Paul Ellering (born August 22, 1953) is an American professional wrestling manager and retired professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he serves as the manager for the Authors of Pain and The Final Testament. Ellering spent most of his wrestling career managing the Road Warriors (Hawk and Animal) working with them from 1983 to 1990 and again on occasion between 1992 and 1997. In addition to being their on screen manager, he handled the team's affairs outside the ring, including contract negotiations and travel arrangements. Ellering and the Road Warriors were inducted into both the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011. Five years later, in June 2016, he returned to the ring at NXT TakeOver: The End as the manager of the Authors of Pain, a heel tag team making their debut. Ellering has been labeled as one of the greatest wrestling managers of all time.[5][6]
Prior to becoming a manager he was a professional wrestler, but due to injuries retired in 1983 to become a full-time manager, only wrestling on special occasions. In the late-1990s, he was involved in a storyline where he turned on the Road Warriors and managed Disciples of Apocalypse as they fought the Road Warriors. After retiring from full-time activity in wrestling, he raced in the Iditarod and John Beargrease Dog Sled Race.
Early life
Before entering the wrestling business, Ellering was an accomplished powerlifter, setting a world record in the deadlift at 745 pounds (338 kg) a record that has since been beaten.[7]
Professional wrestling career
Early career
Ellering was trained in Minneapolis, Minnesota at a camp run by American Wrestling Association (AWA) owner and promoter Verne Gagne and wrestler/trainer Eddie Sharkey in the mid-1970s. According to Ellering's RF Video shoot interview, of the thirty-plus trainees in the camp, only himself and later AWA mid-card wrestler Steve Olsonoski (a.k.a. Steve O) made it through the camp. Ellering would later go on to wrestle in singles and tag teams for Gagne in the AWA, Bill Watts's Mid-South promotion, and for Jerry Jarrett's Memphis promotion, where he was paired with manager Jimmy Hart. Ellering became known as "Precious" Paul Ellering. His notable feuds were with Jesse Ventura as a face, and as a heel with Jerry Lawler and Jimmy Valiant, from whom he won the AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship.
While wrestling for Mid-South Wrestling in 1982, Ellering severely injured his knee in a match with Robert Gibson. He started doing workout segments with kids for Mid South, re-injuring it after returning to the ring. The injury ended his full-time wrestling career.
Ellering is best known for managing the Warriors, from 1983 until 1992 during their stints in the AWA, various National Wrestling Alliance territories, New Japan Pro-Wrestling, All-Japan Pro Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation in 1992.[2] Ellering was also the real-life manager for the team; he booked their matches, lined up their flights, set up hotel reservations, and kept track of their expenses.[2]
Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling (1986–1990)
Ellering returned as the manager of Hawk and Animal (by now using the Legion of Doom as their actual team name) at Wrestlemania VIII and stayed with them until they left the WWF after SummerSlam (1992). During a promotional angle where Hawk and Animal "rediscovered" their childhood toy "Rocko", a ventriloquist's dummy, Ellering was the puppeteer and voice of the dummy.
Throughout 1998 he managed the Disciples of Apocalypse, who were then feuding with the Legion of Doom; according to Ellering and Animal on the Road Warriors DVD, Ellering had a hard time working with another team against Hawk and Animal, and had difficulty ripping on his former team on the microphone. By the end of his second WWF run, though, he was back to managing the LOD, most notably on Sunday Night Heat, during a tag-team battle royal for a shot at the tag titles later in the night at WrestleMania XV, though they were unsuccessful.
Ellering made his return to WWE programming at NXT TakeOver: The End on June 8, 2016, revealing himself as the manager of a debuting the Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar), after their attack on American Alpha, turning Ellering heel for the first time in 18 years.[9] On January 28, 2017, at NXT TakeOver: San Antonio, Ellering led Akam and Rezar to their first reign as NXT Tag Team Champions. On April 9, 2018, Paul Ellering made his debut on Monday Night Raw with Akam and Rezar as they answered an open challenge from Heath Slater and Rhyno. After they were victorious in their match, Akam and Rezar ended their partnership with Ellering by pushing him away and leaving him ringside as they returned backstage.[10]
On the December 29, 2023 episode of Smackdown, a vignette was shown of Karrion Kross and Scarlett, showing that they have aligned with the Authors of Pain and Paul Ellering, signalling their return to WWE in 2024.
Ellering on Fourth Avenue in Anchorage during the ceremonial start of the 2006 Iditarod.
After retiring from professional wrestling, he traveled to Alaska to become a sled dog racer, participating in the Iditarod.[12] In 2000 he came in 54th place.[13]
In 2002, Ellering became the owner and operator of the Historic Rock Tavern on Big Birch Lake in Grey Eagle, Minnesota. In 2020, it was sold to new ownership after being on the market for three years. He has three children: Rebecca, Rachael and Saul. His daughter Rachael won the bronze medal at the 2014 World Powerlifting Championships.[14] She made her professional wrestling debut in December 2015.
Other media
Ellering made his video game debut as a non-playable character in WWE 2K18.
^ abcOliver, Greg (October 19, 2003). "Road Warrior Hawk dead at 45". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^Duncan, Royal; Will, Gary (2006) [2000.]. "(Memphis, Nashville) Tennessee: Southern Tag Team Title [Roy Welsch & Nick Gulas, Jerry Jarrett from 1977]". Wrestling title histories: professional wrestling champions around the world from the 19th century to the present. Waterloo, Ontario: Archeus Communications. pp. 185–189. ISBN0-9698161-5-4.
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