Paul Heyman On If He Sees His Time With WWE Coming To An End Tonight
Paul Heyman was recently a guest on Barstool Sports to promote tonight's WrestleMania 34 card. Below are a few highlights:
Daniel Bryan returning to the ring at WrestleMania:
"I am moved to tears by Daniel Bryan's return because ever since he was told by the doctors that he was being forced into retirement, the only vision Daniel Bryan had for himself was stepping back into the ring. So, not only on a day to day and minute to minute basis, but a micro moment, to micro moment basis, everything and every breath that Daniel Bryan has taken, he has inhaled the desire to step back into the ring. So, for Daniel Bryan to be given clearance and have the opportunity to live out far more than a dream is overwhelming because, #1, he truly deserves it as a human being, #2, he certainly deserves it as a performer, and #3, just watching someone work so hard to defy the odds and beat the system, and to come back from adversity is reaffirming in life because it reminds me personally that if you want it bad enough you can make it happen no matter how much the deck is stacked against you."
The impact of Brock Lesnar ending The Undertaker's streak at WrestleMania 30:
"I think Brock Lesnar conquered the streak... let me rephrase that, I think Brock Lesnar conquering the Undertaker's undefeated streak at WrestleMania was the defining moment of this generation in WWE. It was the first WrestleMania on the WWE Network so it showed the potential audience WrestleMania is can't miss and must see. It was the biggest victory that anyone can ever attain in WWE, and certainly the defining moment up until now of Brock Lesnar's career because it was the biggest shock in WWE history. Outside of that I think that watching Brock Lesnar conquer the streak was something that everyone in that stadium that night will always remember. It was the old, where were you when JFK was assassinated? Where were you when the man landed on the moon? Where were you when Undertaker conquered the streak. Up until this upcoming WrestleMania perhaps will go down as the biggest shock in WWE history."
If he believes that The Undertaker returning tonight lessens what Roman Reigns did to him last year:
"No, because how many opponents has the Undertaker faced at WrestleMania? 23, 24? Only two men can claim victory over the Undertaker over all of those years, and the manner in which Roman Reigns defeated the Undertaker is so impressive it can't nigate mitigate Roman Reigns' accomplishment in defeating the Undertaker in the main event of WrestleMania 33. All kudos and props to Roman Reigns. If the Undertaker chooses to come back to face John Cena this year, it has nothing to do with Roman Reigns or Brock Lesnar, it will be a moment that will be tied into the legacy of the Undertaker and John Cena and nobody else."
How he sees Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar differently compared to their WrestleMania 31 match:
"I see it being it 36 months more progressive than three years ago. I see Brock Lesnar being three years more determined to lay a beating on Roman Reigns that will force and compel and constrain the WWE universe to respect Roman Reigns if for no other reason because Roman will demonstrate to the world that he can take a beating from Brock Lesnar that nobody else would be willing to take."
What he sees for Lesnar if Lesnar retains tonight:
"Brock Lesnar defeating Roman Reigns and retaining the Championship at WrestleMania means to me that Brock Lesnar will be eyeballing a duel run as WWE World Champion and UFC as well."
If he sees his time in WWE coming to an end soon:
"I get an awful lot of credit from Brock Lesnar about teaching Brock Lesnar a lot about this industry. I can assure you that everything I have been able to teach Brock Lesnar, I have learned from Brock Lesnar as well. Here is what I learned from Brock. He was raised on a dairy farm in Webster, South Dakota. What Brock did as a child was he focused on the task at hand, and never the task after the current task. So, if Brock Lesnar had to milk the cows at 5 o'clock in the morning, he wasn't thinking of after the fact that he had to get the chickens at 8 o'clock in the morning. Once he was done with that task, then his focus became getting the eggs to hatch from the chickens at 8 o'clock in the morning. While he was getting eggs from the chickens at 8 o'clock in the morning, he wasn't thinking about the wheat he had to grab at 11 o'clock. Once he did that task then he focused on the wheat at 11 o'clock in the morning. Once he learned to do things that way, he was able to master the tasks that were laid out before him because his focus was so laser pinpointed on what needed to be done.
"Right now, Brock Lesnar and I have not made any secrets that Brock Lesnar and I have other projects outside of WWE after April 8th. At the UFC headquarters, with Brock's arms around Dana White with a UFC t-shirt on, there's no denying this. Nobody tried to keep this under wraps, it's public knowledge. Here it is. There was a recent article in one of the trade papers the other day that my agency [Looking for Larry Agency] in New York has cut a deal with Roy Bank and Banca Studios in Hollywood, California. We are going to be developing, joint ventures and co-production to pitch ideas to studios and television networks as well as movies that we are working on. We are not trying to keep this a secret. We are open about it. We are expanding our agency to do more movie projects.
"When it comes to WWE, Brock Lesnar and I have made a vow to each other. We focus on April 8th. We want to do something in the main event of WrestleMania 34 that becomes career defining. If nothing else but the magic itself that is career defining for the both of us. If April 8th, 2018 is the last time that you see Brock Lesnar and/or Paul Heyman in a WWE ring, I think we are both comfortable and proud of our accomplishments in a WWE ring, and without hesitancy we say that it was a hell of a dramatic way to go. If we choose after April 8th to do something with WWE we will decide that after that main event of WrestleMania 34, but right now we want to accomplish something so remarkable that after WrestleMania 34 on April 8th, it would nearly exceeds what Brock Lesnar accomplished after conquering Undertaker's streak in the very same arena in the very same city, almost 4 years until the day because that was April 7th. Almost four years and one day after that event in New Orleans, LA. That is our focus and our tasks at hand."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Barstool Sports with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.