In the fallout of WrestleMania 38, the next big match everyone has their eyes on for WrestleMania 39 next year in Los Angeles is a bout between Roman Reigns and The Rock. Reigns has reigned as WWE Universal Champion for nearly 600 days, and recently defeated Brock Lesnar to capture the WWE Championship as well, unifying the promotion’s two top titles.

Now, with Reigns holding the two top titles in WWE, and establishing himself as the “Tribal Chief” of his legendary professional wrestling family, many have wondered if The Rock could return to challenge that moniker. Some have even speculated at the possibility of doing something similar to The Rock vs. John Cena, which was set as the main event of WrestleMania one year out from the show.

However, if Reigns’ current advocate Paul Heyman has anything to say about it, he’d go a different route. Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour recently, Heyman noted that he isn’t a fan of setting the stage a year out from WrestleMania, as so much can happen in between now and then.

Why? Why would you do it? Because then they’re telling everybody that for the next 364 days nothing [that Roman does] matters until The Rock,” Heyman said (WrestleZone). “If Dwayne Johnson wants to step up to Roman Reigns, then Dwayne Johnson should step up to Roman Reigns, and we’ll set the match, and we’ll go for it. But to go for it a year from now? That’s a long time.

“A lot can happen in a year. What if I say to Roman Reigns, ‘take 30 days off and do a movie’ just to show Dwayne Johnson who’s a bigger box office attraction in film? Which, it would be Roman Reigns, and Roman Reigns is a better actor than Dwayne Johnson, to be blunt. I mean there’s a lot that could happen. You got a year.”

Paul Heyman certainly raises an interesting point, as it would also be difficult to have The Rock commit to such a task given his busy Hollywood schedule. Of course, there’s no shortage of opponents for Reigns to keep busy with in the meantime. One Superstar in particular who recently returned to the company already has his eyes on a World Championship, and for now, that road leads to “The Head Of The Table.”

While the majority of the people in WWE refrain from even acknowledging the success of AEW, Paul Heyman has no problem in putting their rivals over.

The mad scientist of wrestling detailed his mindset during an appearance on Sports Media podcast. He said that he has no problem putting AEW over if the company does something that is worth it because he doesn’t live in a bubble.

Explaining why he doesn’t mind putting AEW over, Heyman mentioned how WWE has sold more tickets for this year’s WrestleMania than any previous year. According to him, he is not concerned about AEW until they can match this market dominance:

“They can’t match what we’re about to do next week.” said Paul Heyman, “Until they are in a position to match what we do next weekend, I’m not that concerned with praising the competition because they are still a long way away from what we do and our level of success, and our market dominance.”

• WWE Made Paul Heyman a Contract Offer He Couldn’t Refuse

The advocate also admitted that he watches AEW. He said that he would watch anything out there in the industry if he can get his hands on it.

Heyman said that he would even watch Antarctica All-Star Wrestling if there is such a thing. This awareness of the wrestling world is what allows him to keep up with up-and-coming stars such as Gable Steveson.

Quotes via WrestlingNews

Paul Heyman will be with WWE for many more years to come.

The WWE public relations machine is overdrive this week to promote this weekend’s WrestleMania 38 pay-per-view from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Heyman is the best mouthpiece WWE has on its payroll, so it’s no wonder that Roman Reigns’ right-hand man is part of this effort.

During an appearance on the Sports Media podcast with Richard Deitsch, Heyman revealed that he signed a new multi-year contract with WWE last year. According to Heyman, WWE made him an offer he couldn’t refuse.

“I re-signed with WWE last year,” said Heyman. “It was a long-term agreement and they created a situation where I would have been a fool not to take them up on their offer. So, I’m locked in for a while.”

As we know, Paul Heyman is no fool. The mastermind behind the rise of ECW has been a prominent player on WWE television for the past decade. He’s spent virtually all of that time aligned with the sport’s top box office attractions, including Brock Lesnar, CM Punk and Roman Reigns.

With everything Paul Heyman does for his clients on and off camera, he also stays busy with projects outside the auspices of WWE.

When Heyman put pen to paper on his latest WWE contract, it was important that he could continue working on side projects.

“I do have outside projects, just because I like to multi-task and I’m very ADD and I just can’t concentrate on one thing at a time ever in my life,” said Heyman.

Heyman has had ups and downs with WWE in the past, but that’s ancient history. The two sides have settled into a mutually beneficial, and highly-lucrative relationship.

Listen to Paul Heyman’s appearance on the Sports Media Podcast with Richard Deitsch:

Paul Heyman has two names in mind as far as ECW legends who should be inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame go.

Heyman once ran the show for ECW, so he knows a thing or two about some of the legends to have come from the promotion. Of all the names he could list, Heyman has two in mind who he feels should be in the WWE Hall of Fame.

