Paul Heyman must turn on Roman Reigns if former United States Champion returns to WWE someday
WWE veteran Paul Heyman has helped Roman Reigns throughout his monstrous run as The Tribal Chief. Heyman has been awfully loyal to the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, and if Claudio Castagnoli ever returns to the promotion, The Wiseman should betray Reigns to align with the Swiss Superman.
Some fans might not immediately recall the brief pairing between Heyman and Castagnoli, but WWE once put the two together in an attempt to possibly elevate the star. Unfortunately, this didn't work out, and the remainder of his run within the promotion is largely considered to be lackluster.
However, Heyman has proven his value as a manager, and if Claudio ever gets disillusioned with AEW, he should have one last shot at making it as a main eventer in the Stamford-based promotion. Additionally, Paul Heyman's pairing with Roman Reigns has been ongoing for far too long and his talents could be better used to elevate other stars.
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Unfortunately, it's unlikely that Castagnoli will ever return to WWE. Despite not being as prominent as many fans have wanted in AEW, he's been far better booked and treated in Tony Khan's promotion at this stage. Additionally, he's currently in a legal battle with WWE about a trademark he filed, which could leave bad blood.
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WWE legend Dutch Mantell has maintained that Paul Heyman's pairing with Claudio Castagnoli led to the star's failure in the promotion
Paul Heyman has gained a reputation as one of the best managers in the industry, capable of turning nearly any wrestler into a star. His pairings with Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, and Roman Reigns have all produced world championship runs. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case when Claudio began working alongside the veteran.
Cesaro “Paul Heyman Guy”: On paper this should have worked but this was a case of wrong place at the wrong time. As Lesnar had just ended Undertaker’s wrestlemania streak but was taking some time off until august, WWE needed to keep Paul on tv so he could remind everyone (1/3) https://t.co/UGFMET2hX8
During an episode of Storytime with Dutch Mantell, the veteran criticized the pairing of Heyman and Castagnoli while speaking to Jake Hager.
"They told me they wanted to put him with Heyman to get some heat on him, and four weeks later, they dropped it. I think putting him with Heyman hurt him," Dutch Mantell said. (H/T: Wrestling News).
It could be argued that Claudio could've found success later on in his career if he was booked better since he had a major fan following. Hopefully, for the star, AEW can capitalize on this before he eventually retires.