Paul Heyman reveals how decade-long CM Punk theory was recently dismissed
Paul Heyman shocked the WWE Universe last week when he made his long-awaited return to the storylines but with longtime friend and foe CM Punk. The Bloodline's Wiseman has called on Punk to be the fifth man for WarGames after his recent war with Drew McIntyre. Heyman is now revealing a key theory about Punk that was recently shot down.
The Special Counsel and The Voice of the Voiceless became real-life friends in 2005 when Heyman took over as head writer/booker of OVW, which then was a WWE developmental territory. The former ECW boss was a backstage advocate for the rising Chicagoan, and their on-screen alliance kicked off in September 2012 but ended in a feud between the two just over one year later.
Heyman recently joined SHAK Wrestling and was asked about potential new Paul Heyman Guys on the WWE roster. The 2024 Hall of Famer acknowledged that he is partial to his Tribal Chief and would not name potential clients, but did admit he watches several stars with awe, including Gunther, Damian Priest, Jey Uso, Bron Breakker, Liv Morgan, Rhea Ripley, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens. Heyman then had major praise for Cody Rhodes and Punk.
"Then of course there's CM Punk, and I just realized rebels age out, and once they do, they can no longer be the embodiment to the disruption that progresses against the establishment, and yet he is now the older rebel, with a little bit more wisdom behind him, and a little more tact involved and he's that much more compelling and riveting of a character and a persona, let alone his ability to portray it better than ever before," Paul Heyman said. [From 40:15 to 40:52]
The former Paul E. Dangerously continued:
"If you had told me that in 2012, that twelve years later CM Punk would be a far more fascinating character than he is, now at the height of his rebellious status, I'd say... that's just not in the cards for him, and yet I look at what he did with Drew McIntyre this year, and I realize he's so much more interesting now. He has such a deeper connection with the audience now, which I would never have imagined to be possible," Paul Heyman said. [From 40:53 to 41:29]
CM Punk and Paul Heyman actually wrestled several times in 2013. Punk defeated Heyman and Curtis Axel in two Handicap No DQ matches held as RAW dark main events to prepare for the Handicap Elimination No DQ match at Night of Champions 2013, which saw Axel and Heyman get the win. Punk then won the same match at eight non-televised live events to prepare for Hell In a Cell 2013, where Punk defeated Heyman and Ryback inside the Cell.
Paul Heyman and CM Punk draw big for WWE
Paul Heyman went viral on last week's WWE SmackDown as he brought CM Punk back to be the fifth man for The OG Bloodline in WarGames at Saturday's Survivor Series PLE. The idea of Punk and Roman Reigns facing off while Heyman watched was a major topic of discussion for fans.
WWE tweeted to tout how Heyman, Punk, and Reigns made history on SmackDown. The graphic below notes how there were more than 72 million views on initial social media content from Friday's segment.
"Over 72 million social views - the most views of any SmackDown moment of 2024!" the company wrote.
Paul Heyman is expected to be present for Saturday's WarGames main event. The match will feature Reigns, Punk, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, and Sami Zayn vs. Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Bronson Reed.
