Eric Bischoff skeptical about Paul Heyman handling new talent
Eric Bischoff was recently relieved from his position as Executive Director of SmackDown. He has been vocal about not being the right person for the job, and that was what led to his release. Now, WWE has announced that Paul Heyman will not be a part of the creative team, and his role will be limited to that of an in-ring performer.
Eric Bischoff on Paul Heyman handling new talent
Eric Bischoff was a guest on After 83 Weeks. On the show, he discussed Paul Heyman's future and his thoughts on Heyman returning to the role of an on-air talent. Regarding Paul Heyman managing new talent, Eric Bischoff said the following;
“If Brock Lesnar is kind of hiatus, unless you guys know something I don’t know, is Paul going to become a regular TV character alongside some fresh new talent and hoping to get them over? Treacherous water. Because that magic existed with Brock doesn’t mean that same magic will exist with someone else. And the minute that magic begins to diminish, and the perception of what Paul Heyman can do for people as a mouthpiece, so to speak, once that begins to kind of wane, ehhh, tough spot to be in. I don’t think Paul would do that.”(h/t 411mania.com)
Paul Heyman is widely known for managing The Beast, Brock Lesnar, since his debut on WWE. Under Heyman's mentorship, Brock Lesnar became the youngest WWE Undisputed Champion when he beat The Rock at SummerSlam in 2002. Paul Heyman has also managed WWE Superstars such as The Big Show, Curtis Axel, Cesaro, CM Punk, and many more.
When WWE relaunched ECW under its banner, Paul Heyman was given the role of on-screen General manager of the promotion. Heyman was also the General manager of SmackDown from 2003 to 2004. It was at this time that Eric Bischoff was the GM of RAW.
After a hiatus of almost six years, Heyman returned to WWE as Brock Lesnar's advocate and has stuck with the company till today. As one of Paul Heyman's top guys, Brock Lesnar has ended The Undertaker's WrestleMania streak and has had three Universal Championship reigns. One of his reigns as Universal Champion is the longest in history, lasting 503 days.