Paul Heyman talks WWE, TNA, UFC, Brock Lesnar

Bryan Alvarez and Dave Meltzer of wrestlingobserver.com interview Paul Heyman after UFC 116, talking Brock Lesnar's fight with Shane Carwin, the book they're writing, wrestling vs. MMA, TNA wooing him, what they'd need to offer, and tons more.

[@cycledrag]

Great interview, just please use a hand-held mic next time!

[@KutuluMike]

12:32 Bryan's look is all like "see, I _told_ you all..."

[@mbkfox]

Wow, up until now, that Ariel guy had the best interview. I tip my hat to Dave and Brian who had more time, and was able to more in depth. Amazing stuff. I don't recall anyone ever being as open and honest in a high profile situation as much as Paul has been. I love his attitude

[@GoldStandard000]

Paul Heyman's knowledge of wrestling in general is just amazing. TNA should be watching this video.

[@gridly10]

Awesome interview. I think Paul is one of the smartest guys in the wrestling world. Honestly If I made a top 5 list of my opinion of the top 5 smartest guys in professional wrestling... I'd have to think about him or Vince being number one. It's close man. Vince has accomplished more than anyone could ever dream in this business. But is he smarter? Maybe you could say financially but not creatively. Who knows. Either way awesome interview.

[@TheMelonHeadShow2000]

rob allman Isi

[@Duzykutas]

Awesome interview. Heyman knows what he's talking about as usual.

[@xxx1domeshot1xxx]

thumbs up if u either skipped to the end or exited the video

[@SinjBobSweatPants]

12:32 the guy on the lefts face "oh dear god thank you for this interview"

[@LburgVAGuy]

If ECW existed today as it did in 97 the wrestling industry would be totally different and it would be able to compete with UFC!The UFC is the new ECW...warriors coming out to real music and bleeding for the fans!

[@Maelstromaku]

I respect your non biased way of looking at your fav product and agree and it is a shame because they have some amazing wrestglers who have not yet discovered their personality and who better to help with that than the Heymanator

[@MikeyM331]

Damn I could listen to Heyman talk for hours.

[@nWoWolfpacTV]

@SithLordLegacy By the way to clarify i never said that Heyman, Raven, Roberts & Hall should be TNA creative, i simply meant it as in a dream scenerio. Imagine these four wrestling geniuses creating a roundtable of wrestling minds bouching ideas off each other.

[@DaddyBlack83]

Paul Heyman is the man and he is telling the truth about the wrestling business !

[@rodneyram5172]

Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff made diference in wrestling, pro wrestling needs these guys.

[@Skip0hsa]

Heyman is awesome, one of the best things to happen to wrestling

[@Linc07]

is this brock lesnar book out yet? and do u no what its called

[@mmagenius2]

Paul is a genius and I respect him a lot.

[@BigMarcusc1995]

Meltzer and Heyman hugs and things haha

[@njchampion]

TWO MESSAGES: PAUL PLEASE GO IN TNA. PLEASE START A REVOLUTION AGAIN! TNA PLEASE GIVE ALL POWER TO PAUL! last but not least really thanks to the uploader and interviewers

[@shadowphurba]

thank you, for that info. im a huge wrestling fan and i didn't know that. again thank you.

[@hhhsucks92]

im a vince russo guy

[@mma9869]

Are meltzer and alvarez that short or is heyman actually pretty tall?

[@LIMERICKPADDY]

Paul heyman is 100% right when he said wrestling is not cool anymore.Its a shame when he said that tho,Cause its true wrestling isn't the same it use to be.Wwe top superstars kept going and going near about 2006,Which then in my opinion wwe was alright 4 years ago with the dx storyline then after that it all went down hill.I miss brock so much he was the smackdown icon it was his show.

[@q2080]

I think Heyman should put in full charge of TNA. I think he should have control over everything BUT the financial aspect of the company. Watch the Rise and Fall of ECW. Paul E. is not the world's best businessman, but is one hell of a storyteller. They know what's good for them, TNA will hand him the organization on a silver platter.

[@theFaded01]

anyone got a clear audio version of this

[@nutfiles]

Paul Heyman is awesome.

[@KnockedOutTV]

Paul Heyman is the greatest mind in pro wrestling.

[@MRoberts1989]

i dont think he will go to tna with hogan and bischoff there...but i would love to see him back in wwe

[@MicheaI_Jordan]

@JoshRA You probably didn't understand what he said. He didn't say Randy is as charismatic as Austin or Rock, but since them he is the most charismatic. Learn2Listen.

