During his interview with Renee Young on Raw, we saw an unusually vulnerable version of Paul Heyman. Despite his manic state, The Advocate was able to summon the strength to stand behind Brock Lesnar and guarantee a Summerslam victory.
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But it’s what WWE cameras didn’t air that has our attention.
Right after Heyman leaned in and boldly declared Roman Reigns has no chance of beating Lesnar in Brooklyn, something struck The Advocate and he murmured “unless.” Knowing he had just made a slip, Heyman removed the microphone and left despite Young asking for an explanation. It never came and Heyman’s tiny moment of honesty has us all wanting answers.
We’re not sure what “unless” hints at, but it sounds like an undiscovered path not just for Reigns to win, but for Heyman to find his salvation. For those that missed the interview, Heyman was simultaneously heartbroken and terrified. There was a moment where a paranoid Heyman explained to Young that Lesnar would not be happy about their discussion and that could mean big trouble for The Advocate. However, the thought that dance across Heyman’s mind in the final seconds of the interview leaves room for some juicy speculation.
Could Heyman have revealed a secret intention to align with Roman Reigns? By Reigns winning at SummerSlam both Reigns and Heyman could rid themselves—and WWE—of Lesnar.
Given the greasy nature of Paul Heyman, it’s not hard to him imagining taking the backchannel to Reigns’ ear and offering his services in secret. However, just because Heyman offers, that doesn’t mean Reigns will accept.
WWE has spent the better part of three years trying to make Reigns their new hero. While that hasn’t exactly worked, pairing him with such a traditional heel character like Heyman would undo a lot of recent progress to get Reigns back in the good graces of WWE fans.
But maybe WWE is tired of fighting that fight. Maybe they think Heyman and Reigns make a great combination. COuld they actually be ready to turn Reigns heel and lean in the chorus of boos he’s been receiving since 2015?
But even though a chunk of WWE’s fanbase has been clamoring for Reigns heel turn, it may not be a great option. During an appearance on The Jim Ross Report, Chris Jericho reasoned that the idea of Reigns playing a villain is misguided.
“I think people get too preoccupied with, ‘oh, turn him heel!’ Okay, turn him heel. Then what happens? Everybody that was booing him starts cheering him, so then he’s a babyface anyways! What difference does it make?”
Jericho makes a sound point, but Heyman’s misstep leaves room for doubt. Regardless, SummerSlam just got a little more interesting.
