In a recent appearance on Rick Rubin’s “Tetragrammaton” podcast, Paul Heyman delved into a wide range of topics within the realm of professional wrestling.
During the discussion, Heyman disclosed the extraordinary circumstances that led to the pivotal moment when he got paired with Roman Reigns to commence the groundbreaking Tribal Chief storyline.
Beginning amid the backdrop of COVID-19, Heyman reflected,
“Well, the world changed. The zombie apocalypse hit. I had become, in 2019, the Executive Director of Monday Night Raw. This is while I’m still on camera with Brock. as we are headed towards that WrestleMania, the number I don’t remember, even though I should because it’s a very unique one. It’s the only one with no audience.”
Heyman then discussed how the pandemic affected Brock Lesnar’s contract negotiations, leading to his departure from WWE due to the financial impracticality of having him in empty arenas without the usual revenue streams. He said,
“The pandemic hits. Now Brock’s an expensive meal ticket. He was right in 2004, leave, become a much bigger star in the outside world, come back, get paid outside world celebrity, money, and schedule. So, without being able to run live events, and without Saudi, and that enormous deal coming in, budgeting for Brock Lesnar in an empty arena several times a year doesn’t make business sense. So, when Brock’s contract came due, and we’re in the middle of the pandemic, it doesn’t make any sense for WWE to do what they had done every year, which is, ‘Yeah, we know this was your final year, but if you’d consider, we’re gonna throw more money at you. Give us another year of this. This was a year where that wasn’t going to happen, because there was no way to get a return on the investment. So, Brock went back to Saskatchewan, and in his mind, that was the end. He was done.”
Furthermore, Paul E. revealed that while he was still the Executive Director, Roman Reigns took time off due to concerns about the pandemic and creative frustrations, with the desire to return as a transformed performer seeking a defining moment in his career. He said,
“I’m still there as Executive Director. Roman Reigns has taken time off with his condition. He’s not exposing himself to this pandemic that we don’t have a grasp on how severe it can be quite just yet and at the same time, he’s had enough of the creative. These things are running concurrently. The feud rivalry story with Baron Corbin over dog food and the infamous sufferin’ succotash promo had weighed on him enough to where he said, ‘I’ve had enough. I’ve reached the cap. I can’t go any further. As the big dog I’ve peaked. and as an athlete, I haven’t peaked as a performer. I’ve barely scratched the surface. I have so much more to offer and since I’m taking time off, I’m not coming back as the same person.” This is where I make my move. This is where I do for me what Lesnar did for himself when he conquered the streak. Something has to become my defining moment and then propel forward from there. The catalyst to something completely different. Four WrestleMania main events to his credit, a run on top since 2015, and one could even say always near the top from 2012 to 2015, but something has to be generational here, something has to define him as Austin, Rock, Sammartino, Hogan, a transformative personality that can then ultimately make the case, I Roman Reigns am the greatest of all time.”
Heyman also shared how Vince McMahon’s decision to remove him as the Executive Director opened up the possibility of pairing him with someone else, with Roman Reigns being one of the few suitable candidates who could match the stature Heyman had established with Lesnar. He said,
“Vince removes me as executive director in June of 2020, and I thought I had a bunch of months left on my contract, and I was gonna ride it out, and we’ll see where we go from there. There were limited options in my agreement as to whom WWE could put me with. When I had the leverage, I wrote that in because we had reached a point with the cachet of being Brock Lesnar’s advocate that anybody else you put me with could either make them instantly a star, or you’re watering me down, and ultimately hurting the other person, because they don’t belong with me. They don’t measure up to where you’re used to seeing my character bring someone down to the ring, which is either the main event of WrestleMania or close to it. One of the few names on this list was Roman Reigns. Another was Brock Lesnar, obviously. Another was Ronda Rousey. Ronda Rousey was having a baby. Brock Lesnar wasn’t coming back with Saudi being down. That kinda left Roman Reigns in there.”
Heyman further recounted the pivotal moment when Vince McMahon approached him with the idea of aligning him with Roman Reigns, expressing his surprise and excitement at the decision, while noting the rarity of a top-tier star like Reigns making such a transition.
“So, Vince calls me in the middle of August and he says, ‘We’re gonna take you back into television. I’m thinking, ‘Oh, oh. He’s gonna make me a commentator and Jim Ross isn’t here. What is a commentator in 2020? How can I be disruptive? How can I be evolutionary in the process? How can I redefine this role because I don’t just want to settle in and do what’s been done already. Even by me, I want to do this differently. I said, ‘Okay, well, what do you got in mind?’ He says, ‘I’m going to put you with somebody. ’I’m thinking, ‘Has he read my contract?’ I said, ‘Well, you know Vince, the options are kind of limited in that.’ I’m trying to tiptoe into a delicate situation here where I’m about to butt heads with him. I’m thinking Ronda is pregnant. Brock’s not coming back with Saudi down. He’s certainly not putting me with Roman and he goes, ‘I’m envisioning Roman Reigns with Paul Heyman.’ I’m thinking, ‘Oh my God. He’s gonna pull the trigger on this. He would never pull it with Cena. He would never have allowed Cena to come to the dark side.”
