Why Paul Heyman’s Association with Curtis Axel Failed In WWE, Explained
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Paul Heyman is by far one of the best minds in professional wrestling history, with him earning the right to be called one of the best managers and mouthpieces of all time. In WWE, he has managed a variety of individuals over time, such as former and current WWE World Champions like Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, The Big Show, and Roman Reigns. However, despite his range of successes, there have also been some failures. One of those came in 2013, when Heyman’s managerial duties were used to try and establish a brand-new star in Curtis Axel. Unfortunately, this association and partnership ended up as a complete and utter failure.
WWE Introduced A New “Paul Heyman Guy” In Curtis Axel
Paul Heyman was brought back to WWE in 2012, with him once more becoming the mouthpiece and “advocate” to Brock Lesnar, who had also made a big comeback earlier that year. With Lesnar’s part-time schedule, Heyman used to fill in the blanks between his appearances, with him later also partnering up with CM Punk following his heel turn. In 2013, WWE decided to utilize Heyman in different capacities given how well his return had gone.
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Much had been made over the years of “Paul Heyman guys” who had accumulated a lot of success. An announcement was hyped up for a new “Paul Heyman guy” to make an appearance, but it was unclear who it would be. There was a lot of excitement in the build-up, until it was revealed that his new client was the former Michael McGuillicutty of The Nexus, now called Curtis Axel. The WWE Universe were still hopeful though, as it seemed as though WWE looked to be building a brand-new star, which is always a welcome thing.
Despite A Promising Start, Paul Heyman’s Focus Was Not On Curtis Axel
Heyman and Axel looked to make an immediate impact, with Axel being pitted against Triple H on Raw the night of his re-debut. This was due to Lesnar previously feuding with Triple H. Instead of a clean or decisive star-making victory, a concussion-based angle was developed, with Axel winning the match by referee stoppage due to Triple H selling the effects from his rivalry with Lesnar. Regardless, it was still a victory for Axel, so that was positive.
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From there, Axel picked up unconvincing wins via countouts and DQs, which did no favors for his momentum. After a couple of months, due to an injury picked up by Fandango, Axel was entered into an Intercontinental Title match, coming out victorious. Whilst this was all well and good, the partnership with Heyman didn’t feel like anything special. Axel wasn’t booked in any sort of dominant way, and he was given very little personality.
In terms of Heyman’s promos, they were missing a certain spark, and this mostly came due to Axel not being the focus. Whenever Axel and Heyman were on-screen, the manager would constantly discuss Lesnar or Punk, over and over, making Axel very much a background character. In addition, when Heyman started feuding with CM Punk, Axel was very much used as a punching bag, with both he and the Intercontinental Title being treated as props rather than as a legit champion and belt. Axel could’ve gotten a big rub from working with Punk, but the spotlight was on Heyman.
Curtis Axel Was Treated Like An Afterthought Alongside Paul Heyamn
Things went from bad to worse when Ryback was brought into the fold, with Axel being shoved even further down the pecking order of “Paul Heyman” guys. There were a wide range of avenues WWE could have delved down with this lack of success from their partnership. Axel could have shown some jealousy and dissatisfaction, but he just remained as a silent character with very little personality. The same would happen with Ryback too, and the pair simply drifted away from Heyman after a while, as he announced to them on an episode of SmackDown that they weren't Heyman guys any longer. The pair instead formed their own tag team.
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The association between Paul Heyman and Curtis Axel could have easily brought about the rise of a new star in WWE, but unfortunately, WWE’s creative direction with the two didn’t have this in mind. If Heyman had focused on Axel in his promos, hyping him up to be a great generational talent, then perhaps his fortunes would have turned out for the better. Instead, his momentum was squandered almost immediately, even with an Intercontinental Title reign. The title was devalued, along with Axel as a performer, and this was all down to WWE not booking their partnership in the correct or most effective way.
