The Ever-Changing Role of Paul Heyman

[Mustang Sally]

His history with WWE has been sketchy, at best. He's been part of the Creative team.....then, he wasn't. He worked with Stephanie.....then, he didn't. He was fired from the company.....then, brought back.

When Brock Lesnar was hired part-time, someone had the bright idea of bringing in Heyman as his 'advocate' knowing that Brock either had limited ability on the mic.....or chose to do little speaking as part of his contract.

Of even more importance, the company needed someone to keep Brock in our minds during his frequent absences.....and correctly hired the man who is arguably the best speaker in pro wrestling history.

Okay, fine.....so that's what Paul was here for. So why did they add CM Punk to Heyman's stable? If ever there was a performer who didn't need someone to act as a mouthpiece, it was Punk.

Then, when Heyman was given Curtis Axel and Ryback as clients, it seemed the company was really putting the yoke around Heyman's neck, giving him much more to do since those guys, unlike Brock, were full-time performers in WWE and much more was required of Heyman.

Then, the team disbanded and as this forum discussed who Heyman would be given after Axel/Ryback, Paul was given.....no one. To this day, he handles only Brock. What changed in Creative's planning?



So, I'd like to know:

-Does Heyman travel with the company? Is he backstage at every show?

-Does he have any creative input or is he strictly an on-air character?

-In connection with the above, has he adapted to not having a voice in the production? We suspect that years ago, he regarded Stephanie McMahon (and everyone else) as inferior to him in the creative end of producing a wrestling show......does he have her ear now? Is he allowed to make suggestions?

-Why did they give him a lot to do.....and then cut it down?

-What do you see him doing with WWE (or not) in the future?

 

[OYDK]

When Brock Lesnar was hired part-time, someone had the bright idea of bringing in Heyman as his 'advocate' knowing that Brock either had limited ability on the mic.....or chose to do little speaking as part of his contract.

Well, Heyman had already managed Brock throughout his first run in WWE, and they kind of went hand-in-hand together. Personally, it would have been weird to see Lesnar return without Heyman. However, according to Wikipedia, Lesnar was the one who reached out to Heyman, not WWE. Apparently after a really rough promo from Brock, he requested to have Paul Heyman back by his side and the E obliged. Even Heyman didn't want to come back at the time, but basically did it for Brock.

Okay, fine.....so that's what Paul was here for. So why did they add CM Punk to Heyman's stable? If ever there was a performer who didn't need someone to act as a mouthpiece, it was Punk.

I'd assume it was strictly because both guys wanted to work together? When Heyman left WWE in 06, he was basically the only guy actively politicking for Punk. I think he actually left the company over this dispute. When he came back in 2012, Punk was this huge deal. Also keep in mind, being a "Heyman guy" was in at this time. C.M. Punk was a legitimate "Heyman guy", and I guess they thought it made sense. He also added another factor to Punk's title reign which WWE had been planning on for a while. AND, Heyman was much more impactful upon his return than I think anybody expected. WWE seemed to realize that they needed to keep his talent on TV and may have called an audible in giving him Punk.


*These are all my opinions so don't roast me if my facts seem off.*

-Does Heyman travel with the company? Is he backstage at every show?

I don't think he's at every single show, only because there's no need for him to be there. He's not a producer or booker anymore so really his only "legitimate" job is managing Brock Lesnar, who only shows up every couple months or so. Also, the traveling schedule must take a toll on everybody, especially the older vets who have been in the business forever, and Heyman fits that category. I don't see him traveling everywhere with the company. He also runs his own business(es) so he's doing a lot more than just WWE nowadays.

-Does he have any creative input or is he strictly an on-air character?

I would think that he's given some leeway when it comes to creative input. For instance, if HHH or Vince were to trust and respect the opinion of anybody (not named John Cena) it would be Paul Heyman. Heyman's worked as lead booker for WWE before and is widely known as one of the best wrestling minds of all time. I also happen to think that he had some say in his alliace with Punk. I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one who pitched the idea.

