Paul Heyman is called “The Wiseman” for a good reason.
The WWE Hall of Fame legend spoke with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated for an interview this week, during which he reflected at length on the infamous episode of WWE Raw in March of 2014, the first time the company visiting Chicago since CM Punk walked out on the company after the WWE Royal Rumble 2014 show.
Featured below are some of the highlights from the interview where he shares some of his memories.
On the lay of the land around that time: “That moment in Chicago was a very unique period of time. It came after the Royal Rumble where CM Punk had walked out, and the Chicago crowd was on fire, angry that obviously CM Punk was not going to be there. In the meantime, my appearance took on a whole new meaning because I was so closely associated with Punk. I was going to be a distraction from Brock Lesnar, and we had to get Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker on the map because we were heading straight into WrestleMania.”
On comparing the memorable moment to the film, “The Untouchables”: “In looking at the circumstance, it reminded me of The Untouchables, which was directed by Brian De Palma. Kevin Costner, who plays Eliot Ness, leads a group–they’re ‘The Untouchables’. One of the villains in the movie kills one of ‘The Untouchables’ and writes ‘Touchable’ in blood on the elevator wall. It was such a dramatic turning point in the movie.”
On his view on WWE’s tough visits to Chicago for shows in the years following CM Punk’s departure: “I never saw the situation in Chicago as unwinnable, I looked at it as a magnificent opportunity to promote Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker. I knew I could spin within my persona the fact that Punk would have beaten The Undertaker the year before had he just listened to me and ignored the love being bestowed upon him by the audience. In blaming the audience for Punk’s decision to leave, which would only have happened outside of my wisdom, I was directing my venom towards them–and I’d punish the audience by taking something away from them, which would be The Streak, and the only beast on the planet that could beat The Streak was Brock Lesnar. It sounds so fucking convoluted, but when you put it in front of yourself, with that audience that night in that moment, it all made sense. On that night, there was nothing else to do–unless we wanted to get badgered by CM Punk chants all night, and that wasn’t going to sell WrestleMania tickets. So, for me, it was a straight line. I knew in the moment that it wasn’t just the best move, it was the only move.”
(H/T to Fightful.com for transcribing the above quotes.)