Paul Heyman’s Hall Of Fame Picks

Serving as a guest on the Battleground Podcast, Paul Heyman shared his take on why Sabu and Joey Styles are his picks for the WWE Hall of Fame (via Wrestling Inc).

“I would say Sabu definitely belongs in the WWE Hall Of Fame. Because I think the concepts that Sabu was introducing, were 20 years ahead of its time. And I don’t just mean the breaking of the tables. I mean just the manner in which he performed in the ring was so far ahead of its time that he never got the credit he deserved.

“I would say Joey Styles was a very progressive announcer that no one understood just how valuable he was to the ECW brand. Because here you had these criminals, and these gangsters and these barroom brawlers and these misfits. Yet you also had these supreme, elite, exquisite technicians. Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko, Rey Mysterio, Psychosis, Juventud Guerrera, that came over from Japan or Mexico. We scoured the world for the greatest talent.

“And no American announcer had ever called the moves for what they were, Joey Styles did. Joey Styles ushered out the era of, ‘wow that looked great, here’s a replay,’ and started calling the moves by the names that were associated with the moves. And he was completely different than any other announcer because he did his job solo for so many years. So I would say Joey Styles, absolutely.”

Styles was the voice of ECW known for his signature, “Oh My God!” call. Sabu is a renowned legend all over the world and he was a two-time ECW World Heavyweight Champion.

Both Styles and Sabu worked under the WWE banner but they’re more well-known for their ECW runs.

Paul Heyman has known Mark Calloway even before he was The Undertaker.

There is no doubting the legacy that The Undertaker has left behind. “The Deadman” took to the squared circle for almost four decades. He spent 30 years of his historic career under the WWE banner.

Always A Leader

Paul Heyman knows what it’s like to work with The Undertaker and not just in WWE. The two were also working for WCW. Heyman appeared on The Zaslow Show and said he saw leadership qualities in The Undertaker even during their time in WCW (via Wrestling Inc).

“Magic. Leadership. A giant, a giant who could move like a cruiserweight, but understood not to unless necessary. Unless the situation called for it. Intelligence. Checked every box. Just, you know, it’s funny, I get a lot of credit from a lot of people. From the talent themselves, whether it’s The Undertaker, whether it’s Steve Austin — ‘Oh, before anybody noticed me, Paul Heyman noticed me.’ And I don’t think there was ever a lot of credit for that. I think it’s an indictment of other people that didn’t see it.

“I don’t know how you could be in a room with Mark, with The Undertaker and not understand this guy is very, very special. I don’t understand how you could walk into a room with Steve Austin and not say to yourself, ‘woah, there’s something very different about this athlete.’ Same way with Brock Lesnar, same way with Roman Reigns. These are extraordinary human beings with the, ‘it factor,’ that everybody always talks about.”

At the 2020 Survivor Series PPV, “The Phenom” called it a career. WWE gave him a sendoff although fans couldn’t be in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Undertaker will be inducted into the 2022 WWE Hall of Fame. Many believe it’s long overdue and an honor “The Deadman” could’ve easily snagged when he was still active.

Paul Heyman is a master communicator. He is one of the greatest talkers in wrestling history and possesses a keen ability to affect audiences.

Heyman was interviewed by NOLA.com to promote Friday’s WWE SmackDown from New Orleans. He addressed WWE operating during the pandemic and the various challenges this presented.

With fans prohibited from attending live events, WWE was forced to get creative and ran shows from the ThunderDome. Wrestlers are reliant on reactions from audiences and it’s just not the same performing for LCD screens.

Some talent struggled with this format, while others thrived. Paul Heyman didn’t skip a beat and remained a prominent force during this unique period in WWE history.

When Paul Heyman pulls back the curtain and shares clues about what makes him so great at what he does, fans need to listen up.

Heyman divulges that one trick to resonate with audiences involves viewing them as one entity instead of a collection of individuals.

“I see the audience en masse,” Heyman told NOLA. “You try to seduce as much of the crowd as possible, to be invested in your message, and the only way to do that is to present yourself to all of them, not one of them or some of them.”

Heyman crafts the delivery of his words based on what he’s sensing from the audience.

“I can play the audience as my instrument,” Heyman said. “I can ride their display of emotions to what I’m saying to make the best music possible to those living it in person or watching it at home.”

In Heyman’s opinion, the best performers work with the audience instead of speaking at them. “If the audience isn’t a character in the performance, then you’re leaving out your greatest asset.”

• Paul Heyman Explains Why He Chose Roman Reigns Over Brock Lesnar

Paul Heyman has worked closely with some of the most successful wrestling stars of the past few decades. He knows what it takes to be a star in the business.

The special counsel recently appeared on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast. He discussed things such as the current state of wrestling and more.

