For the second straight year, I had the opportunity to interview one of the top minds in the wrestling industry, Paul Heyman, a week before he appears at WrestleMania. At this year’s WrestleMania XXX on Sunday in the Superdome in New Orleans, Heyman will be in the corner of Brock Lesnar as he attempts to snap The Undertaker’s streak of 21 consecutive WrestleMania victories. For the first time ever, the show will be available on WWE Network, which is available at wwe.com for $9.99 a month with a six-month minimum commitment.

Thanks to Heyman, as well as WWE’s Al Stavola and Joe Villa for accomodating the interview.

Phil Strum: One thing that struck me in getting ready for this interview is that you were around for the early years of both The Undertaker, as Mean Mark in WCW, and Brock Lesnar in WWE. Compare the beginnings in wrestling of the two.

Paul Heyman: They come from very different beginnings. The Undertaker was a phenomenal athlete that required someone with a long-ranging vision to mold and produce and promote him. That wasn’t going to happen in WCW. Vince McMahon saw this raw piece of clay walk in his door and realized he had one of the most enduring performers of this or any other generation for him to promote and present and preserve and build a company around.

Brock Lesnar came into WWE with the credibility of being the NCAA Division I heavyweight wrestling champion. He didn’t suffer through the territory system with its limited imagination. The moment WWE knew it could sign Brock Lesnar, the company, as a whole, salivated at the opportunity of big money involving this once in a lifetime athlete.

PS: To you, what makes Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker a must-see match?

PH: First of all, The Undertaker’s undefeated streak is the most intriguing plot and storyline going into WrestleMania because it has the most historical significance and the greatest long-ranging ramifications into the future at the same time.

It behooves us to acknowledge when Brock Lesnar defeats The Undertaker at WrestleMania, it will take nothing away from the enormity of the accomplishment of 21 consecutive wins in 21 appearances on the grandest stage of all. Not Stone Cold Steve Austin, not John Cena, not Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, not Hulk Hogan or Andre The Giant, not even Brock Lesnar, can ever be able to claim they are 21-0 at WrestleMania.

I think the magnitude of the accomplishment can never be undersold. It’s also quite intriguing that we have a situation where Brock Lesnar does not have to win, but The Undertaker must not lose.

PS: We don’t hear much from Brock Lesnar. What does this match mean to Brock Lesnar and what does it mean to you?

PH: I must say that any time you hear from Paul Heyman, you are hearing from Brock Lesnar for I serve as his advocate. It’s not my own personal message. It’s a message delivered from Brock Lesnar. What does this match mean? It’s a chance for Brock Lesnar to make the most indelible mark on the showcase of the immortals. It’s the one true genuine ticket to immortality at WrestleMania. Grudges go to WrestleMania to be settled and won, championships are won and lost, but the only one guaranteed ticket to immortality at WrestleMania is to be the man that breaks the streak.

PS: Getting a little bit away from this match, I wanted to get your take on this. A lot of fans think they’re not being listened to and now, essentially, that’s one of the main storylines in WWE. Do you think the fans are being listened to and what’s different about today’s live crowds than even a few years ago?

PH: This WrestleMania is being built around not only The Undertaker’s undefeated streak going against Brock Lesnar, who, with all humility, is represented by the most articulate salesman for a match in modern-day WWE, but it’s being built around the intrigue of Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H with the caveat that if Daniel Bryan can survive the onslaught of the company COO, he’ll be inserted into what was already promoted as the main event of WrestleMania between the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Randy Orton and the guaranteed No. 1 contender, Batista.

If so much of this WrestleMania is being built around the intrigue of if Daniel Bryan can get into the match and he’s facing his mortal enemy, Triple H, he’ll perhaps get involved again in the quest for a championship, someone please tell me how the fans are not being listened to. What are the fans screaming for that they are not getting delivered?

PS: I just think I don’t really understand why crowds react the way they do at shows, chanting random things like when I was at Raw on Monday in Brooklyn. Look at the day after WrestleMania last year at the Meadowlands. I was there too and that was crazy.

PH: I know exactly what happened there. The audience is a character in and of itself. The audience cuts their promo for 3 hours and 7 minutes or 3 hours and 10 minutes or 3 hours and 15 minutes. The audience is playing its character and demonstrating to the world that the giant mosh pit the day after WrestleMania that beams across the globe is the place to be. Whether it’s a good show or a bad show or quite frankly, a show that blatantly sucks, the most fun you can have is inside that audience the day after WrestleMania.

PS: This Paul Heyman DVD they are working on has the potential to be amazing. Tell me what you can about it.

PH: I really don’t know much about it. I’m sure WWE has been trying to dig up a lot of dirt on me. You don’t have to dig too hard. It will be a snapshot of Paul Heyman at 48 years old, which would be a different look than if he was 38 years old and a different look from when he was 28 years old. If you did this documentary 10 years from now when I am 58, that would be a far different look at me. It’s a look at Paul Heyman at this stage of his career, begrudgingly reflecting on what he has accomplished so far and very much passionately looking forward to future things to accomplish in the next stage of his career.

PS: I wanted to ask you about someone you’ve had a lot of fun interaction with on WWE TV — Renee Young. I think she’s the best backstage interviewer in wrestling since Mean Gene Okerlund.

PH: I am a huge fan of Renee Young. I think Renee Young could host the Super Bowl. She could host the Stanley Cup Finals. She could host Game Seven of the World Series. She could host the entire World Series. She could host the NBA Finals.

We are lucky enough to have her on WWE television. Added to the fact she obviously has a tremendous crush on me, I think Renee Young is the best interviewer in WWE history. She brings a legitimacy that no interviewer ever had the talent to do.

PS: Have you gotten to see any of the WWE Network yet? Is there any stuff that you were not a part of you would want to see? Are there any lost characters in history that you think would have modern appeal?

PH: I’m not one to look back at old footage. That part of WWE Network I consciously avoid. It’s not my own personal taste. I like all the modern stuff, like the Backstage Pass and the pre- and post-game shows. To me, that’s the real bonus of the Network. My kids are having a blast watching the archive footage. It has become a game-changer in my life. How many people in social media are seeing that I did things before I became Brock Lesnar’s advocate. That I used to run around with a telephone. That I worked with Steve Austin early in his career and worked with The Undertaker early in his career. That I did commentary with Jim Ross back in my early 20s and wore a baseball hat.

I’m like a child actor. You literally see me grow up on TV. There’s so much to watch on the Network and people are just hounding me about it. The WWE Network reminds me of the Al Pacino line from The Godfather, Part Three. Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in. All the stuff I thought I had lived down from my past, I’m reliving again.

The best thing about WWE Network is if you are a fan, this is everything. If you’re not a fan, there’s going to be something on there for you. It can satiate the appetite of the most insatiable fan and can seduce the most hardcore critic.

PS: Tell me about your trip to NXT and the Performance Center. How much does this change the wrestling industry?

PH: It’s a total game-changer. With the exception of celebrity one-offs, so to speak, every future WWE champion, every future Raw superstar, every top-tier SmackDown superstar, every future WrestleMania main eventer, every future Hall of Famer, will come through the doors of NXT. I’m going there because I want to find out who’s the talent whose coattails I can ride the same way I’ve been able to ride the coattails of Brock Lesnar for the last 12 years.