Paul Heyman has always been a genius on the microphone, and a lot of it comes from his interactions with the opponents of his clients. He has never been afraid to put over the opponent, making them look strong and threatening as a challenger. It also helps make the win mean that much more when his clients win.
Paul spoke about the evolution of his character while talking about the bumps he takes in the ring on the Sports Media with Richard Deitsch podcast, revealing that it’s because of the character he’s become that people are less likely to want to see him pummeled by an opponent. It’s the respect he shows for those opponents that make him a little more likable to the audience.
“The irony of just part of our conversation is that the character that I have inhabited or evolved into as Special Counsel for ‘The Tribal Chief’ Roman Reigns is not a character that people really want to see get smashed. Which is why, on Talking Smack, I can shake the hands of Roman Reigns’ most dynamic opponents. Kevin Owens, in an aggressive, politically incorrect word, violent storyline with Roman Reigns can come on Talking Smack and I can shake his hand and have a conversation with him about the Dynamics of his rivalry with Roman Reigns. The guests this weekend, WrestleMania weekend, on Talking Smack will be Edge, 24 hours before he gets into the ring in the main event of WrestleMania, fighting for the Universal Championship against Roman Reigns. Paul Heyman, the person, and Paul Heyman, the character/persona, has all the respect and all the admiration in the world for Edge. I liked him personally, I admire him professionally. I intend on A) shaking his hand the moment he walks onto the set and B) expressing my personal and professional admiration for him, his family, his story, his ability, and his performances. I would dare suggest that he will do the same with me. Because I’m not a manager. I’m not.
“I’m not Lou Albano, I’m not Freddie Blassie, I’m not The Grand Wizard, I’m not Bobby Heenan, I’m not Jimmy Hart, I’m not JJ Dillon. I’m not directing my charge to end the career of the opponent… That’s not my character. I’m Special Counsel to ‘The Tribal Chief.’ Some of this has to do with my age, I’m 55. There’s a difference between 55 and 45, and 35, and 25. I’m not attached to the heat that Roman Reigns has generated. I’m the liaison. I’m the liaison to Roman Reigns. So I can intelligently discuss with Edge this weekend what it’s going to be like for him to be in the ring with Roman Reigns while having intimate knowledge of Edge’s greatness because I’m the one that broke him out into a singles when I was the lead writer of SmackDown dating back to 2002. I was the executive director of Raw when he returned at the Royal Rumble 2020 and worked with him hand-in-hand with his WrestleMania storyline with Randy Orton. That’s all public knowledge. So why would I hide that? Why wouldn’t I be the one to sit there and say, ‘I admire you, I respect you, I have such respect and admiration for what you bring to the table and you’re stepping into the ring with the person that I’m attached to in the main event of WrestleMania, let’s talk about it like intelligent human beings. So, it’s just a progression, an evolution of the role and maybe it’s a new role. Maybe this Special Counsel/Advocate is the natural evolution to a more realistic basis of what a manager was and should be. Or at least it is for someone my age.”
Heyman has been around this sport for decades, and he’s carefully crafted his persona and evolved with the times. Now as the Special Counsel for the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns, Heyman is starting to use some of his own history to make new character for people to enjoy.
thanks to Fightful for the quote
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