Ellering arrived to World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1987). Although primarily a manager, Ellering stepped between the ropes as a competitor as well, notably at the 1987 Great American Bash, in which he joined the Road Warriors, Nikita Koloff, and Dusty Rhodes to face The Four Horsemen and their manager James J. Dillon in the first ever WarGames match. Ellering would also face Teddy Long in a 'Hair vs. Hair' match at the Capital Combat event in 1990, coming away with a victory.
Ellering is best known for managing The Road Warriors, also known as the Legion of Doom, from 1981 until 1997 during their stints in the American Wrestling Association, World Championship Wrestling, and the World Wrestling Federation in 1992.
Throughout 1998, he managed the Disciples of Apocalypse, who were then feuding with the Legion of Doom. 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 WWF Tag Team Championships later in the night at WrestleMania XV, though they were unsuccessful.
In 2011, Ellering was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, along with the Road Warriors, by "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes.
Ellering made his return to WWE programming at NXT TakeOver: The End on June 8, 2016, revealing himself as the manager of a debuting Authors of Pain (Akam and Rezar), after their attack on American Alpha, turning Ellering heel for the first time in 18 years. 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.
On the December 29, 2023 episode of SmackDown, a vignette was shown for Karrion Kross and Scarlett, showing that they have aligned with the Authors of Pain and Paul Ellering, signaling their return to WWE. On January 5, 2024, during SmackDown New Year's Revolution, Ellering and the Authors of Pain officially returned alongside Kross and Scarlett.