeated streak defined his entire career while it was still alive, and Paul Heyman tried to pose a threat to the streak by having his client CM Punk take on the Deadman at WrestleMania 29. But The Undertaker defeated Punk at the event to extend his record to 21-0. However, Heyman didn't stop his efforts as he returned with Brock Lesnar the following year and had him end the legendary streak, to everyone's surprise.
2 Heyman Was Devastated After The End Of The Streak
As mentioned earlier, with Paul Heyman's help, Brock Lesnar went on to defeat The Undertaker at WrestleMania 30 to end his undefeated streak. While that may have been his storyline intention, the best friend in Heyman was devastated after witnessing The Deadman take the fall after 21 long years.
After he went backstage with Brock Lesnar, cameras captured both him and Lesnar looking totally devastated and upset while witnessing The Undertaker struggling to make the long walk back to the locker room. It was an emotional sight for everyone, and it proves the level of respect Heyman has for The Undertaker.
1 Paul Heyman Helped The Undertaker Get Hired By WWE
The Undertaker's WCW career as Mean Mark Callous was going towards a steep decline, and the Deadman, knowing of the inevitable fate, started looking for opportunities to make a jump to WWE.
Paul Heyman helped The Undertaker during this journey and worked together with Bruce Prichard to help The Undertaker get a conversation with Vince McMahon regarding a potential change. Heyman's efforts proved to be fruitful as The Undertaker landed a contract with WWE in 1990 and debuted the iconic Deadman character at the Survivor Series PPV, and the rest, they say, is history.