-In connection with the above, has he adapted to not having a voice in the production? We suspect that years ago, he regarded Stephanie McMahon (and everyone else) as inferior to him in the creative end of producing a wrestling show......does he have her ear now? Is he allowed to make suggestions?

Heyman seems much more invested in other things nowadays than just the wrestling business. I think what made him so angry back then, was that WWE gave him the creative reigns and than kept constantly going over his head. As I said before, his second stint seems solely based on managing Brock Lesnar and he seems fine with that. Again though, I'd bet he has the ear of not only Steph, but Vince and Trips as well.

-Why did they give him a lot to do.....and then cut it down?

Who knows. Perhaps he wasn't accomplishing what they hoped he would be? Maybe they didn't want to dilute Heyman's talent by having him on-screen 4 times a night or working in the mid-card? Or maybe Heyman decided to take a lesser schedule? Or it could be a hundred other reasons.

-What do you see him doing with WWE (or not) in the future?

Sadly, I don't see him being around too much. I think he'll stick with Lesnar mostly until he decides to leave, and than Heyman will follow soon after. Very soon, I think we'll see Heyman transition into the role of "legendary figure". We'll see him in some capacity every few months but he won't play a large role in WWE programming. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Seosa]

The E got an extra year out of Punk because Heyman supported him personally & mentally. Heel Punk didn't really need Heyman as such but Phil Brooks did & as it worked out, they made a good heel duo.

As for Heyman's role now, it's basically to be Brock's manager & to promote the company both on the mic and in media interviews. In an ideal world, he'd be on the creative team but Vince, Dunn & Steph would never allow that.

 

[kadroan]

The E got an extra year out of Punk because Heyman supported him personally & mentally. Heel Punk didn't really need Heyman as such but Phil Brooks did & as it worked out, they made a good heel duo.

As for Heyman's role now, it's basically to be Brock's manager & to promote the company both on the mic and in media interviews. In an ideal world, he'd be on the creative team but Vince, Dunn & Steph would never allow that.

That's sad WWE doesn't trust him on the creative team anymore. He did an awesome job with Smackdown during the Smackdown Six era.

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

Heyman should be utilized in helping the younger stars out with promos. Could you imagine What Heyman could do for Reigns?

 

[Mustang Sally]

Could you imagine What Heyman could do for Reigns?

That's an interesting thought. Many fans have said Heyman would be an asset to anybody. Might that apply to Roman Reigns?

Sure, the obvious factor is that Roman has shown weakness on the mic, although he's improved by leaps & bounds over the past months. Still, if he spent the next couple years under the 'advocacy' of Paul Heyman, tearing up opponents in the ring while Heyman relieves him of the responsibility of talking, Roman might benefit immensely, with Reigns taking off on his own down the line.

Face it, Roman's strongest days in WWE have come when he wasn't alone; either paired with The Shield or Dean Ambrose. Could Paul Heyman be given the task of playing ventriloquist to Roman Reigns?

 

[Rhodes2TheFuture3313]

Absolutely!! I personally am a Reigns fan and I love his entrance a heel turn would probably change that. BTW do you get the feeling that Rowan returns at Hell In A Cell and help Bray win the feud? Unless they drag it out to Survivor Series w/The Rock.

 

[mkw1962]

If Paul was willing and WWE gave him a full time contract I would say manage a heel turning Roman Reigns. This would be awesome for Roman and could set up a future match with Roman and Brock for the Title. Even though I would say dump Brock and go with Roman.

 

[noTORRIEus]

I think Paul E's best position would be exactly what he is doing now as the advocate for his client Brock Lesnar , however....

He would awesome as the replacement for Dusty in teaching promo class at the Performance Center.

 

[FromGlasgow]

I would love to see a new Heyman stable like the dangerous alliance back again, I can't see it happening but hope it does.

