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Posts Tagged ‘Paul Heyman’

Could Paul Heyman, no weight loss success stories he, end up going to TNA? Only under the rarest of circumstances.

Following UFC 116, Heyman announced that while he’s considered going to TNA, he has strict conditions on such a move; otherwise, he has no interest at all.

The upshot is this: if he could come in and have Vince McMahon-like control over the roster, the TV product, and everything else, then he’d consider it… so long as the deal included stock options and an IPO within five years.

Heyman, who at this point in his life seems to genuinely value being a father to his children, said the only thing that would make a return to the wrestling business attractive to him is the chance to set his children up for life.

Heyman had little respect for TNA’s current product and seemed confident in his ability to turn it around, if a bit disinterested in doing so.

The rumor mill needs a fat burner lately, but word is that TNA is hoping to bring in both Paul Heyman and Jim Ross soon. Heyman’s name has been mentioned because of his ECW credibility, now that TNA is home to a number of Heyman’s ECW talents, including Rob Van Dam.

However, Jim Ross could be the biggest impact move TNA could make, as he would improve the quality of announcing in TNA overnight, like, 1,000 percent. Ross’ WWE contract expires at the end of this month and if WWE wants to re-sign him, the clock is ticking. Meanwhile, TNA is drooling at the chance to pick up the most legit play-by-play talent in pro wrestling.

When it was born a couple years ago, ECW One Night Stand was a breath of fresh air among WWE PPV events. It was the world series of ECW events, considering that the promotion had been dead for years, bought out by Vinny Mac.

Sure, everyone knew that ECW was still WWE-owned, but for one night a year fans could see Paul Heyman in control, struggling against the McMahon oligarchy. One could hear RVD given lines more significant than “that’s cool” or “sweet.” For a while, ECW was ECW again.

No more. In this post-WrestleMania calender year, all the WWE PPVs that were single-branded are now multi-brand, including One Night Stand, which isn’t even called ECW One Night Stand anymore.

ECW is swiftly becoming just another generic WWE brand. Rest in peace, ECW fans.

I realize that from a WWE perspective, putting the ECW belt on Vince McMahon was a classic retread of the Stone Cold Steve Austin storyline template: rebellious employee faces off with evil owner. But that formula is wearing a bit thin, carrying the luggage of overuse in recent years, and while WWE’s defenders may say it was all about pushing ECW’s Bobby Lashley as much as possible, the backlash of the move certainly carried with it substantial risks related to alienating ECW lovers.

ECW has been the subject of a McMahon-centric makeover ever since ECW creator Paul Heyman was bounced from WWE last December, but what such a Vince-centric storyline really needed was an opposing force manipulating from behind the scenes who could go toe-to-toe with Vince. That’s right: ECW needs Heyman to really sell this “ECW Originals vs. The New Breed” storyline that has become central to each Tuesday night broadcast on SciFi.

The New Breed has Vince pulling the strings, which is fine, but who is the unmovable object to Vince’s irresistible force? Bringing Heyman back would take this storyline to the next level, and open of the possibility of an “ECW Walkout” in which ECW seems to go independent again, under Heyman’s leadership, even though it would be in storyline only.

Something like that is needed to fix the current ECW, which in the months since Heyman’s ouster has become just another identity-less WWE brand, not distinguishably different from Raw or Smackdown, except that the show’s an hour shorter.

Heck, even One Night Stand has become a multi-brand PPV event. Sure, the belt was put back on Lashley, but anyone who think’s McMahon’s reign is over is fooling only themselves. Yawn.