When asked which new talent he thinks will be a future star, Heyman took the name of Riddick Moss. He praised the SmackDown star as a future main eventer:

“Riddick Moss is going to be a star. I don’t think anyone has a clue with just how capable he is. He’s demonstrated that he can walk into any personality that he is assigned at the moment.

When Riddick Moss has the emergence out of his shell and into his next incarnation, the same way The Big Dog elevated his game and evolved into the Tribal Chief,” said Paul Heyman, “Riddick Moss’ next iteration in WWE, there will be no stopping him. He’s a main eventer.”

After a 5 years long developmental run, Riddick Moss made his main roster debut in January 2020. He has since joined forces with Happy Corbin as Madcap Moss.

Apart from this, Paul Heyman also talked about the Universal champion Roman Reigns. He claimed that we have yet to see the best of The Tribal Chief.

Roman Reigns was already one of wrestling’s top stars before his heel turn in 2020. He had already held the world title multiple times and picked up victories over opponents such as The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar, and John Cena. However, his new Tribal Chief persona earned him universal acclaim from critics and fans like he had never seen before. Still, Paul Heyman believes that we have not seen the best of the Universal champion yet.

The former ECW owner recently appeared on Corey Graves’ After The Bell podcast. Heyman who has been around the wrestling business for over three decades discussed how one has to keep evolving to stay relevant in the industry. He then explained that we haven’t seen the best of Reigns because he keeps evolving:

“I’ll say this selfishly. Again talking about evolving personas, evolving characters, evolving personalities evolving box office attractions, you haven’t seen the best of Roman Reigns yet. Roman Reigns a year from now will be far greater than Roman Reigns is today. Roman Reigns this Friday will be better than Roman Reigns last Friday.

Roman Reigns, next Friday will be able to look back at this Friday’s appearance and say ‘Wow, I can do that so much better’ and he will. I’ll include the Usos in there as well. The Usos as a tag team are so infinitely better now than they were six months ago and six months ago they were already the best tag team in the past 20 years.”

• Paul Heyman Explains Why He Chose Roman Reigns Over Brock Lesnar

“The Big Dog Was An Audition To Become The Tribal Chief”

Paul Heyman listed all the accolades of The Big Dog before 2020. He mentioned how the former Shield member was a top star from the get-go and he had main evented multiple WrestleManias even before turning heel and joining forces with the advocate. Though according to Heyman, everything he had done before that was just an audition for his current role: 

“Roman Reigns was a main eventer from the day he started in 2012 on the main roster. Through 2020 Roman Reigns main evented 4 WrestleManias and that was just the audition to become The Tribal Chief. It was the appetizer for the main course. He had to have that resume, that background, that experience. To come from top attraction, competing with John Cena for the top spot, multi-WrestleMania matches with Brock Lesnar, a victory over The Undertaker, only two people can claim that – Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns. That was the lead-up to The Tribal Chief.

The Tribal Chief is far bigger box office, a far more compelling personality, a far more riveting persona than the Big Dog. No offense to the Big Dog but the public wasn’t ready to accept the greatness. And Roman Reigns didn’t know how to put it all together and create this package of greatness. This ability to reach greatness and break through the limitations on his greatness. To make a viable claim to be ‘I am the greatest of all time, I am the goat.’ And now he is. As the Tribal Chief. Who is still evolving, who is still emerging.”

If you use any quotes from the article please credit SEScoops with an H/t for transcription

This article has been edited for clarity

Paul Heyman has shared his unique insight on CM Punk’s return to professional wrestling. According to Heyman, Punk is still riding the momentum of the excitement surrounding his return. He believes it will be at least a year until we can truly evaluate the impact of his current run.

Heyman appeared on The Ringer’s The Masked Man Show podcast this week to promote Saturday’s WWE Royal Rumble premium live event. He spoke with David Shoemaker and Kazeem Famuyide about working closely with Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns, what it means to be a Paul Heyman Guy and much more.

CM Punk returned to wrestling last summer. He made his debut for All Elite Wrestling at AEW Rampage: The First Dance on August 20, 2021. Since then, Punk has worked memorable programs with Darby Allin and MJF. He appears to be thoroughly enjoying himself, a stark contrast from when he left WWE in 2014.

When asked what he thinks about the work CM Punk is doing in AEW, Paul Heyman says he’s not sure if Punk should be judged on the work he is currently doing.

“I think what will be interesting is what happens when the novelty that he’s back wears off, both for the audience and for him.”

– Paul Heyman on CM Punk’s return to wrestling

According to the mastermind behind ECW, it’s going to take some time before we can truly gauge Punk’s return to wrestling. Will Punk simply ride the wave of nostalgia, or will he revolutionize the business again?

