Ever since Brock Lesnar first stepped onto WWE’s main roster, his career has been intertwined with Paul Heyman. Whether as close friend, manager, advocate, or even sworn enemy, the couple have never been too far from each other. On two separate occasions, Heyman betrayed and betrayed Brock Lesnar, ending their relationship more than once on WWE programming. There are reasons for both of these betrayals, but they all stem from Heyman’s desire for success. Either way, it’s interesting to explore how, when and why Heyman betrayed Lesnar in WWE not once, but twice.
Paul Heyman betrayed Brock Lesnar in 2002 and joined Big Show
Back in 2002, Paul Heyman introduced the world to Brock Lesnar, by his side as manager and agent when he made his Raw debut. Heyman played a huge role in promoting Lesnar as a star, and was instrumental in his rapid rise up the card as he won the King of the Ring tournament, later becoming WWE Champion just a few months into his tenure. . in WWE at the PPV SummerSlam 2002.
Heyman was a big part of Lesnar’s act, helping him during his reign as WWE Champion on SmackDown. After surviving The Undertaker, Lesnar found himself embroiled in a match against Big Show. Heyman wasn’t so sure if Lesnar would survive this challenge, advising him not to go through with the match. Lesnar, even as a heel, was a champion wrestler and fearless. This led to Heyman facing Lesnar at Survivor Series 2002, costing him the gold and helping Big Show win the match.
The motivations for this turn were explained on the following episode of SmackDown, stating that it takes more than physical prowess to survive on top, and that he was the mastermind behind Lesnar’s success. However, when Lesnar stopped heeding his advice, Heyman decided to take his business elsewhere and jump ship before things got worse. In Heyman’s eyes, Big Show was the fighter most destined for success, so he wanted to be next to a champion, and not Lesnar. Of course, Big Show’s time on top didn’t quite work out, as he lost the title to Kurt Angle before Lesnar regained it at WrestleMania 19, this time as a babyface without Paul Heyman.
Paul Heyman became a special advisor to Roman Reigns after years of association with Brock Lesnar
In 2012, Heyman and Lesnar met on WWE television after Lesnar’s big return to the company. Heyman was now his defender and staunchly a spokesman, as Lesnar rarely spoke into the microphone. Heyman would even betray CM Punk to stay by Lesnar’s side, supporting him as he ended The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania, and also many world title victories, defeating big names like John Cena, Roman Reigns, Goldberg, Samoa Joe, Randy Orton, and many more over the years. For all intents and purposes, it seemed like Heyman and Lesnar would be aligned forever.
However, in 2020, Heyman aligned himself with someone else. Following Roman Reigns’ return to WWE television, in which he turned heel, he joined forces with Heyman in what was quite the shock. He became Reigns’ special advisory advisor, billed as “The Wise Man”, appearing on occasion in a more worshipful role, with him clearly scared but greatly admiring Reigns. However, he had not yet betrayed Lesnar, since he was absent from the programming.
Paul Heyman betrayed Brock Lesnar for the second time in 2022
Following Lesnar’s return to WWE, Heyman’s loyalty was one of the biggest talking points in WWE. He sat on the fence between the two men, until Reigns fired him and realigned himself with Lesnar. However, it wasn’t long until Heyman once again turned his back on Lesnar.
At the 2022 Royal Rumble event, Heyman helped Reigns cost Lesnar the WWE Championship. Once again, Heyman had his eyes on someone who was in a better position to ensure he continued to succeed, and with Reigns the younger and more dominant champion, he decided to put his eggs in Bloodline’s basket. This has been a common occurrence for Heyman, as he in many ways uses whoever is available to continue to be successful, and when things don’t look good, he jumps ship and joins someone else. He is the wrestling equivalent of Peter Pettigrew, betraying those closest to him in favor of power, success and also doing it out of fear, disregarding loyalty and morality.