Before Paul Heyman was a ‘Wise Man,’ before he was a television villain in a double-breasted suit cutting scorched-earth promos on behalf of generational champions, he was a 14-year-old kid sneaking into Madison Square Garden with a fake press pass and a Nikon F. He grew up on Long Island, raised on WWWF broadcasts and the sacred rhythms of the territory days. While most fans idolized the performers, Heyman studied the power brokers. The bookers. The guys behind the curtain calling the finishes and counting the gate.
By 21, he was managing stars in the Deep South. By 25, he was one of the sharpest minds in WCW. And by 30, he was the mad scientist behind ECW—a scrappy, underfunded Philadelphia promotion that would influence the entire modern aesthetic of pro wrestling, from production to persona to politics.
So, when Heyman sat down across from Pat McAfee on The Pat McAfee Show, he didn’t need to warm up. He went straight for the core issue: not everyone belongs in this business. “The first thing we do is hurt you in this business.” It wasn’t hyperbole. In Heyman’s world, pain is the litmus test for authenticity. In wrestling, it’s the great separator that shows who can endure and who crumbles under the weight of it. McAfee, whose rise from NFL punter to WWE personality to ESPN megastar had earned him near-constant praise, hadn’t paid those dues. And Heyman wasn’t interested in pandering to him.
The jab was obvious, but Heyman didn’t need to name names. Gronkowski’s 2020 WrestleMania stint, where he hesitated before performing a simple stunt, was a clear example of someone who didn’t get it. Gronk, an outsider in wrestling, had stalled, and it was a reminder to Heyman of how difficult it is for someone uninitiated to truly belong.
He straight away said, “Back in the days when an outsider, even a top football player would come in and go “Hey I want to be a wrestler.” first thing they do is they take him down to the Met they break his leg, they snap his ankle, they tear the tendon off the bone.” He further added, “the first thing we do is hurt you in this business – it was a very tough business for outsiders to break into and it’s very intimidating to break into – take an outsider, put them in a ring say ‘Hit the ropes or take a turnbuckle’ and they will realize very fast how complicated this industry truly is to do to present and to perform.”
NFL, American Football Herren, USA Super Bowl LVII-Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles Feb 12, 2023 Glendale, Arizona, US Former NFL player Rob Gronkowski looks on before Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium. Glendale State Farm Stadium Arizona US, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJoexCamporealex 20230212_lbm_aa9_002
But it wasn’t just a cheap shot. Heyman knows exactly how to play the game. He slyly reminded everyone how quickly athletes-turned-media stars can go from heroes to punchlines. And Gronk? Well, after his short stint at WrestleMania, he went back to the gridiron, signing a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So maybe he wasn’t cut out for wrestling after all. Gronk is taking his time to experience different sports, though, as he recently also indulged in golf. But hold on to your hats, cause while Heyman dropped subtle hints at Gronk, he went all-in on Pat McAfee.
Heyman aims at ESPN and McAfee
Heyman turned his sights on Pat McAfee and ESPN. And man, he didn’t hold back. When asked about why he turned on longtime friends CM Punk and Roman Reigns, he brought up the Shannon Sharpe lawsuit and straight-up roasted the network: “CM Punk does as much good to my reputation as Shannon Sharpe does to ESPN’s”. Whoa, right? The audience felt it too, they went ‘ooooh’ and Heyman fired back, “Don’t ‘ooooh’ me, I’m not the one getting sued.” Mic. Drop.
Going further into the show, he took a dig at Pat, saying, “Do you care about the opinions of people who are irrelevant? You don’t care about the opinions of most people who are very relevant in your life. You don’t care what the opinions of the people who pay you. They sit there and they go, “Hey, Mr. McAfee, don’t talk about Shannon Sharpe on the air today” And you go, I talk about anything I want. I’m Pat McAfee.” While McAfee tried to laugh it off, Heyman further added, “They go, McAfee, don’t talk about your podcast on the air. What do you do? – Watch me, Pat McAfee.”
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, Heyman went on like a machine gun with nothing to lose, “you go, Wise Man, you know Stephen A. Smith really s*****, right? And I go, I love Stephen A. The man calls me the GOAT – and you sit there and you go, these ESPN b******* give me the same money as him, or they can…” and Heyman made a rude gesture. McAfee, ever defensive, said “none of that’s true” We can assume it was a sketchy moment for Pat McAfee.
And that moment? Instant internet gold. Fans flooded social media with clips, memes, and takes. It wasn’t just about drama, it was a power move. Heyman took on ESPN, McAfee, and the chaos around Sharpe’s legal issues, all in one breath. Bottom line: when Paul Heyman grabs a mic, nobody’s safe—not NFL legends, not talk show hosts, not even entire networks. He showed up, stirred the drama, and left everyone buzzing. Classic Heyman.
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