“What happens a year from now? How’s he going to feel? How will the audience look at him and accept him in a year? If he can continue to drive himself to being a progressive, compelling, riveting character on the cutting edge that presents himself in a different manner than anybody else can present himself, herself, then he’s going to be fascinating character to watch.”

Heyman continued, “If he can’t, then he’s going to be someone that came back, rode a wave of nostalgia but didn’t progress into the future when he as a rebel was always looking forward in the business and never trying to live off what the business had already accomplished or what he had already accomplished in the business.”

What fascinates Paul Heyman most is the vision CM Punk has for his character. We are still in the “honeymoon period” of Punk being back in wrestling.

CM Punk & Roman Reigns

Heyman says Punk’s current situation is very similar to Roman Reigns’ transition from The Big Dog to The Tribal Chief. Before they joined forces on WWE television, Heyman had a heart-to-heart conversation with Reigns. He told Reigns that everything he had done up to that point was the “appetizer” of his career. Even though he had already main evented WrestleMania four times, that was practice.

“This is where your legacy gets crafted,” he told Reigns. “This is your Hall of Fame run. This is what you will be remembered for and everything before was just getting you here, including four WrestleMania main events.”

Heyman says CM Punk is still in the “warm up” phase of what could be an all-time great career. A year from now, when this current honeymoon phase is over, he’ll have a chance to solidify his legacy.

“Where does he take the CM Punk character in 2023, 2024, 2025? Can he make that character so progressive, so revolutionary, so evolutionary, so riveting, so compelling, so different and unique than anybody that’s out there that he truly defines himself as a transformative figure, a true disruptor in the professional wrestling/sports-entertainment game? That’s the interesting part to me.”

Heyman added that “momentum eventually stops” and Punk has to create the next wave of momentum to truly touch the audience in a meaningful way.

• Roman Reigns Goes Off On CM Punk: “A Step Or Two Has Been Lost”

Listen to Paul Heyman’s appearance on The Masked Man Show:

The 2022 WWE Royal Rumble premium live event airs this Saturday night on Peacock in the United States and the WWE Network internationally.

H/T to Post Wrestling for the transcribed quotes

Brock Lesnar has officially reunited with his advocate Paul Heyman on WWE television just 24 hours after he won the WWE Title. 

During Monday Night Raw, Heyman introduced Lesnar to kick off the show, which was the Day 1 fallout episode as Lesnar credited Heyman for pulling the strings to get him added to the WWE Championship match. This was after his match at Day 1 with Roman Reigns was nixed when the Universal Champion had to pull out due to him testing positive for COVID-19. Lesnar also gave Heyman credit for his “free agent” status in WWE. 

Lesnar defeated Big E, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens, and Bobby Lashley in a fatal five-way match to win the WWE Championship in the headliner of the show. 

Lesnar called himself the real champion in WWE and mocked Reigns by telling the crowd to “acknowledge me.” Heyman took a shot at Reigns by saying that after only one week without him as Reigns’ special counsel, Reigns already has COVID.

Three weeks ago, Reigns fired Heyman as his special counsel after questioning Heyman’s loyalty during the main event segment on SmackDown then attacked him. WWE reportedly still has plans for Reigns vs. Lesnar despite “The Beast Incarnate” being on Raw. 

Jim Ross believes Paul Heyman can be thanked for Roman Reigns’ successful shift in character.

These days, Reigns calls himself “The Tribal Chief” and demands that everyone acknowledges him. The general consensus is that Reigns’ heel persona is a hit. It’s quite the change from when Reigns was a babyface who many felt was being forced by WWE.

Heyman serves as the “Special Counsel” for Reigns. Reigns, Heyman, and The Usos together are called The Bloodline.

Paul Heyman Praised By JR

During an episode of the Grilling JR podcast, Jim Ross said that Paul Heyman deserves credit for Roman Reigns being the star that he is today.

“Also, Heyman’s got a great eye for talent. He’s proven that time and again. He’s proving it now. He’s making Roman Reigns one of the biggest stars in WWE’s recent history.”

Heyman and JR have long been good friends. For years, fans thought there was legit heat between the two over their days doing commentary together on WWE TV.

JR has said numerous times that there was never any beef. Ross said that he and Heyman simply had good chemistry and Heyman always kept him on his toes.

Few can deny that Heyman has played a key role in bringing the “Tribal Chief” version of Roman Reigns to life.

It has made for an interesting storyline involving Brock Lesnar. Heyman had been Lesnar’s advocate for years and was always a believer in “The Beast.”

Please H/T SEScoops with a link if you use any quotes from this article

Paul Heyman believes the path for Roman Reigns is obvious.

The popular opinion is that Reigns is the best thing going in WWE. His character shifted from being what many considered to be a corny and limited babyface to a no-nonsense heel who oozes stardom.

Reigns has beaten every contender thrown his way since capturing the WWE Universal Championship back in Aug. 2020. The question is, what is there left for Roman to do?

