Paul Ellering
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Paul Ellering (born August 22, 1953) is an American professional wrestling manager and retired
professional wrestler Professional wrestling, often shortened to either pro wrestling or wrestling,The term "wrestling" is most often widely used to specifically refer to modern scripted professional wrestling, though it is also used to refer to real-life wrest ...
. He is best known for his tenure in
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
, where he most notably served as the manager for the Road Warriors in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as the Authors of Pain (AOP) from 2016 to 2018, and from 2024 to 2025 as part of The Final Testament. Retiring as an in-ring performer in 1983 due to injuries, Ellering spent most of his wrestling career managing the Road Warriors, working with them from 1983 to 1990 and again on occasion between 1992 and 1997. From 1998 to 1999, he briefly managed Disciples of Apocalypse. Ellering and the Road Warriors were inducted into both the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and the
WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...
in 2011. In 2016, he returned to WWE at NXT TakeOver: The End as the manager of the Authors of Pain until 2018. He made his second on-screen return in 2024 as part of The Final Testament until his release from the company in 2025.


Early life

Before entering the
wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...
business, Ellering was an accomplished
powerlifter Powerlifting is a competitive strength sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts: squat, bench press, and deadlift. As in the sport of Olympic weightlifting, it involves the athlete attempting a maximal weight singl ...
, setting a world record in the deadlift at a record that has since been beaten.


Professional wrestling career


Early career (1977–1982)

Ellering was trained in
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
at a camp run by
American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The promotion was born out of the Minneapolis ...
(AWA) owner and promoter
Verne Gagne the Minnesota Golden Gophers wrestling, Minnesota Golden Gophers Laverne Clarence "Verne" Gagne ( ; February 26, 1926 – April 27, 2015) was an American amateur wrestling, amateur and professional wrestling, professional wrestler, Amer ...
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 William F. Watts Jr. (born May 5, 1939), better known under the ring name Bill Watts, is a retired American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, promoter and former American football player. Watts garnered fame under his "Cowboy" Glos ...
's Mid-South promotion, and for Jerry Jarrett's Memphis promotion, where he was paired with manager
Jimmy Hart James Ray Hart (born January 1, 1944) is an American professional wrestling manager, executive, composer, and musician. He is signed to WWE in a Legends deal. He is best known for his work in WWE when it was still known as the World Wrestling ...
. Ellering became known as "Precious" Paul Ellering. His notable feuds were with
Jesse Ventura Jesse Ventura (born James George Janos; July 15, 1951) is an American politician, political commentator, actor, media personality, and retired professional wrestler. After achieving fame in the WWE, World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), he ...
as a face, and as a heel with
Jerry Lawler Jerry O'Neil Lawler (born November 29, 1949), better known as Jerry "the King" Lawler, is an American retired color commentator and professional wrestler signed to WWE under a Legends contract. Prior to joining the World Wrestling Federati ...
and Jimmy Valiant, from whom he won the
AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship The AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship was a major professional wrestling championship (professional wrestling), title in the Continental Wrestling Association during the 1970s and 1980s. The title is part of a long lineage that was started wh ...
. In April and May 1981, Ellering wrestled in Japan for the International Wrestling Enterprise promotion as part of its Big Challenge Series. During the tour, Ellering and Terry Latham defeated Mighty Inoue and Rusher Kimura in a two-out-of-three falls match to win the IWA World Tag Team Championship. Kusatsu and Inoue regained the titles Ellering and Latham from 12 days later.


Mid-South Wrestling (1980–1982)

While wrestling for
Mid-South Wrestling The Universal Wrestling Federation was a 1986 re-branding of wrestler-turned-owner Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling promotion. Watts' goal was to elevate his promotion from a relatively smaller, regional-level business, to a national-level riv ...
from 1980 to 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.


Georgia and AWA (1982–1986)

Georgia booker
Ole Anderson Alan Robert Rogowski (September 22, 1942 – February 26, 2024), better known by the ring name Ole Anderson (), was an American professional wrestler, booker, and promoter. Following a stint in the U.S. Army, Rogowski made his professional ...
recognized his speaking ability, however, and gave him a job as a manager. Ellering formed a stable named the Legion of Doom including such wrestlers as King Kong Bundy,
Jake Roberts Aurelian Smith Jr. (born May 30, 1955) better known by the ring name Jake "the Snake" Roberts, is an American actor, podcaster and retired professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs as the on-screen ma ...
and the Road Warriors. This was later reduced down to just the Warriors who held the NWA National Tag Team Championship three times before moving to the
American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The promotion was born out of the Minneapolis ...
where they held the AWA World Tag Team Championship for a year, during which time the Warriors – and Ellering by association – turned fan favorite. Ellering is best known for managing the Warriors, from 1983 until 1992 during their stints in the AWA, various
National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...
territories,
New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) is a Puroresu, Japanese professional-wrestling Professional wrestling promotion, promotion founded on January 13, 1972, by Antonio Inoki, and based in Nakano, Tokyo. It is currently majority owned by card-game company Bushiroad, with TV As ...
, All-Japan Pro Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation in 1992. 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.


