2 Paul Heyman the advocate for Brock Lesnar and new executive director of RAW

Ladies and gentlemen his name is Paul Heyman, the esteemed advocate for the incumbent Mayor of Suplex City Brock Lesnar and right now he’s a very happy man. Because not only is his client set to hit mainstream sport fame once again when he returns to UFC next month, but was today revealed as the cover star for the latest in WWE’s video game range WWE 2K17.

Ahead of the games release on 11 October, we were lucky enough to celebrate the news of his cover star on a call with Paul Heyman himself. As we chatted to one of professional wrestling’s most creative minds about the new game, the upcoming WWE draft and Lenar’s return to UFC on 9 July.

Good morning Mr Heyman, next month sees your client Brock Lesnar step back into the Octagon at UFC 200, what is you take on this event as someone who knows him best?

It’s what Brock wants to do. I think what drives Brock Lesnar to be everything that he is in WWE, what drove Brock Lesnar to be the youngest WWE champion of all time to–at the time, to be the one athlete that can score that unattainable pin fall over the Undertaker at WrestleMania, whatever sports entertainment is behind the scenes is irrelevant. You have to be able to deliver in the ring.

And what has propelled Brock Lesnar to deliver like he does in the ring is the fact that he’s truly a competitor. And even though it’s sports entertainment, Brock is competing with everyone else that’s out there so that, when the show is over, people say, “Wow, did you see Brock Lesnar’s performance?”

So, it’s the same thing. It–he’s a competitor. And the moment he announced his retirement from mixed martial arts, I think he regretted it. And, uh, I think he regretted the fact that he is, for the first time in his life, in perfect health. And he’s never had a chance to compete while he has perfect health.

So, it’s the one decision in his life that he ever was second guessing. And therefore, for his own, um, mindset, I think this is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to him because he gets to go and–back and do something while he’s at an age that he can still do it, um, that he truly needs in his heart of hearts to do because competition is in his blood, and he wasn’t ready to walk away from that yet.

Lesnar seems to have been the only athlete who has managed to transfer his talents across both sports-entertainment and mixed martial arts. Is there anyone else in your opinion who could do the same?

The short answer to that is no. The long answer to that is this is one of the things that Brock Lesnar discussed at length with two case boards when they wanted Brock Lesnar to be the cover art for WWE 2K17.

And when the game comes down on October 11th, you’ll see a lot of components inside the game that demonstrate that Brock wanted his name attached to something that’s unique and different and extraordinary.

Um, I have all the respect in the world, more so than most would ever believe, for John Cena, for example. But, John Cena could not main event Wrestle Mania, main event Summer Slam, and then walk into the Octagon in true heavyweight competition against another heavyweight UFC fighter, nor could Conor McGregor, the biggest box office attraction with the exception of Brock Lesnar in UFC, go from a UFC fight and then transfer over to do all the hype, all the television, all the publicity going in, all the appearances going into a WWE pay-per-view event, and then continue to perform at that level at the–not only a top level, but the top level of sports entertainment. It just can’t happen.

Rhonda Rousey can make an appearance at WrestleMania. But, can she work a full schedule to promote WrestleMania and then get into the Octagon and fight, whether it be Holly Holm or Miesha Tate. Um, uh, and Miesha Tate couldn’t do that either. And–but, nor could any WWE superstar pull that off, nor could a UFC top-level competitor.

The fact is you can’t expect them to. It would be unrealistic to expect that of John Cena or of Conor McGregor or Rhonda Rousey or of Seth Rollins or Dean Ambrose or anybody else. This is something not even Vince McMahon or Dana White could pull off.

There’s what makes Brock Lesnar different is that there’s nothing I say about him that’s simply hype. My job is to hype him. But, I hype him within the realm of that my statements are rooted in reality. There’s only one being on the face of the planet that could possibly pull this off. And his name is Brock Lesnar.

Does the outcome of Brock’s fight with Mark Hunt concern you at all? Would you feel he’d lose some legitamacy if he were to go into SummerSlam off the back of a loss at UFC 200?

I don’t know. I don’t particularly agree with your assessment. And I’ll tell you why. Brock Lesnar had an opportunity to veto any fighter that he did not wish to face at UFC 200. Brock did not exercise that veto. Brock Lesnar is the one that called Dana White. He revealed that in an interview with me that we aired on the Heyman Hustle YouTube Channel.