Next Goal For Roman Reigns

Paul Heyman serves as the “Special Counsel” to Roman Reigns. During an interview with Sports Illustrated, Heyman discussed what the “Tribal Chief” is targeting next.

“The next goal for Roman Reigns is clear, and that is to be better tomorrow than he is today. His goal is to be better in two weeks than he is next week, to make next week’s SmackDown better than this week, and to make the SmackDown that airs in three weeks better than it is in two weeks.

“Roman Reigns continues to set a pace and achieve levels that no one in WWE has ever or will ever achieve. The world has the privilege and joy of watching it unfold every Friday on SmackDown.”

Reigns has held the WWE Universal Championship for over 450 days. It is the longest reign in the title’s history.

Reigns is fresh off a non-title champion vs. champion match at WWE Survivor Series. Reigns went one-on-one with WWE Champion Big E. The “Head of the Table” ended up pinning Big E.

Former ECW owner and Executive Director of Monday Night RAW Paul Heyman recently spoke to Ariel Helwani as part of an interview for BT Sport.

Heyman discussed several topics during the interview, including how he now feels that SmackDown has gotten so far ahead of RAW that the red brand is definitively the “b-show.”

“There is no rivalry, SmackDown has beaten the sh*t out of Raw” Paul Heyman began ahead of the Survivor Series 2021 PPV event.

“Raw is clearly the B Show. There is no more competition. We won. I have no bitterness towards Raw. If Raw goes sour, it hurts SmackDown. If Raw goes sour, it hurts WWE. It hurts the stock. The stock goes sour, it hurts me personally.

Paul Heyman on WWE RAW

“I don’t want Raw to do bad. I wish Raw would do even better and provide stiffer competition to SmackDown. If a star emerges on Raw that Roman Reigns can draw box office with? We have another opponent” Heyman continued, praising the man who has seemingly carried the blue brand over the past 18 months

“The problem with Roman Reigns is not the limit of his greatness. Roman’s greatness gets more defined as every performance is put forth. The problem with Roman Reigns is; we have such a limited number of people that we can viably and actually work with that people will look at and say, ‘That’s an opponent for Roman Reigns, that’s someone I’d like to see challenge the Tribal Chief.’

“That’s why Brock Lesnar’s return is so huge. We don’t have five other people waiting in the wings that automatically step up and can be a credible opponent for Roman Reigns” Heyman concluded.

It’s fair to say that SmackDown has been a better programme on television than RAW for quite some time. But, it’s interesting to hear an on-screen personality genuinely give the reasons as to why SmackDown is so definitively better.

Paul Heyman had plans to make Malakai Black one of the top players in WWE. Unfortunately, it was not meant to be.

WWE appointed Heyman as the Executive Director of Monday Night Raw in June 2019. During that stint, he identified several underutilized wrestlers that he saw as having big potential. AEW star Malakai Black (formerly Aleister Black) was at the top of that list.

On the latest Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer revealed that Heyman wanted Black to wrestle and defeat Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36. The victory would have handed Black the biggest win of his career. He would have been solidified as a top star on the Raw brand.

Heyman did not get his wish and Drew McIntyre got that spot instead. The feeling at the time was that McIntyre was more over with the fans. He won the 2020 Royal Rumble and went on to defeat Brock Lesnar for the WWE championship in the main event of WrestleMania 36.

Black, on the other hand, defeated Bobby Lashley in a singles match on the show. He made a few appearances on WWE television after that, but his best days in WWE were behind him at that point.

WWE released Malakai Black on June 2, 2021.

• Malakai Black On What Paul Heyman Told Him About Being In Charge Of Raw

Paul Heyman has unveiled his pick for Brock Lesnar’s ultimate rivalry.

Throughout the years, Brock Lesnar has had some classic rivalries. Some of his matches with Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, and John Cena will long be remembered by WWE fans. There’s one man who stands out above all in the mind of Heyman, however.

During an interview with SportsKeeda, Heyman explained why he views Roman Reigns as the top rival in the career of Brock Lesnar.

“Roman Reigns because we’ve done multiple WrestleMania main events between the two of them and will most likely do more. This is a really interesting situation. The Undertaker was very simple. History was made. Brock Lesnar conquered The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania.”

A Completely Different Dynamic

Heyman insists that Roman Reigns is a different animal than the likes of The Undertaker and even John Cena.

“With John Cena, that was an intense rivalry between the poster boy for WWE. The most heavily hyped sports entertainer on the face of the planet against a former NCAA Division I Heavyweight Champion and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar. With Roman Reigns, you have a completely different dynamic.”

Lesnar will challenge Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship on Oct. 21. The title match will be featured on the WWE Crown Jewel card in Saudi Arabia.

