Paul Heyman details his current WWE backstage role
When it comes to WWE creative, Paul Heyman is focused on the big picture rather than getting too involved in the weekly process.
Heyman, while appearing on a new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, noted that he does not attend the weekly writers meeting that WWE holds. Instead, he goes to the long-term creative meetings and very much enjoys those days. He is very focused on WrestleMania 43 in Saudi Arabia right now and even wants to be thinking about 2028’s WrestleMania. Heyman believes that, even if you’re frequently changing what the long-term direction is, having those plans laid out helps build a roadmap to get where you want to go.
“I do not go into the weekly television meeting. I don’t get into that level of micro anymore,” Heyman said. “I stay very macro. I attend the long-term meetings. The long-term creative meetings, I take the ride up to Stamford and I sit in on those meetings and love those days.
“My latest obsession has been — let’s book out Saudi Mania. Let’s get that done. I’m looking at the year after Saudi as well. If it was up to me — and it’s not — let’s start there. We’ll change it every week if we have to, we’ll change it every time we meet, but let’s get something that we’re building towards. Let’s write the last page now, and then let’s build towards it. I would love to know what we’re doing the year after Saudi at WrestleMania. I would love to have a concept for that. Who is Roman Reigns’ opponent then? Who’s CM Punk’s opponent then? Who’s Logan Paul’s opponent then? Who’s Bron Breakker’s opponent then? Who’s Seth Rollins’ opponent then? Jade Cargill’s? Becky Lynch? Liv Morgan? Rhea Ripley? What are we building towards? Because if we know that and we have a concept for that, then it makes Saudi Mania really easy.”
Paul Heyman’s role at WWE TV —
At Raw and SmackDown, Heyman helps serve as a bridge between some of WWE’s wrestlers and those in creative, working with Bron Breakker, Logan Paul, Austin Theory, Bronson Reed, Brock Lesnar, and others.
“If I were to list my scope of services, what would be number one? I’m the liaison for some talent in terms of — I’m the creative liaison between that talent and the creative team, the creative team and that talent. So a lot of the creative will flow through me, in both directions,” Heyman said. “I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes business for members of The Vision, obviously for Brock Lesnar, and there are others. And more so on Fridays than on Mondays, because Mondays I’m on air a lot.”
Heyman sits in Gorilla position during the shows and is available to give instant feedback or help any talent looking for advice.
“I just sit there and I watch the show. And I’m watching for things that, ‘We need to follow up on that.’ ‘Oh, you know what? Let’s not follow up any more on this. Let’s pull that segment coming up in 12 or 13 because it’s a good mystery as it is now.’ I can give instant feedback during the show,” he said. “But more importantly, I’m there for any talent. I’m there all day for any talent, top to bottom, newcomer to veteran, NXT talent moving up to legend that’s there for a cameo. I’m there for anybody that wants to talk about their performance that night or their creative process or how they’re going to approach a certain scene or their match or their finish or anything that they want to talk about this business. In the art form of the presentation, immediate or long-term, I’m there to talk to them to — if I can have the liberty of using this phrase — to bestow some wisdom upon them.”
Heyman had very high praise for Paul “Triple H” Levesque as WWE’s Chief Content Officer, saying Levesque is the best person for the job and is someone who is great at collaboration. Heyman pointed to Oba Femi, Trick Williams, Je’Von Evans, and Sol Ruca as some of the emerging stars that WWE is developing right now.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.