[@bundybear666]

does anybody think that tna will give him full controll and bring him in??

[@SupDocOck]

holy shit could they make more fucking noise in the background

[@fatpatlives1998]

@vincentrich but to be fair most ufc fans that are 19-25 where pro wrestling fans 10-15 years ago !

[@sonoroustripleh]

wrestling needs paul hayman, we need him in TNA to make them a solid number 2 against WWE and maybe even beat WWE in order to make WWE better because vince will not change WWE unless he is forced to. No one has this mindset anymore paul hayman is the only one who can do it no one cares about wrestling like he does anymore. He needs to reconsider.

[@DonPinguccio]

TNA needs Heyman!

[@Wrath0fPlatypus]

Did he say it would always be tv14?

[@ants84]

I think Paul made his mind up, told Dave off the record and that the deals already been done, but that's just my take on things. I could be wrong.

[@WisconsinParkour]

@MikeyM331 Did you ever listen to RVDs "blogtalkradio" show?

[@foleyfunk89]

Great interview. too many directions in TNA.

[@MB69RatedR]

Paul Heyman is a genius

[@armytaskforce11x]

whats his book called?

[@slangyung]

You guys couldn't of found a queit hallway to have this interview, or somewhere not in the middle of a band practice?? (It was funny when you can hear the coke can being opened)!!! Anyways, it'll be very cool if Paul takes charge of TNA and hogan and bischoff take bottom rung, but I have to admit that I like the idea of Paul being involved in mma more. His mind must be picked to the fullest. God Bless him.

[@theoneandonly98]

@RSXemperor I agree because for some reason she whon't let Russo go when TNA fans want Russo gone a long time ago but he's still there, Jim Cornette said that Russo is the main reason why TNA is not competting with WWE I see where Cornette is coming from.

[@Salesman]

Does anyone know what kind of education Paul Heyman has? Does he have a College Degree or is this guy just naturally talented when speaking and dealing with production stuff?

[@drifter639]

love what he says about Cena and Orton. as a long time orton fan, it saddens me that he is the right man but in the wrong era. :(

[@Lthemisan]

His eyes are red because he WASN'T hanging around RVD *Heyman pretends to toke* All i got to say is, Heyman; if you want to change the wrestling world, do it. If not, focus on MMA or your future projects and let the past go, because your still clinging on to what could have been. I think what the world needs is another Heyman endorsed product whether its Extreme Rules wrestling or a Heyman ran company.

[@PhillyCYOSports]

@BoutthatpaperTV - Anything Heyman said positive about Stepanie McMahon is him playing politics. Someone as knowledgeable and passionate about wrestling as Paul Heyman is only capable of hate and distain for someone like Stephanie McMahon on a business level. I doubt they are exactly best buddies personally either.

[@FireProMMA]

Bryan keeps copping a feel of Heyman.

[@GAStayPosi]

I, also, am a Paul Heyman guy.

[@0munchhausen]

Heyman is admitting that he is not what TNA needs right now but will go to them for an insane amount of money for the sake of his kids. When he ran ECW, he was the young evil genius/mad scientist, but is now an old man who doesn't know how to make TNA 'cool'. Give control of creative to Tommy Dreamer. He is not much younger than Paul, but he is hungry to bring back the kind of wrestling he loves and is not as jaded as Paul after having his company fail because they were raided by WWE and WCW

[@mhc12k]

Heyman is the man... You all know ECW was sooo profitable,

[@chitown1051]

I'm a Paul Heyman Guy

[@twiztidlestat]

Meltzer is such a mark

[@Astraldragon1]

@TNAFutureofWrestling , Meltzer rarely gives 5 star matches to any wrestling. which is IS his own opinion and he has a right to it. Remember everyone has there own opinion even if they don't agree with yours. If you thought a match in ECW was a 5-star match, that's fine. but it doesn't mean other fans have to agree with it. everyone one is different.

[@jbwrestling232]

It sounded like a fight during a parade in the background

[@404social]

@MrrrrrrrrrANARCHY i agree with you mate, lets be honest, look at the first one night stand PPV, that shows you what ECW could have been with a blank check book. problem was they didnt have a blank cheque, they were an indy and they took that small promotion to a national level. but at the end of the day money ran out, Heymans idea for TNA is a great one. this is what TNA is, this is where we are gonna be, and this is how we get there, then they creative know what they have to do.

