Top WWE Superstar claims Paul Heyman re-signed him as his replacement
WWE has a storied past with Paul Heyman, full of ups and downs, but in recent years, The Wiseman has been a key figure on the company's weekly TV and behind the scenes. He has also had a say in his replacement.
While being in an on-screen role as Brock Lesnar's advocate in June 2019, WWE hired Heyman and Eric Bischoff as RAW & SmackDown's Executive Director, respectively. However, their backstage roles were changed by June 2020. MVP began 2005 under a WWE developmental contract and stayed until his release on December 2, 2010.
MVP went on to have stints in NJPW, TNA, MLW, ROH, and the indies and returned to WWE for a special RAW cameo in January 2018. The 2020 Royal Rumble was held in Houston, so the hometown star called the then-RAW Executive Director and asked about being a surprise entrant.
Heyman agreed, but MVP had to have another match on RAW the next night. The former United States Champion ended up signing a deal to wrestle, manage, produce, and do commentary. He announced in February 2020 that he was hired as a backstage producer while also working on-screen.
The inaugural IWGP Intercontinental Champion spoke with Chris Van Vliet this past weekend at the red carpet premiere of Love & WWE: Bianca and Montez. He revealed how The Father of ECW has impacted his career and why he really brought him back to the company in early 2020.
"Well, you know Paul Heyman has been an extremely influential figure in my career. He said publicly and privately he said 'I didn’t bring you here to compete with me. I brought you here to replace me'. And that’s praise from Caesar," MVP said. [H/T to Ringside News]
MVP has not wrestled since he and Omos lost to The Street Profits by DQ on the July 18, 2022 edition of RAW. His last singles bout was a win over Cedric Alexander one month before.
Mr. 305 was last seen accompanying The Nigerian Giant to the ring for the Men's Royal Rumble on Saturday.
Paul Heyman responds to praise from WWE fan
Paul Heyman has managed some of the biggest names in pro wrestling. He has done managerial work for names like Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, The Undertaker when he was "Mean" Mark Callous, Steve Austin, and Rick Rude, among many others.
Heyman currently serves as The Wiseman for Roman Reigns and The Bloodline. A fan on X recently praised the 58-year-old for getting better with each new client. The fan also saluted Paul-E for being a real, legit artist at what he does.
The Bloodline member responded with confidence, saying:
"You damn right I get better with each and every single performance. If I'm not better tomorrow than I am today ... and better 2 days from now than I am tomorrow ... then I'm resting on my laurels, and there's waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many people out there who are comfortable doing that. That's not a way to own property on the Island of Relevancy!" he wrote.
Heyman took to social media with a statement of praise following the Royal Rumble on Saturday. He accompanied Roman Reigns to the ring for his Undisputed Universal Championship defense over LA Knight, AJ Styles, and Randy Orton.
What do you think of MVP's WWE career? Where does Paul Heyman rank on your list of all-time great managers and bookers? Sound off in the comments below!