Mike Bennett says Paul Heyman helped him get signed with WWE
Paul Heyman has wielded influence backstage in WWE for a long time, as he has previously been a writer with the company, and more recently has been RAW Executive Director. Heyman helped push many Superstars during his stint as the Executive Director, while he also helped a few Superstars get signed with WWE.
Former WWE Superstar Mike Bennett recently spoke about Paul Heyman in glowing terms, crediting the current on-screen manager of Roman Reigns for getting him signed with WWE.
Mike Bennett on how Paul Heyman helped him get signed with WWE
On his recent appearance Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast, Bennett spoke about how Heyman's past friendship with Bennett's real-life wife Maria Kanellis, helped him get signed with WWE.
“It is true that Heyman helped me get signed. I’ve reached out to him and he has always been a really big mentor. Him and Maria go way back, so when me and Maria started dating, I started talking to him and he helped me out a lot. There is a lot of Paul Heyman influence on me and he did help me out quite a bit reaching out to people and helping me reach out to people with emails and phone numbers and putting me in touch with the right people. He was extremely helpful when he was there. He was always brutally honest with me.” (H/T WrestlingNews)
Mike Bennett was signed by WWE in 2017, debuting at Money in the Bank alongside his wife Maria. Maria Kanellis had previously been a part of WWE from 2004 to 2010. Heyman was with WWE along with Kanellis briefly, as he quit the company in 2006.
Both Mike Bennett and Maria Kanellis were let go by WWE earlier this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. WWE released several Superstars and backstage personnel to cut costs during the pandemic. Bennett had asked for his release from WWE last year as he was unhappy, but WWE Chairman Vince McMahon was not reportedly happy about how he did it.
He and his wife were eventually released a few months later in April 2020.