WRESTLEMANIA WEEK: 4/3 Breaking News: Multi-Time WWE Champ Retires from WWE

Paul Heyman sat down with IGN to promote Wrestlemania and talk about Lesnar and Reigns. I've posted the interview in its entirety.
 

Quote:

With Mania upon us, I sat down with Heyman to discuss the big match he’ll be ringside for, Lesnar re-signing with the WWE this week, the end of the Undertaker’s WrestleMania streak last year, criticism Roman Reigns has faced and more.

IGN: Your DVD last year got a great response. What was it like to have people reacting to your story like that?

Heyman: It was quite flattering and humbling at the same time. I’m too busy living my life instead of reflecting back on it. My only hesitation in doing the DVD was I really don’t want my whole life chronicled yet because I’m not done living it.
Ladies and gentlemen, his name is Paul Heyman...

Ladies and gentlemen, his name is Paul Heyman...

IGN: Well, there can be a sequel!

Heyman: Hopefully several.

IGN: There you go. With WrestleMania, how exciting is it for you to have Brock going in as the champion?

Heyman: Well, this is really Bock Lesnar’s rightful place. He is a once in a lifetime athlete and a once in a lifetime performer and a once in a lifetime attraction in this industry. This is clearly his time. There is no one like Brock Lesnar, not in WWE or UFC or Mixed Martial Arts, so you like to walk into a situation saying “I’m so blessed. I’m so fortunate. What an honor it is to be…” To be blunt with you, I don’t think there’s any other place for Brock Lesnar to be but on top.

IGN: Brock beating Undertaker last year was such a huge deal. What was it like to feel the impact of what that meant to the industry and to the fandom?

Heyman: The moment that we were told that WrestleMania was going to feature Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker, the first thing going through my mind was, “Okay, once we beat the Undertaker, what’s the follow up? Where do we capitalize on that momentum?” I never saw anything different than Brock Lesnar beating the Undertaker. There’s nothing that would have happened last year that would take away from the original 21 and 0. No one will ever eclipse that streak. Not Brock Lesnar, not John Cena, not any superstar that’s coming up the pike is going to get to 21 and 0. It’s just an impossibility. So at the same time, we’re looking at Brock Lesnar, walking into his prime both as an athlete and as an attraction and clearly this was the one to be the one in 21 and 1.
Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.

Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.

IGN: So what are your feelings on Roman Reigns? He’s got plenty of big fans, while others question whether he’s ready for where he’s at in his career right now

Heyman: I think anyone who questions whether or not Roman Reigns is ready for where he is in his career is blind to how talented this young man is. I don’t see the criticism. I don’t agree with any of the critiques. Clearly he is a total bad *** that can bring it in the ring, and walked away from a promising football career to get into the business that has fed his family for many, many years. He has adapted to this business as fast as anyone I’ve ever seen. The biggest criticism that can be valid on Roman Reigns is he didn’t spend a lot of time in NXT. He didn’t have to. He was ready for the main roster faster than anyone else was ready for the main roster that came out of the NXT system. It’s like one of these prodigy kids that graduated high school at 14 and graduated college at 16, because they can. And he did and he graduated the developmental system faster than anybody else in history because he could. Anybody that’s sitting there saying “Roman Reigns isn’t ready,” by what criteria are they making that judgment? 

IGN: What was it like for you seeing Brock re-sign with WWE this week? Obviously everyone was wanting to know what was going to happen with his future.

Heyman: I was ready for Brock to make any decision that Brock deemed appropriate. So if Brock’s desire was to go back and fight in the UFC then I would be riding his coattails that way. If Brock decided he wanted to slam dunk a basketball and get into the NBA and mow down the competition, then I was going to pick up that game real fast. He decided to stay here and set records both on subscriptions to the network or pay per view buys or ticket sales for major events in WWE, I’m happy to ride his coat tails here as well.

IGN: As you said, Brock is a unique presence in this industry. Some like the mystique around him and some people wish they could see him more and think we don’t see him enough as the champ. What do you feel about the fact that he makes his presence known every once in a while?

Heyman: I hate repeating myself but, I said it once impromptu on television, and I think the argument holds water today… And this is a Jewish kid saying this, but what’s the most beautiful night of the year? It’s Christmas Eve. It’s when everyone gathers around the tree and the fireplace and grandma and grandpa get to give the kids presents and the kids get to receive presents. “We love you, Junior,” “We love you too Grandma and Grandpa.” And the whole family is together and it’s in the spirit of love and celebration and family and unity and humanity. Well if it’s that great, why don’t we do it 365 nights a year? Because it would lose it’s meaning. It would defeat the purpose. It wouldn’t be special and you’d start taking it for granted. No one takes a Brock Lesnar match for granted because there’s only going to be a select few, in the future, that you’re able to watch. Why would we take away from the novelty, from the exclusivity, from the extraordinary opportunity that the audience is offered when they get to see a Brock Lesnar match?

IGN: Given what you said about both Brock and Roman, safe to say you feel their match will be the one to top them all this weekend?

Heyman: My personal desire in this match is for Brock Lesnar to make this match the defining moment of his championship run. His first WrestleMania title defense ever and the declarative statement that he is the Beast, he is the conqueror and he has conquered the WWE universe like no one else has ever even dared to dream of doing in the past.

IGN: Entrances are such a big thing in WWE. Have you ever toyed with wanting to have music, or given your power on the mic, do you like coming out with just your words?

Heyman: No, I don’t want music because I don’t want to be like everyone else. Everyone else has music. My music is the gasp of the audience when they realize Paul Heyman has walked through the curtain.