Paul Heyman's alleged original plans for Randy Orton and AJ Styles before being removed as RAW creative head
As reported previously, Bruce Prichard has taken over Paul Heyman's duties as the Executive Director of Monday Night RAW. Dave Meltzer of WON has revealed what Paul Heyman had initially planned for bigger stars like Randy Orton, AJ Styles and even Seth Rollins as he tried to build newer stars such as Aleister Black and Andrade.
Reports have suggested that one of the reasons why Paul Heyman was removed as the creative head on RAW was because his booking decisions were geared towards promoting upcoming Superstars which wasn't converting into ratings for the show.
Here is what Paul Heyman had planned for top stars like Randy Orton and AJ Styles:
It had been pretty clear that Orton and A.J. Styles, and to a lesser extent Rollins, were there to give rubs and feud with younger talent. But circumstances led to the planned programs falling apart due to WrestleMania and the big picture.
It is further stated that while Heyman wanted Superstars like Carrillo, Alexander, Alesiter Black and Ricochet to shine, he wasn't quite able to achieve that either.
The crew Heyman wanted to push as the young stars, Carrillo, Alexander, Black and Ricochet were unable to get planned wins and in some cases the U.S. title because once the direction of WrestleMania came, particularly with Styles working with Undertaker and Orton with Edge, beating either of them went out the window. And given the big picture, it had to until after Mania.
AJ Styles on SmackDown
AJ Styles was traded to SmackDown recently after he allegedly had a backstage falling out with Paul Heyman because of the release of his friends Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows from WWE.
AJ Styles has gone on to win the IC Championship on SmackDown and is currently in a program with former WWE Champion Daniel Bryan.
Randy Orton has become one of the most prominent Superstars on RAW ever since Prichard took over and it is clear that WWE are placing heavier reliance on established Superstars to drive up the ratings. Other part-time stars like Christian, Ric Flair and The Big Show have also been brought in recently in a bid to increase the viewership of the red brand.