Paul Heyman has been involved in the world of professional wrestling for almost four decades. He's seen just about everything the business has to offer and how wrestlers can connect with fans. So when talking about one of the biggest stars of the last 20 years, even he is surprised to say that he thinks the work that CM Punk is doing at this stage of his career is more interesting than when he was one of the top stars of the Promotion was the early 2010s.
“If you had told me that CM Punk would be a far more fascinating character in 2012, twelve years later, than he is now, at the height of his rebellious status, I would say that's just out of the question for him,” Heyman told CBS Sports. “And yet I look at what he did with it [Drew] McIntyre and notice that he is much more interesting now. He now has a deeper connection with the audience, which I never thought possible.”
The storyline Heyman is referring to is the long feud between Punk and Drew McIntyre. It started with a legitimate injury Punk suffered from McIntyre's Future Shock DDT maneuver at the Royal Rumble in January. Punk vs. McIntyre became a cornerstone of WWE programming until Punk defeated “Bad Blood” McIntyre in their trilogy match in October. The feud revolved around envy, revenge and crossing personal boundaries.
“You realize that rebels age, and once they age, they can no longer be the embodiment of the unrest that is directed against the establishment,” Heyman said. “And yet now he's the older rebel with a little more wisdom and a little more tact, and he's a much more convincing version of a character and a person – not to mention his ability to portray them – than ever before.”
Heyman hired Punk to complete Roman Reigns' team Survivor Series: WarGames. The storyline decision reflected the legitimate friendship between Heyman and Punk, which dates back to 2005, and Heyman's time managing Punk as WWE Champion.
“Paul Heyman saw something in me that no one else wanted to admit,” Punk said in his infamous Pipebomb promo. “That's correct. I’m a Paul Heyman guy.”
Watch the full interview with Paul Heyman below.
The friendship between Heyman and Punk began during Heyman's stint as head booker and writer for Ohio Valley Wrestling, then the WWE's developmental territory. During his first stint in WWE, Punk held six titles (including an ECW Championship), but he clashed frequently until Punk's seven-year retirement in 2014. Heyman and McMahon argued several times over Punk's early direction of the company. It was only after Heyman parted ways with the WWE that McMahon became familiar with Punk's potential, which McMahon reportedly believed benefited from Heyman's “smoke and mirrors” marketing.
“CM Punk fought against the idea that he was just a 'Paul Heyman guy.' “Unfortunately, he was brought down by that label,” Heyman said. “He became collateral damage in my dispute with management. Because of my argument with management, he was tagged – that's literally what they called him – 'Oh yeah, the Paul Heyman guy'.”
“This guy was a great performer, an all-time performer, a WrestleMania mainstay, a top-notch performer from the moment he walked in the door. But he fought against that perception and proved himself through his hard work, good connection with his audience and the fact that no matter how stupid the concept they presented to him was, he made it work… He was undeniable . You couldn't stop progress, no matter how much you self-sabotage your product.”
