One day after WrestleMania 41, Paul Heyman has revealed why he turned on both Roman Reigns and CM Punk. Heyman told Pat McAfee he ‘betrayed nobody’ and ‘kept his promise’.
Inside the Allegiant Stadium, Heyman formed a new allegiance with Seth Rollins.
Heyman came to the Pat McAfee show in ultra-rare form.
From announcing his own entrance and faking out the crowd by saying he was done after just one sentence. Heyman was quick to berate a loud fan as soon as he had a microphone in hand.
The fan asked Heyman how he could betray Roman Reigns. Paul Heyman took this opportunity to say “I did it just to piss you off. Now what are you going to do about it?”
Why Paul Heyman Turned On Reigns & CM Punk
“I Betrayed No One”
The tears started welling in Heyman’s eyes when McAfee asked him how he felt mentally after WrestleMania 41. “Lose your best friend lately? Lose your ability to worship your Tribal Chief lately? That was taken away from me, wasn’t it?” A visibly shaken Heyman defended his actions on Saturday time and time again throughout the interaction.
When it came to the “betrayal” of Roman Reigns, Heyman claims full innocence. “I didn’t betray Roman Reigns, did I put my hands on him (Roman) Monday and shove him to the ground? I never laid a hand on him.” Heyman was referring to the Tribal Chief doing the same to him.
Heyman claimed he was emasculated in front of the entire WWE Universe.
As for Heyman’s actions toward Punk. CM Punk is a terrible best friend, Heyman claimed. “Look at the position CM Punk put me in with my Tribal Chief.”
Heyman continued to point out the awkward and difficult position Punk had put him in against his will.
An emotional Heyman pointed out that he promised CM Punk he would get him to the main event and be in his corner. He did just that. “I didn’t ruin his dream, I got him to the main event. I honored my commitment.”
This was Heyman’s convincing plea of innocence.
New Allies
A huge question on Saturday night was how long Rollins and Heyman’s alliance had been plotted.
“When I handed him the chair.” That is all Heyman had to say.
Heyman stated he and Rollins were simply two like-minded men who had finally realized they suffered the same fate at the hands of Punk and Reigns. Roman uses those around him and discards them when he deems them unnecessary. Punk came back to the WWE on the back of both men, leading to the main event on Saturday.
McAfee did ask what was next for the two men. Heyman simply said, “Tune in tonight and I will lay this out in simplistic terms that even Roman Reigns and CM Punk can understand.”
WWE Raw takes place tonight live from Las Vegas.
An interesting revelation came when Heyman was asked if he thought Seth Rollins would be enough to protect him from Reigns and Punk. “And so I shall go shopping” was Heyman’s answer.
Leading us to all question: who will be the next “Paul Heyman Guy”?
Roast of Wrestlemania
After addressing his future with Rollins, Heyman, and McAfee gave us a taste of “the Roast of WrestleMania”. Heyman was quite the verbal assassin at the show. With McAfee even heaping praise towards the “Wiseman’s” quick wit and comedic styling. Though we may never see the footage, Heyman ruffled some feathers and left no one safe.
After addressing Heyman’s ability at the roast, McAfee asked the “Wiseman” if he had ever considered doing anything outside of wrestling.
Heyman stated that: “The industry keeps me vibrant.” Heyman was very clear that he wished he could step into other avenues and explore his options, but he does what he is good at.
If we want to see Paul Heyman outside the wrestling business, Heyman is going to have to know for certain it is something he can accel at.
Evolving Business
In the closing moments of the interview, Heyman dove into the constantly evolving nature of the wrestling business. When asked if he is ever surprised by the growth of WWE, Heyman made it clear he has never been surprised by any evolution in the WWE.
“Am I surprised by the success? No because we’re good.” Was Heyman’s assertive retort. The question of the Emmy’s not acknowledging wrestling as a legitimate form of entertainment then came up. Heyman said with the growth of the business, it is inevitable that the Emmys will soon have to recognize what wrestling is doing.
The question of WWE: Unreal being good or bad for the business then came up before Heyman stepped away.
Heyman was asked if it was good or bad and how he felt about the backstage access the show had. Heyman simply acknowledged that he accepted the show. Either he accepts the show and is a part of it or he says he doesn’t like it and he just isn’t a part of it. This answer leads to a deeper discussion about the need for talent to accept where the business is going so they can be a part of it. Essentially, you either get on board or watch as the train leaves you at the station.
Next Tribal Chief
The last thing Heyman addressed before leaving the show was who he saw as the future of the business. Heyman had just one answer, Seth Rollins. “Seth Rollins is exactly where Roman Reigns was in August of 2021.” Starting tonight on Monday Night Raw, we will see the evolution of Seth Rollins. Paul Heyman is going to turn Rollins into the face of the WWE.
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