And Brock Lesnar called Dana White and said, “Put me in against anybody. I’ll fight anybody you’ve got at UFC 200.” And Dana White started naming names to Brock Lesnar. And Brock Lesnar said, “Doesn’t matter the name. I’ll fight anybody you got.”

So, when they came up with Mark Hunt, who is a one-punch knockout artist with superior takedown defense, Brock didn’t flinch. Uh, if that doesn’t add to his badass persona that he’s been out of the Octagon for 5.5 years, and he’s walking in and facing a one-punch knockout artist on a winning streak with superior takedown defense, what else could sell to the public that Brock Lesnar is the baddest dude on the face of the planet today?

If people are going to fret over the result of a fight in terms of legitimacy, I think they’re looking in the wrong direction.

This step back in to the UFC enviroment for Brock, does mark a change in Vince McMahon’s perspective on how he sees WWE and the way he conducts business?

I think Vince McMahon’s perspective changes several times per day. And it has to if you want to survive in today’s constantly changing environment. I think the entire concept of the WWE Network is indication that Vince McMahon’s perspective is constantly changing because the WWE Network has created a completely different business model for WWE itself.

So, does Brock walking between the two worlds, um, serve as being demonstrative of Vince McMahon’s acceptance to change? I think Vince McMahon has always been willing to change. His whole goal when he bought out his father was to completely change the perception and the distribution and the marketing and the promotion of this industry.

I can’t say that what Brock Lesnar is doing is indicative of anything regarding Vince McMahon, uh, because the only two people that truly know Vince’s level of acceptance of Brock walking between these two worlds are Brock and Vince because those are the two that had the conversation about this.

So, um, to answer it sharply, uh, I don’t think that Brock walking between the two worlds is indicative of Vince’s acceptance of change. I do think that Vince accepts change on a daily basis and that his perception and the way that he views the industry always changes because, uh, the moment it doesn’t change, then he’s going to be left behind by someone else that comes along with a newer, different concept.

Talking of change, WWE will go through it’s biggest change for many years next month with the brand extension. Is there a danger of you and Brock being drafted to different shows?

I doubt that my name will be thrown into the hat to be separate from Brock Lesnar. I can’t really–uh, we’re not a tag team. Um, Brock Lesnar is an entity all unto himself. And I’m attached to that entity. So, I’m not a competitor. I’m certainly not, uh, a wrestler. I can’t survive 30 seconds in a ring, um, in any semblance of a way. It’s just not what I do. I’m an advocate. And I am exclusively Brock Lesnar’s advocate. So, wherever Brock Lesnar goes, I would suggest that Paul Heyman goes with him.

Looking at the two shows as two separate brands; you were one of the writers on SmackDown during its heyday and the famous ‘SmackDown six.’ What names could you foresee building a new SmackDown around in 2016?

I think SmackDown is guaranteed to be built around top-level WWE superstars simply by the fact that this draft is happening. This is not just happenstance. This draft is happening because Vince McMahon has made the decision that he is going to have two equal, separate competitive brands.

So I think all bets are off on July 19th as to who ends up on SmackDown and who ends up on Raw. Um, I think one of the biggest components of this draft is going to be the NXT factor in that you’re going to have a whole bunch of new opportunities for people to move up into the main event mix because, just by the very nature of the fact that Raw’s going to have an exclusive roster and SmackDown’s going to have an exclusive roster, this opens up the possibilities for new people to rise to the top.

And as we saw with the debut of the Shield a couple years ago, you can get a lot of people into that mix very, very fast if they seize the moment of the opportunity that’s given to them. July 19th, in my opinion, when this draft takes place, is going to be opportunity knocking for a lot of great talent to be able to step into a major spotlight and become the face of WWE SmackDown, the face of WWE Monday Night Raw.

It’s–uh, I can’t actually sit here and tell you that I was a fan of the whole new era concept. But, in my opinion, the new era does begin on July 19th because, from all indications that I’ve received, the desire’s to have true competition between the two brands.

Throwing in the NXT factor as you say, who on that roster do you think is destined for big things on the main roster?

I think Balor is ready to be a main event superstar. I think Samoa Joe has always been a main event superstar. You know, that NXT roster is filled with A-listers who are ready to move up and make a significant impact on both Raw and SmackDown.

