MVP Says He's A Paul Heyman Guy Ahead Of Bobby Lashley's Match With Brock Lesnar
During the latest episode of the Out of Character Podcast with Ryan Satin, MVP joined the show to talk about the All-Mighty Bobby Lashley's upcoming WWE Championship match against Brock Lesnar. The former United States Champion spoke about the renewed relationship between Lesnar and Paul Heyman, and revealed what it will be like to stand ringside across from "one of the greatest wrestling minds of all time" in Heyman.
"To borrow a very popular phrase, I'm a Paul Heyman guy," MVP said. "He opened that door for me to come back to the WWE for what was supposed to have been a one-off, has turned into two years of a pretty productive run with lots of entertainment value. It's special for me for that reason as well, aside from seeing one of my closest friends and a guy who I respect very much get an opportunity to realize something that he's wanted to accomplish and that's facing Brock Lesnar. To be able to stand at his side across from Brock Lesnar, facing Paul Heyman, who in my opinion is one of the greatest wrestling minds of all time, period, bar none. It's a pretty emotional feeling."
MVP recently spoke about the matchup between Lashley and Lesnar and called the former UFC Champion "soft" for not working a full-time schedule as Lashley does. The 48-year-old also revealed why he believes Lashley will win the match and that loss will cause Lesnar to join the Rumble match and win to get his rematch with Lashley at WrestleMania.
Continuing to speak about the influence Paul Heyman had on his return to WWE just two years ago, MVP mentioned why he thought his return was only going to be for the Rumble match. The former US Champion detailed what occurred after his appearance in the Rumble and what's led to him being in the position he's in now.
"I had no expectations," MVP said. "As I've said, initially, my return was a one-off and that one-off turned into, 'Hey, can you make it to San Antonio tomorrow for Monday Night RAW?' Then afterward, I was offered a position as a producer. I was poised to retire and I thought, alright, let's see what happens. I was working behind the camera and I expected as a producer, maybe, periodically they could bring me out to do things like with Edge and McIntyre to get over segments and then COVID hit. The pandemic came in and I was let go from my position as a producer and asked to be full-time talent.
"In the beginning, there were a lot of people staying home for health reasons and wanted to travel. I was asked to carry the ball and I did. I didn't know what was expected of me but I found myself doing commentary for Main Event, doing VIP lounge segments, putting the boots on, and wrestling, and quickly, before I was prepared for it, I found myself back in the swing of things. I didn't have any expectations at all beyond getting a shot as a producer, and as we say in this business, cards are subject to change."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Out of Character with Ryan Satin with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.