Over time, Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman have been paired together on several different occasions, often propelling ‘The Beast Incarnate’ into the championship scene. Heyman recently appeared on the “INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet” podcast, where he recalled how the 2 of them were originally paired.
“I used to be coming back on camera, WrestleMania 18 to administer – I hate that word – Chris Benoit, and that was where we were headed,” he recalled. “Brock was very impatient in OVW and moved back to Minneapolis and told WWE, ‘Put me on the fundamental roster, or cut me loose.'”
Heyman added that Lesnar was brought into WWE for dark matches, and a number of other veterans urged him to vary his style and gimmick. Heyman then claimed that Taz approached him, because he was a fan of Lesnar’s NCAA years and trusted Heyman, urging him to step in.
“I went to Vince, and I said, ‘Hey, we have now a heavy investment in Brock Lesnar; we’ll screw this up!’ ‘Oh? Rattling it! Do something about that! Take over his matches; you produce that,'” Heyman continued. Heyman noted that after taking up Lesnar’s production, he saw how fans responded higher to ‘The Beast Incarnate’ while discovering the chemistry between him and Lesnar.
“Vince experienced it within the room with us at one point, and the night before WrestleMania 18, Vince pulled me aside, and he said, ‘This whole thing with Benoit is named off.’ ‘Okay?’ ‘I’m putting you with Brock Lesnar.’ ‘Okay… Completely happy to be of service,'” he recalled. “I knew this can be a once-ever opportunity, and that is a once-ever athlete, and this shall be a once-ever act.”
For those who use any quotes from this text, please credit “INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet,” and supply a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.