The story behind Reigns vs. Lesnar this time revolves around Paul Heyman’s allegiance. For years, Heyman served as the advocate for Lesnar.

During “The Beast’s” absence, Heyman became the Special Counsel for Roman Reigns. Fans are now left to wonder if Heyman will turn on Reigns or if he’ll stick with “The Tribal Chief.”

Paul Heyman takes any storylines he is part of to the next level. A good example is her ongoing rivalry with Kayla Braxton who Heyman believes has a crush on him.

The special counsel to the Universal champion recently had an interview with Comicbook.com. He discussed things such as the roster changes made during the recently concluded draft and more.

Heyman brought up Braxton a number of times during the interview. However, when asked if there is a feud between the two, the former ECW owner said that he doesn’t dislike her at all:

“I don’t … I like Kayla. I think Kayla has great taste in men, because she has such a crush on me. I don’t dislike Kayla at all. I think Kayla’s a remarkably talented person, but she’s a stalker, and she’s stalking me, and she’s bothering me.

And she’s nagging me. And she pokes pokes, pokes, pokes, pokes, pokes, every time, with her freaking questions, and her interrogatories.” said Paul Heyman, “It’s like being in a deposition. It’s just like, ‘Leave me alone. Go bug somebody else..”

The former Raw executive director continued by saying that Kayla loves to gossip and thinks that she is Wonder Woman. He then again iterated that he has nothing against the broadcast star.

It doesn’t look like the banter between Heyman and Braxton will end anytime soon, even if Paul’s alliance with Roman Reigns might be threatened later this week. Here is the updated Crown Jewel match card.

• Paul Heyman Thinks Brock Lesnar’s UFC Run Is Old News

It seems that the announced Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns Universal Championship match at Crown Jewel won’t be the concluding bout for their rivalry.

Lesnar and Reigns’ program is expected to extend beyond this upcoming match, according to Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter.

“From what we understand, and what makes sense, is this is not a one-and-done program,” said Meltzer. “For one, unless Dwayne Johnson is wrestling Reigns at next year’s WrestleMania, this would appear to be the biggest possible Mania match.”

He added, “So the idea here is to build to a return, whether that means Lesnar wins to build to a rematch or some disputed decision takes place.”

Paul Heyman’s loyalty will be a big part of how this story unfolds. Heyman has guided both men to the top of WWE and we don’t know which side he will take when the time comes.

Lesnar made his surprise return at SummerSlam after more than a year away from WWE programming. He confronted Reigns, who had just beaten John Cena in the main event.

Heyman has been the centerpiece of the storyline between these two. Just last week, Brock Lesnar announced that he had become a free agent thanks to his advocate. WWE has announced that Roman Reigns will have to defend his championship against the Beast at the upcoming Crown Jewel PPV.

It will be interesting to see which man Heyman sides with, when the inevitable choice is presented.

• Reason Why Drew McIntyre Was Moved To SmackDown

Paul Heyman doesn’t believe Brock Lesnar will ever make his way back inside the Octagon.

Lesnar is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion. He won the title in just his fourth pro MMA bout. Lesnar stepped away from MMA competition following a Dec. 2011 loss to Alistair Overeem. He made his comeback in July 2016, initially defeating Mark Hunt via unanimous decision. That result was changed to a No Contest after Lesnar tested positive for banned substances.

Since his first UFC run came to a close, Brock Lesnar has been enjoying great success in WWE. It’s a spot that he isn’t likely to give up anytime soon. In terms of potentially working out another deal with WWE that would allow him to compete in UFC, don’t hold your breath.

Speaking to Z100, Heyman expressed his belief that Lesnar’s days in the UFC are over.

“Been there, done that. If you were to tell me that Brock Lesnar would have a shoot-out in soccer with Messi, that I believe. But he has already done the MMA schtick.

“He knocked out Randy Couture, took a beating from Shane Carwin. He’s a conqueror. What more can he do in the UFC that he hasn’t done? When Brock Lesnar went out for the Minnesota Vikings in 2004, he was 295 pounds, just suffered a motorcycle accident, and he had a torn groin, broken pelvis, a wired-shut jaw, and he still ran his 100-yard dash in Olympic qualifying time.”

Lesnar is currently involved in a feud with Roman Reigns and Heyman plays a pivotal role in the storyline. For years, Heyman has served as Lesnar’s advocate. During “The Beast’s” time away from WWE, Heyman aligned himself with Reigns. This has left many to wonder if Heyman will turn on Reigns or Lesnar.

Paul Heyman believes he is responsible for the success of Gable Steveson.

There are a lot of high hopes for Steveson. The Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling has signed with WWE. He will be finishing his collegiate career before making the jump.

Speaking to TMZ Sports, Heyman said he deserves credit for all of Stevenson’s success.

