Paul Heyman Explains Who Is Creatively Responsible For WWE's Bloodline Story
The common consensus among the wrestling community is that WWE's ongoing saga involving The Bloodline is the best storyline in decades, with some former wrestlers even suggesting that Roman Reigns and Jey Uso warrant an Emmy Award for playing their roles to perfection. As such, the person most responsible for the story surely deserves a pat on the back.
In a recent interview with "SI Media Podcast," Paul Heyman was asked to "single out the person most responsible" for the ingenious Bloodline tale.
"You hear the old expression that it takes a team? Well, it certainly has with us," Heyman admitted. "A lot of people have worked really hard to make this work. It all kinda filters through Roman Reigns' feel, and there are several people who come to me — to present things to Roman. Thereafter, Roman and I will talk about it, and come back with something that fits into their narrative, or we would hope that we can perhaps enhance it or put it in our own words. Or, we'd come back with, 'That doesn't work. What about this?' and then start a different process of bouncing ideas off of them."
Heyman went on to credit Paul "Triple H" Levesque for ensuring "a seamless transition" from the Vince McMahon era, as he acknowledged that Sami Zayn's involvement with The Bloodline originally began under the previous regime. Heyman would also thank Levesque for retaining story elements and being receptive to ideas.
'A Lot Of Unsung Heroes'
Heyman reserved special praise for The Usos and their creative impulses, as he provided insight into the conversations taking place between The Bloodline behind closed doors.
"There are times when we're sitting in a room and it's myself, Roman and The Usos, and one of The Usos will say, 'You know what would be really good with Sami?' And we'd go, 'Oh my god, why aren't we doing that already?' You will find things [ideas] coming from The Usos that will shock you. They are great.
"There's also Michael Hayes, who has an incredible understanding of telling a story within a body of a match," Heyman added. "Then there's the SmackDown writing team, led by Ryan Callahan, who is an unsung hero in what we've put together. A lot of the writers from Ryan's team would sit with us in the locker room, on Roman's bus, or get into a conference call; we just sit and throw around ideas. We would ask questions such as, 'What resonates with you?' or 'Will the kids be able to relate to this?' "
Heyman's appreciation of Hayes shouldn't come as a surprise. According to reports, the former Fabulous Freebird was instrumental in producing the Reigns vs. Kevin Owens match at the Royal Rumble and has worked closely with "The Tribal Chief" during his historic two-year run as WWE's top champion. Hayes also produced the Brock Lesnar vs. Reigns bout at last year's SummerSlam, a match that was widely praised for its chaotic ending, especially for a spot involving Lesnar riding a tractor.
"It's really a team effort, and a lot of unsung heroes," Heyman continued. "A lot of people you don't read about online. These people have worked their asses off to put this all together."
'Everything Is About The Story'
As with any creative exercise, a lot of ideas never see the light of day.
So, did Heyman and Reigns ever reject any Bloodline-related ideas that were pitched to them? The question propelled Heyman to give the former "Honorary Uce" his just due.
"Sami has had a big voice in it, too," Heyman stressed. "And rightfully so — he's the person that is presenting the character. In terms of me and Roman shooting down ideas, with this group, that has rarely happened. It's a pretty smart group. The people I mentioned don't just throw crap up against the wall and see what sticks. They vet their own ideas. There's a plan with anything presented to us. And on the flip side, we always have a plan when we [Roman and myself] present ideas — like 'this leads to this' and so on."
Heyman elaborated on the importance of sequential storytelling with regard to The Bloodline saga.
"That's why everything we do, we try to give meaning to," Heyman explained. "So when it happens again, there is a story behind the action itself. Roman handing the chair to Sami at the Royal Rumble leads to Roman handing the chair to Jey Uso to use on Sami at the Elimination Chamber. The same thing happens with certain words. We use a certain word, and try to bring it back repeatedly. We want people invested in the story to such an extent that everything we do makes them go, 'I know what that leads to. You understand what that's about, right?' Everything is about the story."