WWE executive Paul Heyman was booked to manage Chris Benoit, not Brock Lesnar. Heyman gives his opinion on Chris Benoit as a wrestler and as a human being.
Former ECW honcho Paul Hayman has a discerning eye for talent. In WWE, to be a “Paul Heyman guy” means to have a promising wrestling career. Heyman has managed Brock Lesnar for two decades and completely gentrified his career. The Beast Incarnate is currently the highest-paid pro wrestler. The duo liaised to form the best agent-client relationship on WWE TV. Now, Paul Heyman is working an angle as a mentor for Roman Reigns turning on Brock Lesnar.
As talented as Brock is between the ropes, a large portion of his success is attributed to Paul Heyman. However, Paul was originally not booked to manage Brock Lesnar. During an interview with Inside The Ropes, Heyman revealed that he was booked to be the advocate for the late Chris Benoit. After spotting Brock Lesnar, Heyman convinced Mr. McMahon to let him produce Brock’s matches. This was two or three weeks before WrestleMania and Vince agreed to let Heyman work with the then “Next Big Thing” Brock Lesnar.
Paul’s intuition to manage Brock Lesnar paid off later as Brock rose to become a multiple-time World Champion and established himself as one of the fiercest athletes ever to step foot in the squared circle.
“I knew this was the next big thing. There was nobody like Brock Lesnar. And so I said, sure I would be happy working with Brock Lesnar.” Said Heyman.
Heyman witnessed some of Brock’s biggest accomplishments like ending The Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak. From baiting huge names in the business to falling prey to the Beast to helping Lesnar become a conqueror, Heyman has been the brains behind the Beast.
Paul Heyman gives his take on Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit was well known for his tenaciousness and technicality in the wrestling ring. From delivering fearless diving head butts to winning the World Championship, Benoit was on his way to cementing his career as one of the greatest of all time in WWE history until the world learned of Benoit’s shocking and heinous crimes.
In 2007, Benoit murdered his wife Nancy and his seven-year-old son Daniel and then took his own life. The Double-murder suicide landed the WWE in a world of problems as the media and the fans speculated steroid use to be the driving force behind Benoit’s actions.
After further investigations, it was revealed that Benoit had the brain of an 80-year-old and his collapse was attributed to the damage he took to his head in the ring. Steroid use was one of the biggest factors that led Benoit to completely lose it and become a monster.
The news came to light that the abuse Benoit put his head through caused him to suffer from CTE. Paul Heyman addressed a fan during the interview with Inside The Ropes that Benoit was just a good wrestler but not a good human being.
According to Heyman, what he did in the ring is easily overshadowed by the crimes he committed and therefore his legacy must not be revered or celebrated.
