Paul Heyman Explains Why Only He Could Tell CM Punk About WWE WrestleMania Main Event

On the first night of WreslteMania 41, CM Punk finally had the opportunity to fulfill his long-time dream of being in the main event of WWE's biggest show of the year. Although he failed to defeat Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, Punk's first WrestleMania main event was a memorable one, not only because of the quality of the in-ring action and the storytelling throughout the entire match, but also because he was able to walk down the entrance ramp with his real-life best friend Paul Heyman. A month before WrestleMania, Heyman was given the honor of telling Punk that he would main event the show on "WWE SmackDown," and in a recent interview with "SHAK Wrestling," "The Wise Man" explained why nobody else but himself could inform the former WWE Champion about the news.

"I couldn't imagine anyone else telling him. This was a dream of ours when I ended up developing talent in OVW in 2005 and he was sent to OVW and I was told to fire him and I refused to do it and the reason why I refused to do it was just like when I met Steve Austin in WCW in 1991 and I told everybody he was going to be the future of the industry. I told everybody CM Punk is going to main event WrestleMania, he's a first Ballot Hall Of Famer ... and they didn't see it and that's not credit to me for seeing it, it's discredit to everyone else for not." 

Heyman continued by speaking about Punk's upbringing in the wrestling industry, explaining that fans recognized he was a star from his days in OVW, and that a specific WWE Hall Of Famer also viewed the "Best In The World" as a WrestleMania main event talent.

"As you walk through those doors everything in Louisville changed. Fans showing up at the Danny Davis Arena and drove to see CM Punk, wearing CM Punk t-shirts, trading CM Punk tapes. The knowledge of the product itself at those TV tapings changed because CM Punk in the best way possible, the old expression, popped the territory ... When I brought CM Punk up and Dusty [Rhodes] said to me, 'Why this kid?' And I said, 'He's gonna main event at WrestleMania, he's going to disrupt the status quo,' and Dusty said, 'I see that too.'"

In 2013, Heyman managed Punk for his match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania 29, and despite it being one of the most thrilling bouts on the card that year, both Heyman and Punk still aspired to perform at the same level but in the main event next time.

"The first match I ever managed in at Wrestlemania had CM Punk in it and again when we walked through the curtain I said, 'That was a blast, we're going to do this again, next time in the main event.' So I understand his desire that the first time he walks down the aisle at WrestleMania for a main event that we do it together because we've been talking about it since 2005."

Heyman finished by commenting on his brotherhood with Punk, explaining the reason it was touching to inform his friend he would main event WrestleMania 41 was due to watching him fall short of accomplishing that life-long dream for 20 years.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "SHAK Wrestling" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.