[@clawj26]

E MAIL TNA PETITION WHATEVER THIS MAN IS A GENIOUS! For people who may not know he created : Rob Van Dam Rey Mysterio ( he gave him his first big shot) Stone Cold Steve Austin ( the attitude his promos made him legendary) Chris Beniot Latino Heat all mexican wrestlers basically Tazz The Dudleys(Team 3D) Sabu Mick Foley Terry Funk and countless others everytime someone from ECW shows up listen to the crowd no matter what promotion everytime a wrestler does something hardcore you hear ECW ECW ECW!

[@MrObelisk2290]

great location nice and quiet

[@HitzR1]

@lsmatrix Is it hard to believe he would know who that is? All you have to do is watch one episode or get lucky and tune during a KO segment/match.

[@DonPinguccio]

@TheSurge And the point of that reply was? ...

[@danieltom1dh]

Paul Heyman has the best eye for talent in wrestling. If Mcmahon is the best promoter the Heyman is the inovater. CM Punk, RVD, Brock Lesnar all given a chance by Heyman. CM Punk didn't fit the WWE image then Heyman convinced them to give him a shot on the ECW reboot and it took off. Vince might have the money but if John Cena is his number 1 guy then he stupid. The only reason Heyman came back to WWE is because Brock Lesnar has no mic skills and Brock personly requested Paul Heyman

[@TheJdc34life]

paul is coming to tna, i heard they are gonna give them what he wants, so i expect him to come to victory road

[@SuperR1991]

paul heyman is a frekin legend

[@OldSchoolRasslin]

@ciaranod What will Heyman's job be in TNA? Booking Hogan, Nash etc and the guys that are already there? Steve Austin made himself a bad ass. How many matches did he have in ECW? 2? The Dudleys were not a great tag team in ECW, they improved greatly in the WWF. They hate Heyman btw, and will likely leave TNA if he comes in. LAnce Storm was a skilled wrestler long before he went to ECW. Doesn't take much to push someone as exactly what they are. Benoit, Guerrero and Malenko? WCW made them.

[@PhillyCYOSports]

Would have probably been better ideato do your shoot interview with Paul and not Abdullah the Butcher huh guys?

[@nWoWolfpacTV]

@warriorofwrestling Paul Heyman, Raven, Jake The Snake Roberts & Scott Hall as TNA creative would be amazing considering they are some of the greatest wrestling minds ever in the business & masters of psychology - just think of some of the storylines these guys could come up with. But like Paul Heyman said the wrestling business isnt cool because they dont know about pop culture so prehaps some younger minds are needed.

[@PAPITOFLOW6969]

i'm a mcmahon guy wwe kicks ass

[@Deco5757]

paul heyman is a PROMO GOD!

[@JuNNiE973]

im a paul heyman guy

[@hhhsucks92]

and do what in bellator exactly

[@coolins112]

@ciaranod Heyman. Also, helped bring Kennedy to the our TV screens.

[@TheReviewSpace]

Horrible place to conduct an interview, but then again, this is 7+ years ago. Heyman has since returned to WWE and did great things with Lesnar, while TNA/GFW/Impact is pretty much finished after cockroaching on for so many years. Bryan became a father in 2016, UFC got sold to WME, and NXT developed into an indie darling show.

[@getodachoppa1]

Wow.. are they building a freaking house in the background?? lol

[@javelin1010]

Heyman knows wrestling. TNA has the geezers and the nobodies. Good luck Dixie. You'll need plenty of it.

[@AmericanNohbuddy]

@countbloodula You should see his interview on MMA hour live with Paul. 1. he wouldn't be on screen. Why does a writer have to be under 40? 2. he also said the ECW guys would go and he did say god bless them for what they did. Paul is known as one of the greatest minds in the business. He wants youth. Why keep concentrating on Flair, Nash, and Hogan? How are they useless? They know what to do in the business. Hogan, Flair, and Nash are not writers or bookers or at least known for doing it good

[@1995DLB]

WE WANT HEYMAN CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP WE WANT HEYMAN!!!!!!!!!!!

[@hardcoregamer16]

that was such a good interview and I hope TNA and Paulie an work together because WWE is targeting kids so the 18-45 male viewers is there for the picking and UFC now owns the male 18-45 viewers so good luck to TNA.

[@mrawesome669]

Haha its a little funny how you can see that Paul obviously prefers Dave to Bryan :P. Probably just the history they have together

[@mankind2112]

I would love to see Heyman run TNA's on air product but I would never give him complete control over the company - that's not a smart business move. Maybe Bischoff and Hogan power but that's it.

