Paul Heyman recently interviewed with The Poughkeepsie Journal and discussed a variety of things, including WrestleMania 29 this Sunday, working with Brock Lesnar and CM Punk at the same time, the current WWE product and more. Here are the highlights:
You're not only back in WWE, but you're a part of two of the three biggest matches at WrestleMania. You've been telling some darn good stories for this year's WrestleMania with CM Punk and Brock Lesnar. Is it safe to say this WWE run has been satisfying to you from a creative standpoint? "It's been a total career highlight. I never thought I was going to come back and to come back and get to be a part of two of the three main events of WrestleMania, in my hometown, with my two best friends? It's circumstances I never thought and I couldn't have imagined."
The cool thing about is that you overshadow neither guy, yet bring another dimension to both. "I thank you for that. It's really easy with Brock Lesnar. All I have to do is sing the praises of the most gifted athlete that's ever walked into a WWE ring. He's a former NCAA heavyweight champion, a former undisputed UFC heavyweight champion and a former undisputed WWE heavyweight champion. He's legitimate and these are his credentials, so how hard is that? He's a beast. He's the most physical.
"And CM Punk, he's the best. Heh, I've got the beast and I've got the best. CM Punk is the most passionate, most driven superstar of this generation. Every time I am in the ring with him, listening to him or stepping back and watching him, I am a huge admirer of his extraordinary talent. It doesn't take much to be his advocate and his confidant. What you see on TV is the true dynamic between us. Especially, when I'm off in the corner, plotting, conspiring.
What do you find most appealing about the current WWE product? "I'd say the global scale of it all. And the push to new screens that are still developing. People will say, 'oh man, how exciting would have been to be around in the 1950s when television was expanding' or 'oh man, it would have been great to be watching in the 1980s when pay-per-view and cable television truly exploded.
"Now, we have new platforms. We have new media, social media, the internet and all of these platforms are new screens to play on. We're in the midst of a revolution and a lot of it could even be different a year from now. No viewing habit will ever be the same. WWE, to their massive credit, has an initiative to beat everybody else onto those screens and be a leader and a flagship in terms of content.
"I own a viral marketing agency called Looking 4 Larry and that's the type of stuff we keep a close eye on. It's fun to see how WWE is so far ahead of the NBA, the NFL, Major League Baseball and the NHL and to see how those big sports are playing second fiddle because WWE is so far ahead of them as they push to be on new screens."
