Paul Heyman reportedly made game-changing move backstage on RAW

Paul Heyman taking over as the Executive Director of Monday Night RAW has been a big change for the brand. The consensus seems to be that he has made a big difference, with newer talent getting more opportunities and the overall storytelling and flow of the show drastically improving.

One of the notable things is how promos feel less scripted than before - with years of WWE programming invested in "formulaic" promos that held superstars back.

WWE Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler appeared on The Steve Austin Show (H/T WrestlingInc) and claimed that Paul Heyman being in charge has meant that a game-changing move has been made - where superstars are allowed to express themselves like back in the Attitude Era:

"Now that Paul Heyman is sort of in charge of RAW, it's so much not the characters that are being predetermined by the writers or creative. They're giving the guys a chance to be themselves just like [Austin was] back when [Austin] became 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin. Nobody was telling you, 'oh, this is how it [has] got to be.' [Austin was himself] and [he] was given that opportunity and [Austin] took it."

'Stone Cold' Steve Austin acknowledged this and criticized the micromanagement that led to superstars being turned into 'robots':

"When you've got somebody micromanaging you and telling you every single thing to do, you kind of turn into a robot and you think, 'am I doing this right? Am I doing this wrong? Am I screwing this up?'" Austin added, "you're too much in your head."

While some may not see the immediate changes yet, it's a long-term process. Superstars being able to express themselves means that we could be on the verge of witnessing the rise of many fantastic superstars and characters.

This roster is arguably the most talented in WWE history - it just takes the right people to help realize that potential and Paul Heyman seems to be that guy.