A promo is essentially a monologue from a wrestler or manager used to generate heat for a storyline, usually by trash talking their opponent. No one can cut a promo like Paul Heyman. Since 1987, whenever Heyman has spoken, people have listened. Using nothing but a microphone he’s taken down wrestlers, audiences, even Vince McMahon himself, and in doing so he has cemented himself as one of the central figures in the history of pro wrestling. Over the course of his career Heyman has enhanced the careers of legends such as CM Punk, Big Show, Kurt Angle, and an entire company in ECW, which he took from modest public access show to third largest wrestling promotion in the world.
Then there’s his work with Brock Lesnar. Originally managing Lesnar during his first tenure at WWE in 2002, Heyman reunited with The Beast Incarnate in 2012, and two years later the pair found themselves gunning for The Undertaker’s 21 match WrestleMania winning streak. Spanning 22 years, no one believed that Undertaker’s streak could be broken, and no one wanted it to be either. Nonetheless, as promised by Heyman, Lesnar walked into WrestleMania 30 and did just that. On Raw the following night, it was up to Heyman to justify the result. In a ten minute masterpiece, not only did Heyman single-handedly sell Lesnar as the only choice to conquer the streak, he also set the Beast up for the greatest run of his career.