Uh, I–even though I’m naming two right off the top, and it’s an easy two because they’ve just been featured, uh, in the main event, but, um, you seriously take a look at the NXT roster, and you realize how well positioned WWE is for this draft on July 19th because there’s so much talent in NXT.

And to even go further in that, um, I think NXT demonstrates its own strength by the fact that NXT is practically guaranteed to lose if not only its top tier, but perhaps even its top 1A tier as well in this draft or six months after the draft. And yet, nobody in NXT is sweating this because the depth of the roster in NXT is so deep with A-level talent right now that it’s just going to give a lot of people opportunity to move up to the top of the NXT roster as well.

So, it’s not just, to me, who makes an impact on Raw or SmackDown, but the fact that the face of NXT will change and even for the better because, now, you’re going to have new people in the main event mix in NXT as well.

How important is this draft in terms of making SmackDown different and making it feel special once again when it goes live?

Oh, I think it’s paramount. SmackDown has to come across as a brand that is truly competing with WWE Monday Night Raw. If the brand is not competitive with WWE in terms of talent, in terms of production, in terms of look, in terms of presentation, just in terms of the manner in which the announcers get to describe the product and the prestige of appearing on the show, then it’s doomed.

But, I don’t see it going down that way. Um, Vince McMahon is not known for doing things half-assed. And I am sure that the directive within WWE is that, as of July 19th, when this brand split or brand extension or the expansion of the two brands happens, that there will be an equal and distinctive roster on each side and that the rosters are going to compete.

Uh, and Vince thrives–much like Brock Lesnar thrives on competition, Vince thrives on competition. And just like he did in 2002, when there’s no one out there competing with Vince McMahon, he’ll create his own competition.

And what of the general managers role? We’ve seen recent returns of Teddy Long and John Laurinaitis. Will Paul Heyman be throwing his hat in the ring for SmackDown GM?

Oh, I certainly hope not. Uh, I am the most fortunate person in this industry today. My job is to speak about an athlete for whom superlatives come real easy to me. Um, I am a fan both personally and professionally of Brock Lesnar. It’s–uh, I’m very flattered by the publicity that I get as, you know, oh, Heyman’s promos are this, or Heyman’s promos are that. Heyman’s promos are built on a respect and an admiration that I have for Brock Lesnar.

Everything I say about this man I truly, truly believe. Um, general manager is a role that I had a blast with. But, I would prefer to stay in the role that I have had for the past four years, which is to serve as the advocate for Brock Lesnar.

On the subject of returns, as part of WWE 2K17 Goldberg will making a comeback. . Are you looking forward to seeing Brock facing off against one of his greatest past rivals in the videogame? And should we expect to see an exacting revenge for Wrestle Mania 20?

I don’t think Brock Lesnar needs to exact revenge for Wrestle Mania 20 because, if you now fast forward to the year 2016, which is the release date for WWE 2K17, it’s not Goldberg that’s on the cover of WWE 2K17. It’s Brock Lesnar.

So, the reigning, defending, undisputed Knight Mayor of Suplex City is Brock Lesnar. And in this game, it’s Bill Goldberg that has to come up to challenge Brock Lesnar for his top spot, for his dominance over Suplex City. It’s not Brock Lesnar having to challenge Bill Goldberg.

So, am I looking forward to seeing Brock Lesnar versus Bill Goldberg or Brock Lesnar versus John Cena or Brock Lesnar versus Warrior or Brock Lesnar versus Goldberg in this game? I like watching Brock Lesnar conquer people all day long. I don’t think Bill Goldberg in this game is going to be too happy with the end result.

I know there’s all this hype about Goldberg being the key to the big presale this year, that the only way to play Goldberg is to get the presale. But, even in the presale, Bill Goldberg will be conquered by Brock Lesnar.

Finally, every year we seen new incredible modes on WWE’s video games. Is it time we saw a ‘Paul Heyman’ guy mode?

I think there needs to be Paul Heyman guy mode in WWE 2K17. And without revealing too much about the inner workings of the game, uh, I recently did a number of voiceovers for the game. And I spent around two hours talking to the–um, to the player at home about being a Paul Heyman guy.

So, without revealing too much or confirming or denying about your question, I think Paul Heyman guy was taken in consideration in the making of WWE 2K17.

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