Paul Heyman recently spoke with Awful Announcing to promote WrestleMania 32 and his new deal with Yahoo Sports. Here are the highlights.
What is it like being the advocate for Brock Lesnar in this current run with WWE where he has taken on this larger-than-life persona and become a special attraction every time he gets in the ring?
There’s nothing different about being with Brock Lesnar day-to-day now than it was 14 years ago when we were first together in WWE except we’re both a little older and wiser and we both have more children than we did 14 years ago when we started together on television. Besides that there’s nothing really different about that man. His values are the same, his interests are the same, his desire and drive and ambition is the same. And his desire to be left alone by the world is the same except now he truly has the resources to ensure he gets left alone by the world.
The run we’re having now to me is based on the credibility that comes along with the fact that when he left WWE he didn’t just go do odds and ends, he became the undisputed UFC Heavyweight Champion of the world, knocking out Randy Couture and going on to becoming a three-time defending undisputed UFC Heavyweight Championship of the world. He didn’t knock out some schlub, he didn’t knock out an interim champion, or someone who just fell into the division without a lot of competition – he knocked out Randy freaking Couture. Along with that comes an awful lot of credibility and with that comes authenticity and legitimacy that WWE can then exploit. So when we come into this run, you don’t have to imagine “wow, what would happen if this guy fought in UFC?” You know what would happen if he fought in UFC – he would take over the heavyweight division like he did. Now WWE fans have bragging rights, that’s the baddest dude on the face of the planet.
Personally how do you balance what you do outside WWE with what you do with the company?
I work about 22 hours a day and I enjoy every moment of it.
I don’t sleep that much, I come from a long line of insomniacs. I enjoy my life too much. I don’t have time to turn off the switch. If I’m sleeping I hope I’m dreaming of what project I’m going to be launching the next morning. This is too much for me. There’s too much enjoyment in what I do. I am genuinely exhilarated every single morning when my feet hit the ground because I truly enjoy the plethora of jobs that I have.
How has the WrestleMania experience evolved since you’ve been in WWE with taking place in such huge stadiums now and taking on a bit more of a life of its own in sports and pop culture?
It’s only going to get better because it’s a brand name that has now become the biggest spectacle of the year in sports entertainment, and that includes mixed martial arts. These events that become branded – the Super Bowl, March Madness, the World Series, these are the primary drivers for these sports and the lure for the fans of those sports, as I’ve experienced, is only getting bigger. The events around it are only getting bigger and it’s becoming a pop culture event and not just limited to WWE fans. There are people who come to WrestleMania that don’t follow the product the entire year, but it’s the spectacle and the magnitude and the enormity of this mega-event that people want to experience.
