Paul Heyman has revealed that he was originally set to return to WWE television alongside a very different person before Vince McMahon made a last-minute decision to pair him with Brock Lesnar instead.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Paul Heyman reflected on the events leading up to WrestleMania X8 in 2002 and explained that his planned on-screen comeback looked very different before Lesnar entered the picture.
“I was coming back on camera, WrestleMania 18 to manage, I hate that word, Chris Benoit, and that was where we were headed,” Heyman said.
At the same time, Lesnar was growing frustrated in Ohio Valley Wrestling and pushing for a promotion to WWE’s main roster. According to Heyman, WWE officials initially had a much more limited vision for Lesnar’s presentation despite his impressive amateur wrestling credentials.
“He’s an NCAA Division One heavyweight champion. Look at his combine numbers, look at what he can do, look at his leaping ability, look at the way that he moves,” Heyman said. “Have you ever seen anyone move like that, let alone someone of that size move like that?”
Heyman said former ECW star Taz encouraged him to become involved with Lesnar’s development, believing WWE was at risk of mishandling a future star.
“Taz said, ‘Hey, brother, they’re gonna screw this up, you got to get involved in this over here,'” Heyman recalled.
After approaching McMahon, Heyman was given responsibility for helping produce Lesnar’s dark matches. The pair quickly developed a strong working relationship that Heyman believed was impossible to ignore.
McMahon apparently agreed.
“The night before WrestleMania 18, Vince pulled me aside, and he said, ‘This whole thing with Benoit was called off. I’m putting you with Brock Lesnar,'” Heyman said.
Paul Heyman Believes That His Pairing With Brock Lesnar Was One Of The Best Things For Both Of Their Careers
Brock Lesnar officially debuted on Raw following WrestleMania X8, with Paul Heyman returning to television as his advocate. Looking back, Heyman believes the partnership became one of the defining relationships of both of their careers.
“Brock Lesnar would still be massively successful. I wonder what Paul Heyman’s career would look like without Brock Lesnar,” he said.
Heyman also had high praise for Lesnar’s in-ring abilities, describing the former WWE and UFC champion as one of the greatest athletes he has ever seen.
“There’s no one like Brock Lesnar,” Heyman said. “He is the most underappreciated, underrated in-ring worker I have ever seen in my life.”
