"I didn't want her to see me crying" - Paul Heyman on his emotional WWE moment
Paul Heyman recently opened up about the time he cried on camera while Renee Paquette interviewed him before WWE SummerSlam 2018.
Heyman’s storyline at the time revolved around his fallout with Brock Lesnar in the build-up to The Beast Incarnate’s match against Roman Reigns. As a method actor, the former ECW owner stayed away from Paquette all day before filming their backstage interview segment on RAW.
Speaking on Sports Media with Richard Deitsch, Heyman said he made himself cry because he knew Paquette’s reaction would allow the moment to feel real:
“I wanted to be crying, and I didn’t want her to see me crying because I knew it would throw her off her game, and I wanted to throw her off her game because I wanted to shock her from the moment she saw me," said Heyman. "Because if she had a shocked look on her face, the audience is gonna go, ‘Woah, she’s shocked,’ and they would be shocked.”
The @WWEUniverse was left shocked to see the state of mind @HeymanHustle is currently in following his encounter with @BrockLesnar last week... #RAW https://t.co/6X9Tk9cEwT
Heyman’s tearful interview took place seven days after Lesnar attacked him on RAW, seemingly ending their alliance. The two men eventually reconciled before SummerSlam 2018, where Reigns defeated Lesnar to win the Universal Championship.
Why Paul Heyman legitimately became upset before the interview
Has @HeymanHustle spoken to @BrockLesnar at all since last week? #RAW
"No." https://t.co/UrrIMmn5sO
Paul Heyman explained that he prefers to method act because, in his opinion, he is not a very good actor. To make up for his lack of performance skills, Roman Reigns’ special counsel sometimes stays in-character throughout the day ahead of his televised segments.
Heyman went on to reveal that he became emotional before the interview with Renee Paquette due to the significance of his suit:
“I brought with me the suit that I wore to my father’s funeral, and I had never worn it since my father’s funeral and I wouldn’t put it on all day," Heyman continued. "We had a stand-in sit in my chair for blocking purposes, and literally two minutes before we went to tape I put on the suit, and it tore me up. All I could think of was my father’s funeral. It just crushed me.”
Heyman is widely viewed as one of the best actors in WWE. The 56-year-old will accompany Universal Champion Roman Reigns to the ring at WrestleMania 38, where the latter will face WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in a title unification match.
Please credit Sports Media with Richard Deitsch and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.