3 WWE stars who could team up with Paul Heyman following the 2024 Royal Rumble
Last night, WWE presented the 37th edition of the Royal Rumble Premium Live Event, with Cody Rhodes and Bayley winning the marquee battle royals to punch their respective tickets to WrestleMania 40.
As well as the Rumble matches, fans saw Roman Reigns retain his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against LA Knight, Randy Orton, and AJ Styles, with him and his special counsel Paul Heyman leaving the match with their heads held high.
While he looks to remain by Roman's side for the foreseeable future, we will look at three WWE stars who could join forces with Paul Heyman after this year's Royal Rumble.
#3 - A former NXT Champion is already in Paul Heyman's good books
One of the surprise entrants in the men's Royal Rumble last night was former NXT Champion Carmelo Hayes, with the 29-year-old putting on an impressive performance in the matchup.
Despite having been in WWE's third brand for the past few years, Hayes has already brushed shoulders with top names from the main roster, including Seth Rollins, John Cena, and Ricochet.
During an episode of NXT last year, John Cena appeared ringside to support Hayes in his match against Bron Breakker, with the latter also having Paul Heyman as his manager for the match.
After their matchup, Heyman hailed Hayes v Breakker as a future main event match for WrestleMania, with the Wiseman proclaiming his admiration for both young stars.
Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Carmelo Hayes reacted to Paul Heyman's bold prediction for his career.
"[It's] reassurance. It's cool hearing things like that from him because you want to believe it about yourself, but when you hear it from somebody whose opinion really matters — it's just great." Hayes added: "Also, [feel] a little bit of pressure. It's like, oh man, that's how highly he thinks of me? I gotta make sure I live up to expectations, which I will."
#2 - The Buff Barbie joins forces with WWE's Wiseman
As well as Carmelo Hayes, another top star from WWE's third brand who put on a great showing in the Royal Rumble was the former NXT Women's Champion, Tiffany Stratton.
The 24-year-old entered the match at number 29, with her not seeming at all fazed by the magnitude of the bout as well as appearing to be able to hold her own against the best of the company's women's roster.
During her reign as NXT Women's Champion last year, Tiffany Stratton feuded with The Man, Becky Lynch. The Buff Barbie went toe-to-toe with the Irishwoman not just in the ring but on the microphone as well.
One person who was very impressed with Stratton's work against Becky Lynch was Paul Heyman, who praised Tiffany while speaking to Fox News Digital.
"I thought Tiffany Stratton not only held her own in the ring with Becky Lynch, I thought in the promos that she did with Becky Lynch she more than held her own as well. That’s no easy task for someone that hasn’t been on the main roster for a long time, let alone for any time." Heyman added: "Tiffany held her own in a very tense situation with Becky Lynch and looked great doing it. And it wasn’t because Becky Lynch knew how to carry her through the segment. It was because Tiffany knew how to present herself, and she did it quite well."
If Tiffany makes her move up to WWE's main roster, then a further way for her to become legitimized in front of the fans would be for her to become the first-ever Paul Heyman girl.
#1 - Paul Heyman leaves The Tribal Chief for The Bloodline's Enforcer
In recent years, Paul Heyman has predominantly worked as the special counsel to Roman Reigns, with the experienced manager providing key advice to The Head of the Table.
While Heyman does appear to be loyal to Roman Reigns, he has been known to betray many of the people with whom he works. If he does indeed look to cut ties with The Tribal Chief, Heyman may join forces with the future of WWE in the form of Roman's cousin, Solo Sikoa.
During a recent interview with Superstar Crossover, Solo spoke about what Heyman means to him as well as his importance to The Bloodline.
"He’s like my uncle, man. First of all, he’s been around my family for over 50 years. He’s been around Roman’s dad, he was around my dad." Solo added: "He’s real, man. That’s what I love about Paul. They don’t call him the ‘Wise Guy’ for nothing. He knows the game, he knows the one, he knows the outs."
Having already taken on top names like Cody Rhodes, LA Knight, and John Cena, Solo Sikoa is certainly a big enough star to become the sole client of Paul Heyman.