“I am personally responsible for all of Gable Steveson’s right business decisions in his life and his gold medal and his Hodge trophy and his NCAA Division 1 Heavyweight championship.

“I had everything with Gable Steveson winning the Olympic gold medal. I arranged for Gable Steveson to train with Brock Lesnar at the University of Minnesota, which helped Gable Steveson win the NCAA Division 1 Heavyweight championship. Then he used my strategy to win the gold medal in the Olympics.”

As Heyman mentioned, there is history between Steveson and Brock Lesnar. Heyman has played the role of Lesnar’s advocate for years. Steveson and Lesnar have trained together at the University of Minnesota. Stevenson retweeted Paul Heyman taking the credit, so it may be a sign of approval.

Time will tell when Steveson will be seen on WWE TV in a full-time role. Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Radio suggests we could see it happen in May 2022. Steveson told Ariel Helwani that he doesn’t expect to be introduced on the NXT brand.

With the Survivor Series PPV being around the corner, people have started talking about their dream teams. Paul Heyman listed his own recently as well.

The former ECW owner recently had an interview with Josh Martinez from Z100. He talked about many things such as The Street Profits being one of the top tag teams currently and more.

Heyman also discussed the list of the guys he has managed in his career. When asked about his dream Survivor Series team of ‘Paul Heyman guys’, he named members of the Bloodline faction:

“Roman Reigns, The Usos and I will even through myself in there because I will never need to tag in. The three of them can handle any four beings on the face of the planet,”

Paul went on to credit Jimmy and Jey as the best tag team in the world today. Though he acknowledged The Street Profits, saying that after The Usos, they are the best tag team of the past 20 years.

Survivor Series this year will take place from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on November 21. There is no word yet on what The Bloodline or Brock Lesnar will be doing at the show.

• The Rock Expected To Appear At WWE Survivor Series

Paul Heyman had an interview with New York Post ahead of this week’s super SmackDown from Madison Square Garden. He talked about things such as Becky Lynch’s heel turn and more. Naomi was recently moved to SmackDown. It made many wonder if this change can lead to her joining the bloodline stable with her husband Jimmy Uso and Roman Reigns.

When asked about it during the talk, Paul Heyman said that he doesn’t look at any specific person as a potential addition. They instead do a daily assessment of what their TV presentation requires:

“I don’t look at only one person as a potential addition to The Bloodline. I think there is a daily assessment as to what The Bloodline needs and what the presentation requires on television. At the moment I think we are addressing the enormous box office attractions that are now coming back seemingly all the time against the Tribal Chief,

And the fact that The Usos, who are reigning defending SmackDown tag team champions, are being pushed to the limit by the best tag team to come along besides The Usos in the past 20 years, the Street Profits.”

• Paul Heyman Discusses Becky Lynch’s Heel Turn

Heyman continued his explanation saying that just because someone is not on TV with them at the moment; it doesn’t mean that they are not within their eyesight:

“We’re telling quite a few stories right now. As the year continues and we get into 2022, are there more stories to tell involving other personalities? I’m sure that there are. And just because someone is not on television with us doesn’t mean they’re not within eyesight of The Bloodline and doesn’t mean they’re not a member of The Bloodline. It just means we’re not presenting them on TV as such.”

After staying away from WWE programming for a month, Naomi made an appearance during the August 27 episode of SmackDown and revealed that she has been moved to the blue brand. Apart from this, Paul Heyman talked about things such as his 2012 match against Ryback at Madison Square Garden, doing commentary on a WWE show after 9/11, and more.

Paul Heyman has thrown in his two cents on the heel turn of Becky Lynch.

Lynch made her return to WWE after being away due to her pregnancy. She appeared at the SummerSlam PPV, challenging Bianca Belair for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Lynch landed a cheap shot to Belair once she accepted the challenge and hit the pumphandle slam for the pin in under 30 seconds.

Heyman spoke to the New York Post and said that fans don’t have to settle on thinking she’s just a face or a heel.

“I’m not a big believer in the positioning of people as protagonists and antagonists, I think these personalities have multiple sides to them,” Heyman continued. “Events in life will change your perspective, demeanor and the way you address people. So, if there is a more coarse side of Becky’s personality that is now coming to the forefront and you’re a fan of Becky then embrace it and accept it.

“And if you just judge someone by their immediate actions and their short-term perspective then I guess you now have a villain for whom you can root against.”

Lynch has been refusing to give Belair a rematch but now she has no choice. At Extreme Rules on Sept. 26, Lynch will put her gold on the line against Belair.

As for Heyman, he finds himself in a tricky situation. Brock Lesnar made an unexpected return at SummerSlam, confronting Roman Reigns. For years, Heyman has served as Lesnar’s advocate. When Brock was away, Heyman aligned himself with Reigns.