Jim Crockett Promotions/World Championship Wrestling (1986–1990)

Following the loss of the AWA tag title, Ellering and the Warriors headed to Jim Crockett Promotions where their accomplishments included the Crockett Cup (1986) and the
WCW World Tag Team Championship The WCW World Tag Team Championship, originally known as the NWA World Tag Team Championship ''(Mid-Atlantic version)'', was a professional wrestling world tag team championship in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and later the World Wrestling ...
in 1988 (the team and manager briefly turning
villains A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...
to achieve the latter.) Although primarily a manager, Ellering stepped between the ropes as a competitor, notably at the 1987 NWA Great American Bash in which he joined the Road Warriors,
Nikita Koloff Nikita Koloff (born Nelson Scott Simpson, March 9, 1959) is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions and its successor, World Championship Wrestling between 1984 and 1992, wher ...
, and
Dusty Rhodes Virgil Riley Runnels Jr. (October 11, 1945 – June 11, 2015), better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, was an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler, booker, and trainer who worked for the National Wrestling Alliance ...
to face The Four Horsemen and their manager J. J. Dillon in the first ever
WarGames match WarGames is a specialized steel cage match in professional wrestling. The match usually involves two teams of four or more wrestlers locked inside a steel cage that encompasses two rings placed side by side. The cage may or may not have a roof, de ...
. Ellering would also face Teddy Long in a 'Hair vs. Hair' match at the
World Championship Wrestling World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was an American professional wrestling promotion founded by Ted Turner in 1988, after Turner Broadcasting System, through a subsidiary named Universal Wrestling Corporation, purchased the assets of National W ...
Capital Combat Capital Combat: Return of RoboCop was a one-time professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event from the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) held under the World Championship Wrestling (WCW) name. Capital Combat took place on Saturday, May 19, 199 ...
event in 1990, coming away with a victory.


World Wrestling Federation (1992–1999)

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) The 1992 SummerSlam was the fifth annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It took place on Saturday, August 29, 1992, at Wembley Stadium in London, England and ...
. 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 WrestleMania XV was a 1999 professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). It was the 15th annual WrestleMania and took place on March 28, 1999, at the First Union Center in Philadelp ...
, though they were unsuccessful.


Return to WWE (2016–2018)

In 2011, Ellering was inducted into the
WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...
, along with the Road Warriors, by "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes. Ellering made his return to
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
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. 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 Heath Wallace Miller (born July 15, 1983) is an American Professional wrestling, professional wrestler. He is best known for his tenure in WWE under the ring name Heath Slater. He also performed in Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, Impact Wrestling ...
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, which marked Ellering's final on-screen appearance in WWE.


Second return to WWE (2023–2025)

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. On ''SmackDown'': New Year's Revolution, Ellering, alongside the Authors of Pain, made their televised return, assisting Karrion Kross and Scarlett in attacking
Bobby Lashley Franklin Roberto Lashley (born July 16, 1976) is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he is a member of The Hurt Syndicate and is one-half of the AEW World Tag Team C ...
and the
Street Profits The Street Profits are an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford. They are signed to WWE, where they perform on the SmackDown brand, and are the current WWE Tag Team Champions in their second rei ...
, confirming their alliance in the process. Ellering was released from his WWE contract after a combined total of fourteen years with the company for Ellering, along with the Authors of Pain on February 7, 2025.


Personal life

After retiring from professional wrestling, he traveled to
Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
to become a sled dog racer, participating in the Iditarod. In 2000 he came in 54th place. 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. 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 ''WWE 2K18'' is a professional wrestling video game developed by Yuke's and published by 2K (company), 2K. It is the nineteenth instalment in the WWE 2K, WWE game series (fifth under the ''WWE 2K'' banner) and a follow-up to ''WWE 2K17''. It wa ...
'' and WWE 2K25.


Championships and accomplishments

* Cauliflower Alley Club **Tag Team Award (2020) – as part of the Road Warriors *
Continental Wrestling Association Continental Wrestling Association (later the Championship Wrestling Association) was a wrestling promotion managed by Jerry Jarrett. The CWA was the name of the "governing body" for the Championship Wrestling, Inc. promotion which was usually ...
**
AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship The AWA Southern Heavyweight Championship was a major professional wrestling championship (professional wrestling), title in the Continental Wrestling Association during the 1970s and 1980s. The title is part of a long lineage that was started wh ...
( 1 time) ** AWA Southern Tag Team Championship ( 1 time) – with Sheik Ali Hassan * International Wrestling Enterprise (
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
) ** IWA Tag Team Championship (1 time) – with Terry Latham *
National Wrestling Alliance The National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) is an American professional wrestling professional wrestling promotion, promotion and governing body owned by Billy Corgan and operated by its parent company Lightning One, Inc. Founded in 1948, the NWA be ...
**NWA Legends Hall of Heroes (2016) *
Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum The Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame (PWHF) and Museum was an American professional wrestling hall of fame and museum located in Wichita Falls, Texas; following the postponement of its 19th induction ceremony, planned for May 2020, and an annou ...
** Class of 2011 (As a member of the Road Warriors) *''
Pro Wrestling Illustrated ''Pro Wrestling Illustrated'' (''PWI'') is an American professional wrestling magazine that was founded in 1979 by publisher Stanley Weston. ''PWI'' is headquartered in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, and published by Kappa Publishing Group. The maga ...
'' ** PWI Manager of the Year (1984) *
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, ...
**
WWE Hall of Fame The WWE Hall of Fame is a List of halls and walks of fame, hall of fame which honors professional wrestlers and professional wrestling personalities maintained by WWE. Originally known as the "WWF Hall of Fame", it was created in 1993 when An ...
(Class of 2011) – as a member of the Road Warriors


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ellering, Paul 1953 births American dog mushers American male professional wrestlers American male weightlifters Living people People from Melrose, Minnesota Professional wrestlers from Minnesota Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum Professional wrestling managers and valets St. Cloud State University alumni Road Warriors members WWE Hall of Fame inductees 20th-century American sportsmen