What is Paul Heyman's connection with Philadelphia? Exploring his extreme roots

WWE recently announced Paul Heyman as the first inductee into the 2024 Hall of Fame. The Special Counsel to Roman Reigns now has one more thing to prepare for apart from walking out with Reigns and the rest of The Bloodline at WrestleMania XL.

There's no doubt that the Wiseman deserves every bit of this induction. However, some might wonder why the company decided to induct Heyman this year.

This is because this year's WrestleMania takes place in Philadelphia, a city very special to the 58-year-old veteran, as it was the birthplace of ECW in 1992. Extreme Champion Wrestling was popular for its hardcore style of wrestling, which was different from what WWE and WCW offered during that time.

Under the leadership of Paul Heyman, the promotion became popular among hardcore fans and created stars such as Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer, Sandman, Sabu, and more.

The promotion was cult, trail-blazing, and much ahead of its time. The home of ECW was Philadelphia, so the Hall of Fame induction for Paul Heyman this year is a full-circle moment in his life.

While fans loved it, it didn't get a mainstream network to air it due to its extreme wrestling style. The promotion was closed in 2001 after failing to secure a broadcasting deal. WWE acquired the rights to the extreme promotion and later tried to revive it in 2006.

Fast forward to so many years, we celebrate the brand and its creator. It changed wrestling forever. The intense matches we see today in any promotion are thanks to ECW. Many superstars who may have never got a chance to make a name for themself became legends and gods for some because of Paul Heyman and ECW.

The Land of Extreme first aired in 1993 and shut down in 2001 as the brand didn't have enough funds to compete with the big boys. In 2006, WWE tried its version of ECW, but it didn't connect with the fans. The land of extreme closed its doors in 2011.

Who could induct Paul Heyman into the WWE Hall of Fame?

One of the most interesting parts of the Hall of Fame ceremony is the person inducting the inductee. This is because sometimes we learn about their real-life friendships and stories, and also brings back a lot of superstars after ages.

While many superstars, it is easy to guess, that's not the case with the Special Counsel. Paul Heyman has so much history with so many superstars across generations that it makes the selection very difficult.

If we talk of his ECW days, stars like Tommy Dreamer, CM Punk, RVD, and Dudley Boys come to mind. We know Stone Cold because of his popularity in the Attitude Era. However, when fired from WCW, Heyman's ECW resurrected him.

The Texas Rattlesnake could tell us some stories at the ceremony, too. Due to current controversies, we may not see Brock Lesnar, but maybe The Tribal Chief could induct his Wiseman.

However, many fans want to see CM Punk induct The Bloodline member into the WWE Hall of Fame in Philadelphia next month.