WWE Maestro of the Mic Paul Heyman on Brock Lesnar’s ‘Beast in the Bank’ Future
Q&A
Paul Heyman likes to play “spoiler” on WWE television when it comes to his client Brock Lesnar, giving fans a sort of guarantee of what happens before it actually happens.
This wasn’t the case at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view as the “Beast Incarnate” made a surprise appearance in the main event ladder match. It was Lesnar’s first appearance in a WWE ring since WrestleMania 35 and losing the Universal championship to Seth Rollins.
Now with the dominant combat sports superstar in possession of the Money in the Bank briefcase, he is guaranteed a future title opportunity. The question is whether Lesnar chooses to cash in on the man who took the gold from him or set his sights on a new opposition in WWE champion Kofi Kingston.
Before the decision is revealed on Monday Night Raw, the self-proclaimed humble advocate provides some insight in the only way Paul Heyman can — as someone who takes pride in keeping you on your toes.
At the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, a lot of people were shocked to see you and Brock Lesnar. It’s hard to do that in the social media age. What went into the planning of that? How long has it been in the works?
Where there is chaos there is opportunity. The whole Braun Strowman-Sami Zayn situation playing out on Monday night told me the men’s ladder match was in chaos. We have super popular champions in Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston, and nobody seems to give them a challenge. It looks like the opportunity was ripe for an invasion of the beast, so we watched what many people would call a real-life implementation of a conspiracy theory. It played out perfectly to our advantage at Money in the Bank.
What has gone viral in the last week or so is Brock’s use of the briefcase as a sort of boombox. Where did the inspiration come from for that? What kind of music do you think he is listening to?
First of all, it’s not a Boombox, it’s a “Beastbox.” Secondly, whatever Brock Lesnar listens to is Brock Lesnar’s business. And should Brock Lesnar want to reveal what music he listens to, he will do so in the biggest forum possible. Not with me spilling the beans like it’s some gossip item. That’s Brock Lesnar doing something impromptu and deciding to have a little fun at everyone’s expense on Monday Night Raw.
Everything’s better with the Eurythmics… 2 pic.twitter.com/D8iimEobHC
— Kris Thompson (@EditKrisEdit) May 21, 2019
You come back during a time where WWE has instituted this “Wild Card Rule.” What do you make of it?
I view the “Wild Card Rule” as the other shoe dropping within this year’s roster Shake-Up. It happened the week after — people were assigned to Raw, people were assigned to SmackDown Live. Then it was, “Oh, by the way, here is a bonus: up to four can go in between the brands on any given show.” I think instead of doing a roster Shake-Up like last year, this year it was one better because you got the bonus of the “Wild Card Rule.” That’s the way I look at it, and I would suggest my viewpoint is far more intelligent than anyone else’s viewpoint out there. So now people should be enlightened.
You bring that up — you’re working with Brock Lesnar, you’ve helped out Ronda Rousey, where do you stand when it comes to the creative team in WWE? Is it passing along ideas or a little more defined? There is speculation on your role behind the scenes.
I like the speculation as to where my role is and where my role isn’t in WWE because I think people should have the opportunity to simply enjoy the product, not worry about if Paul Heyman is involved in this idea or Paul Heyman wasn’t involved in that idea. I had a blast working with Ronda Rousey. Working with Ronda Rousey was a life-changing experience for me, and I hope I get a chance to work even more with Ronda Rousey in the future.
There are other people that I contribute to their presentation at the moment, but it’s not public knowledge. It is speculation, and I would rather leave it that way. If you’re noticing what I’m doing behind the scenes, then you’re missing the point of what I want you to pick up on, which is the characters and the storylines. I’m glad that many people don’t know what I’m doing right now because it gives them an opportunity to simply judge the product, and oh my God, enjoy the product for what it is.
You’ve been part of so many generations and decades of pro wrestling. With so much happening in the marketplace outside of WWE and in it with the Fox deal and USA Network Raw extension, do you feel we are entering another boom period?
I believe the industry is always on the cusp of great success or great failure. All it takes is one great move to get everyone talking, and all it takes is one terrible move to lose a lot of your audience. So, do I think we are on the verge of greatness? It’s summertime, and Brock Lesnar is going to announce on Monday which champion will get the reprieve from the Beast going after his championship and which champion must realize his expiration stamp in the back of his neck. The expiration stamp will have been put there by Brock Lesnar. And summertime, Brock Lesnar is focusing on one of the two WWE championships, which means it’s a wonderful time to be a WWE fan.
WWE
With UFC in the rearview mirror, does it change Brock Lesnar’s perspective of WWE? Are we going to see more of his time dedicated to the company?
I think you’ve already seen more of Brock Lesnar than I think people had any right to expect by the middle of May. Certainly, nobody called this shot. Since Brock Lesnar is about to announce the title he is going to focus on, I think you’re going to see more of Brock Lesnar in 2019 than you did in 2018. How much more? Again, why spoil the surprise?
There seems to be this theme of underdogs in WWE with Kofi Kingston winning the WWE championship as the latest example. Do you prefer seeing Brock face him since it’s someone different?
My personal preference is for Brock Lesnar to face Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston in a handicap match. Beat them both, unify the titles and hold them both over his head and hop on a private jet to go to the greatest steakhouse in the world (which I will not reveal because I don’t want people bothering us when we go out to dinner).
Unfortunately, WWE would like to protect its investment in either Seth Rollins or Kofi Kingston, knowing that Brock is going to F5 and take them to “Suplex City” and conquer at least one of them. Unfortunately, they won’t let us cash in on both at the same time. Knowing the ability of Brock Lesnar, that would be my preference.
Coming up on the horizon Super Showdown on June 7. Are you planning to make the trip to Jeddah?
Brock Lesnar is scheduled to appear at Super Showdown. If Brock Lesnar is scheduled to appear, I will be appearing with Brock Lesnar.
WWE Raw, Mondays, 9/8c, USA Network