Paul Heyman has taken the time to reflect on working the episode of SmackDown following the tragic events of 9/11.

On Sept. 11, 2001, a terrorist attack took place in New York City. As a result of these attacks, the Twin Towers collapsed and nearly 3,000 people were killed. The Pentagon in Washington, D.C. was also attacked.

As one would imagine, the post-9/11 episode of SmackDown was an emotional one. Heyman was on color commentator duties on the show. During an interview with Sports Illustrated, Heyman looked back on the post-9/11 episode of SmackDown.

“I didn’t know how to convey that on the air, and I didn’t know if it was my place to do so, but as a New Yorker, I felt obligated to identify myself—not only from the perspective of New York as a locale in which I reside but also that deep down, the person you see talking at the moment is culturally, physically, spiritually a New Yorker at heart. I hardly remember anything about that night, other than the memory of Lilian Garcia singing. I don’t even remember what she sang, whether it was ‘God Bless, America,’ ‘America, The Beautiful,’ or the national anthem—I just remember she sang. When she was singing, she did it flawlessly. Her voice carried the emotion of the moment to such a degree that it moved me and woke me up. It also made me a complete emotional wreck.

“I can’t tell you one match that happened on that show. All I remember is the bolt that went through my system when I heard Lilian sing, which reminded me I had an obligation to deliver. Then I heard Jim Ross say, ‘Just follow my lead, kid, and you’ll be fine,’ which is the same thing he’d said to me during my first broadcast on Raw. Afterward, I can still remember Vince McMahon in my headset saying, ‘That was great. Now it’s time to entertain.’ From that point on, I hope J.R. and I did justice to the job for which we were tasked, but I don’t remember doing it all.”

Almost 20 years from the day of the 9/11 attacks, SmackDown will be held inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. Paul Heyman is expected to attend alongside the WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Paul Heyman took Cesaro under his wing as the Swiss Cyborg revealed himself to be a Paul Heyman guy on Raw in April the night after WrestleMania 30 in 2014. It lasted only briefly, as by July of the same year Cesaro declared that he’s no longer a Paul Heyman guy.

Paul Heyman recently reflected on their short-lived stint and said that it ultimately did no favors to Cesaro. He also discussed why he thinks Cesaro is a main event level talent in the WWE.

WrestleMania 30 saw The Undertaker’s streak being broken by Brock Lesnar, and Cesaro winning the inaugural André The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Since Lesnar wasn’t going to be available every week on Raw, Cesaro was coming in hot after winning the battle royal. And this is why Cesaro was made a Paul Heyman guy, explained Heyman while speaking to Inside the Ropes.

“I’ve always thought Cesaro was a main event player in WWE. Cesaro was paired with Paul Heyman because Paul Heyman needed an excuse to be on television to say the words, ‘My client, Brock Lesnar, conquered The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania.’ That was an elevation in terms of exposure for Cesaro, but it did him no favours in terms of showcasing his talents.”

The pairing really didn’t do much for Cesaro, and the two were soon split up without any significant big break up scene. Cesaro spent most of his career as a midcard talent after that, until recently when he got in the main event picture at WrestleMania Backlash where he faced Roman Reigns for the WWE Universal Championship in a losing attempt. He then got into a brief feud with Seth Rollins which saw a match in the Hell in a Cell PPV event. He hasn’t been up to much since then on SmackDown and only time will tell if Cesaro will be able to break through the mid-card and stay in the main event picture.

Paul Heyman believes that ever since Roman Reigns has acknowledged him, he’s been rescued.

Heyman serves as the “special counsel” for Reigns on WWE SmackDown. The partnership began back in Aug. 2020. This solidified the heel turn of Reigns and he has dominated as the WWE Universal Champion for over 360 days. Many believe it was a much-needed change for Reigns.

Heyman took to his Twitter account to celebrate the one-year anniversary of being aligned with the “Tribal Chief.”

“EXACTLY 1 YEAR AGO, I was rescued by Roman Reigns. In the 52 weeks that have transpired since then, the #TribalChief has redefined the medium, disrupted the status quo and titled the axis of what it means to be THEE top superstar in WWE … and we’ve only just begun!”

Heyman has found himself in a rough spot in regards to his role as “special counsel.” Brock Lesnar, someone who Heyman has long advocated for, made a surprise appearance at the end of SummerSlam and stared down with Reigns. Jimmy and Jey Uso questioned Heyman, asking if he knew Lesnar would show up.

Before SummerSlam, Paul Heyman told Ryan Satin that no one can serve as “special counsel” better than he can (h/t Fightful).

“This, I can do, and I dare say I do it better than anybody else,” said Heyman. “I have redefined the medium from manager to advocate to special counsel. That may be me drinking my own kool-aid, but it tastes good at the moment. I’m challenged every day to be even better.”