“Long Moment of Uncomfortable Silence…”: Paul Heyman Once Revealed His Maiden Encounter With the American Dream Dusty Rhodes

Paul Heyman just added another great segment to his stack of amazing moments in the ring with legendary wrestlers. But one thing that didn’t sit right with the people was his mention of Dusty Rhodes. Being such a legendary wrestler while in the ring and a big influence as the head of creative at NXT. He helped many young wrestlers become top superstars in WWE, like Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.

But just like these superstars, Dusty also taught Heyman a lot of tricks about managing a wrestling show. Taking care of writing and producing a show, even when he was a wrestler, Rhodes had put on amazing shows. So, Heyman, being a curious cat, went and tried to learn from one of the best in the industry at the time. But from that encounter came out a story neither Heyman nor Dusty forgot.

Paul Heyman detailed his illegal entry into Dusty Rhodes’ production meeting room

At the age of 17, Heyman knew his passion, wrestling. But not having the physique for it restricted him from excelling in the ring. So, he took the other way around. First, he got close to Vince McMahon and learned the art of putting on a show under him. But after that, he needed a new teacher, and that was Dusty Rhodes.

In this video, Heyman talks about illegally getting into the production meeting for the show in Madison Square Garden. He talks about wanting to learn from Dusty. But as soon as the legend enters the room, he kicks the 17-year-old out. He asks Heyman about his intention, but Heyman just dallies around the problem.

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Heyman continues, “It was a long moment of uncomfortable silence and I’m thinking, they’re going to throw me out of here, they’re going to send me back to New York. I’m done, I’m finished, I’m 17 years old, it was a nice run. He says, ‘Well, you’re learning from the right person cuz I’m the American Dream Dusty Rhodes and I’m a super genius. So, back inside and keep on taking notes.'”

The entire wrestling community is grateful that Heyman’s career didn’t end there. He went to learn from Dusty pretty closely and learn the tips and tricks of the business. Soon, he would open up his own show, ECW, which would become a cult classic for generations of wrestling fans. But without that fateful encounter with Dusty, Heyman wouldn’t be the wise council of The Tribal Chief or put on classic segments with top stars in WWE.

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Let us know what you think about Heyman’s journey in the comments below.