[@bieberninja1]

The biggest problem is that WWE and TNA hate the top wrestling minds like Paul Heyman and Jim Cornette and will never let them book anything. Vince and Dixie for whatever reason think they are tv shows like Grey's Anatomy or Two and a Half Men. The days of wrestling being treated as a sport and something serious with interesting characters and great angles are over. Get ready for an eternity of poop jokes,mindless chants(yes,no,feed me) and bikers with ski masks running around with no purpose

[@WisconsinParkour]

Wow...Lesnar did the smart thing? Nice! Maybe he's not just some overhyped WWE sellout... Way to go Paul E! You set the standard.

[@ChromeFamily]

Message to TNA ... LISTEN TO PAULIE!

[@OldSchoolRasslin]

@SithLordLegacy Good bookers don't tend to run out of money.

[@MrDivalover1]

@vincentrich Also there is more talking and comdey skits than wrestling on raw and smackdown. I am just like alot of people on here a wrestling fan i like to see wrestling matches if wwe would show alittle more wrestling and book divas better than wwe would be fine.

[@keyy2k8]

@fwfbrawler why does rvd smoke weed

[@TKNLordiceman826]

WWE now has a PG rating everyone complaining about how they do things currently should take the same amount of time to understand why they do what they do. In regards to TNA even if they got Paul Heyman RIGHT NOW it would take months for him to re-write and un-due what Russo has written FOR TNA THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. Heyman is the man and a great wrestling mind I would really like him back in WWE but he doesn't fit with WWE's PG rating, He has the potential to make TNA relevant but...

[@absolutehatred55]

Apparently, Paul E was actually close to signing a deal with TNA. I saw the plan that he had for it, and it looked like a great idea. He not only would've helped TNA get out of the shit hole Hogan ,Bischoff, and Russo put them in, he would've put the roster to better use, and actually would've made TNA a legitimate competitor against WWE. But, of course, TNA would drop the ball on this deal. I guess that's what you get when you have a clueless bimbo like Dixie running a pro wrestling company.

[@TSlay1974]

@OldSchoolRasslin If ECW had never gone to PPV it would have been around longer that was the part that fucked ECW when you add that to the latent raids even the best booking will not keep a company going. I do think Paul needed a brake by the time ECW was done though. That said his Run in WWE was good as well.

[@nWoWolfpacTV]

@Deltacide1 Yeah but he is getting better :)

[@suleman021]

So, who made Hogan

[@nWoWolfpacTV]

@SithLordLegacy If Paul Heyman went to TNA he would not be in charge of the finances, sure he would advise Dixie Carter on what to spend the money on but it would be her decsion at the end of the day. TNA is completely different to ECW business wise. TNA are owned by Panda Energy who are worth hundereds of millions of pounds.

[@Astraldragon1]

Paul Heyman: And Untill Vince Keels over Paul Heyman: and I'm Not predicting that he's going to Keel over anytime soon Stephanie. Paul Heyman: So Please calm down. LOL

[@yaboi3kdub]

@countbloodula yea ok i can respect that i like then as ring answers but i dont know who gordon solie or chris cruise are but i forgot about bobby heenan i feel u but if i cant get JR i would take vince bobby with lawler

[@MoveInSilence23]

Heyman is notorious for screwing guys over... Look at Sabu, Newjack (who still vows to kill him if he ever sees him)... Heyman is a hustler pure and simple.

[@LockardKevin]

I thought Heyman was older than 44. I thought he was maybe just a little younger than Bischoff, who is 55. I would have faith in Heyman helping TNA. I don't have any confidence in Bischoff and Hogan making TNA a success.

[@pur3k0]

Look like Chris Sabin next to him.

[@MB69RatedR]

@SithLordLegacy Yea, like that helps...

[@TeamSafetyKnife]

He attended Suny Purchase and Westchester Community College, where he worked on-air as an opinionated, controversial host at the radio stations, and later became a producer (at the age of 19) and promoter for the New York City nightclub Studio 54 in the mid-1980s.[4]

[@Damian420]

Heyman is one of the few people that could save the sinking ship known as TNA, If Dixie was smart she would let Heyman have complete creative control and get rid of fucking morons like Russo and Hogan.

[@andymann05]

If Heyman is going to run TNA as long as he's given free reign without all the bullshit politics and someone else is controlling the money then TNA might be able to take a bite out of WWE. He along with Jim Cornette are the two most creative booking minds out there.And Russo ran off Cornette so that leaves Heyman or keep spinning your wheels until Bischoff and Hogan both leave.

[@voldymore69]

heyman would be better than hogan and sting running tna no offense to those 2 legends or maybe the story writers but heyman made the best promos ever