Arn Anderson On Paul Heyman's WCW Exit

Paul Heyman has worked in the world of professional wrestling for nearly 40 years, and even though he's had a knack for the business from the beginning, that's not always been enough to save his job. Such was the case when he left WCW in the early '90s. Recently, WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson shed some light on Heyman's departure and named one person responsible for it: Bill Watts.

Prior to his exit, Heyrman was the mastermind behind the Dangerous Alliance and helped manage Rick Rude to a United States Heavyweight Championship reign, while overseeing the tag team of Anderson and Bobby Eaton capture NWA/WCW Tag Team Championship gold.

Unfortunately, the Dangerous Alliance never became quite as memorable as it presumably would have if not for the WCW leadership at the time. Watts didn't particularly care for Heyman in general, but more than that, he simply wasn't his guy. Wherever he went, he typically had one manager, and even though WCW was an entirely different beast in terms of territories Watts was used to running, those principles remained.

"You were hired to be the booker, you would surround yourself with your guys that you had a history of trusting," Anderson stated on the "ARN podcast. "The reality is he [Watts] was going to put his guys in place. I'm sure Paul did not have a choice in leaving."

Heyman's final appearance on WCW television came in November 1992 at Clash of Champions when he battled Madusa to a five-minute draw.

"When you have the aptitude that he [Heyman] has for the business and you understand who you are and what the business is, he's just gotta really good mind. He does," Anderson said.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "ARN" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.