 

[Mudlup50]

I dispute this argument that Heyman would help anybody at this point. Since his return in 2012 who has he managed? Lesnar, Punk, Ryback, Axel and Cesaro(absent from your list above). Let's take this one by one

Lesnar: He helped but no one will ever doubt that, Heyman helps Lesnar's gimmick work so much better than it would without him...but keep in mind he worked with Lesnar back in 2002. But we'll count it. Heyman is 1 for 1

Punk: This is the biggest question mark on the list, I mean did Heyman help Punk? Punk didn't need a mouthpiece obviously. But lets check the demographics both guys appeal to, they both mostly appeal to the same demographic. So it's not like Paul made Punk a better heel. Let's say he didn't really help out. So 1 for 2.

Ryback: Before he partnered up with Paul he was fighting for the title against Punk and Cena. Afterwards he failed to gain the tag team titles...so he didn't help him. 1 for 3.

Axel: You know when Axel debuted he beat Cena and Triple H in the same month? Then Heyman paired him up with Ryback and they failed at winning the tag titles, so same concept as Ryback. 1 for 4.

Cesaro: He had just won the Andre The Giant Battle Royale, he was supposed to be breaking from The Real Americans to get a major babyface push...and then Heyman happened. So this was a fail. 1 for 5

So in the last 3 years Paul Heyman has helped 1 guy! It's almost like he isn't that good of a manager, he sucks so much attention off of the wrestler that it hurts them.




Back to the point of the post, I have to imagine Paul retires shortly after Lesnar if not that same night. I see no reason why he should stick around. I mean the first time Lesnar left, Paul was gone. What reason do you have to stay if you're Heyman? I heard he has control to say whatever he wants though, I don't know if that's true but that's what I heard.

 

[timothy26]

Heyman obviously doesn't make the storyline bookings for his on screen clients so you can't really say whether he legitimately "helps" them or not. He's essential to Lesnar because his promos take Lesnar to another level, plus seeing as Lesnar doesn't wrestle that often, his appearances with Heyman talking actually add some value to him showing up on tv and build towards the PPVs.

I don't know if him appearing with anyone else was the best move, in the case on Punk they were friends off screen and Heyman being with him led to the betrayal and then Heyman siding with Lesnar for Summerslam.

He would have been good for Cesaro if Cesaro had been pushed properly, I would have booked Cesaro as a very legit athlete, I liked when he wore the t shirt and headphones before matches, it gave him more of a pro athlete look rather than the often cartoonish appearance of other wrestlers, you could have had Cesaro being ultra serious and going out and dominating people with Heyman being like his agent / manager trying to negotiate title shots and so on down the line. Although Heyman is better with Lesnar and it would have been weird if he was representing them both.

I get the feeling WWE don't like Heyman, they tolerate him because Lesnar has probably demanded Heyman be his manager as part of his deal and they know Heyman is gold on the mic so allow him a more or less free reign in what he says.

 

[Mudlup50]

you could have had Cesaro being ultra serious and going out and dominating people with Heyman being like his agent / manager trying to negotiate title shots and so on down the line. Although Heyman is better with Lesnar and it would have been weird if he was representing them both.

This sounds really similar to what he does all the time for Brock Lesnar, so what exactly is gained here? You're booking Cesaro as a Brock Lesnar lite, when we have Brock Lesnar under contract...with the same manager!


I completely disagree with you, Cesaro was getting over as a face! Lesnar had just ended the Undertaker's undefeated streak at Wrestlemania, thus establishing him and his manager as heels! Giving them an easy thing to discuss for heel heat. You want them to mention it a lot, so you need to give Heyman something to do. So instead of taking some random heel that no one cares about, you take the heel that was finally turning into a face and forcing him back to heel. Basically the WWE used Cesaro to keep Heyman and Lesnar relevant. That's how I feel about it now, whether that was the goal who knows.

But realistically look how different Cesaro is now. 18 months ago he was insanely over, you slap him with Heyman so the crowd doesn't know what to do. It took another 10ish months before the WWE finally turned him face and even that wasn't quite because of him. You gave him a tag team partner who the WWE doesn't think that highly of. And now he's finally regaining the momentum he lost when being partnered with Heyman.

And let me just say, I'm not saying you're wrong. This is completely subjective and my opinion. I just don't think it worked out for Cesaro, and that was going to be a lose lose situation regardless