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Even among the more casual wrestling fanbase, the consensus is clear: Monday Night Raw has struggled this summer. There are bound to be certain periods of creative drought, and WWE was faced with the challenging prospect of booking around Brock Lesnar’s hefty price tag and only being willing to show up for limited dates. Still, the show felt inconsistent in how talents like Bobby Lashley were used, while Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn were all but completely squandered. Roman Reigns' character arc felt tired and played out, while Bayley and Sasha Banks were locked in a never-ending purgatory of not quite feuding. The guys called up from NXT over the previous year like Elias, Bobby Roode, and No Way Jose received virtually no opportunities at all to shine.
The dirt sheets have suggested that Paul Heyman helped out with creative on the go home show before Extreme Rules and perhaps on other occasions. Now that Brock Lesnar is presumably out of the mix for WWE until he wraps up his latest MMA efforts, there’s a real question: might WWE enlist him to take over Raw?
Heyman wrote the original ECW shows, ran SmackDown during a famously successful period in the original brand split, and had some creative control over the relaunched ECW. It would make sense for WWE to position as a lead writer now, and it would introduce a number of intriguing possibilities.
5. Braun Strowman is the monster he was always supposed to be
In the original ECW, Paul Heyman pushed 911 as his monster heel partner in crime, and when the WWE version of the brand kicked off, The Big Show was positioned somewhat similarly. In the former case, Heyman was working with a faux giant, as 911 could hack it as a big man surrounded by smaller indie talent, but was limited in terms of his actual size. Heyman had Show to work with at the nadir of his motivation and physical shape, besides which he didn’t really fit the ECW ethos.
If Heyman had Strowman to mould into the character he wants, within WWE’s big picture schematics, particularly with Strowman looking as though he’s leaning heel opposite The Shield, we could see Heyman finally realize his vision for an unstoppable big man villain. Strowman is a legit and not yet fully exposed giant, ripe for Heyman to take to the next level.
4. Finn Balor gets a shot on top
Paul Heyman has a long history of recognizing talent and championing their causes for as long as he’s had anything to do with WWE. No, not everyone Heyman pegged for greatness panned out—just ask Mike Knox. However, Heyman did establish a stellar track record coaching Brock Lesnar in OVW, taking CM Punk under his wing when it was doubtful he would make it to the main roster and spotting other diamonds in the rough over the years.
Fin Balor stands out as one of the tip-to talents on Raw, who nonetheless hasn’t gotten the opportunity star on the main roster—particularly after an injury derailed his first big push as the original Universal Champion. Balor’s level of talent and experience fit the Heyman mould nicely, and there’s a little question The Demon King would enjoy some upward mobility under a new Heyman regime over Monday Night Raw.
3. The tag team division gets a facelift
Paul Heyman famously loves the trope of tag team partners who can’t quite get along. Sure, other people have booked this storyline, too. But particularly between teams like Raven and Tommy Dreamer in the original ECW and Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit on SmackDown, Heyman has proven his ability to not only get these teams over but use them as a vehicle to freshen things up and further elevate top-shelf talents.
Raw doesn’t have a shortage of good talent, but it does have a lot of guys with no direction, and a lacklustre tag team picture—particularly relative to the thriving scene on SmackDown. There’s little question Heyman would make it a priority to fix both of these issues with some creative combinations for teams, as well as those teams freeing up singles spots for other under-utilized talents to get better stories and more face time on camera each Monday.
2. Paul Heyman manages Ronda Rousey
The rumour mill suggested that Ronda Rousey requested to work with Paul Heyman upon her WWE debut, but WWE passed because they wanted her as a clear-cut face, and didn’t want Heyman muddying the waters. WWE may well have been right in this decision, as Heyman was vital to Brock Lesnar’s heel work this year, and Rousey has been quite successful in her face run thus far. There will come a time, however, for Rousey to turn heel. Given her imposing size and skills, it’s arguably a more natural fit for her in the long run, besides which the trash talking skills she demonstrated in UFC lend themselves best to a heel promo.
Speaking of promos, though, if Heyman represents Rousey, he can help her with that one weak spot in her game she’s demonstrated thus far. Additionally, through his work with Lesnar, Heyman’s already recognized as a mouthpiece for unbeatable, legitimate heel champions. This could be one heck of a partnership, and a focused one that could keep most of Heyman’s focus on running creative.
1. Kevin Owens turns face
Paul Heyman hasn’t formally worked on the WWE creative team for many years, but one recurrent comment he brings up when asked what he would do, or what he sees in the future of various stars keeps coming back to Kevin Owens. Owens feels a lot like a Heyman guy—an indie bred student of the game who’s gift for gab has taken him to world championship heights, while his less than herculean physique has kept him from taking up permanent residence in the main event scene. As one would expect, Heyman has sung his praises publicly. Heyman has also indicated he sees even more potential in Owens as a face than the heel character WWE has featured him as thus far.
Owens does have an organic following among the same hardcore fan base that helped elevate guys like Daniel Bryan and CM Punk to the top. Moreover, Heyman has articulated a vision of KO as something like his generation’s Dusty Rhodes. He’s a common man, who looks more like a fan than the stereotypical WWE main eventer, and a guy who might talk people into the building via his charisma and fire. There’s no telling for sure if it would work, but the idea has potential and Heyman seems sold on it enough that we have to assume he’d push for it hard if he were in charge of Raw.
