Why Paul Heyman Has Vanished From WWE
Roman Reigns' little mate has been conspicuous by his absence from WWE SmackDown.
Paul Heyman has been kept off WWE television in recent weeks to sell the damage done at SummerSlam 2022.
This is per Dave Meltzer in the latest Wrestling Observer Newsletter. Heyman ate an F5 during the 30 July premium live event, with Brock Lesnar launching his former 'Advocate' across ringside and into the announce table.
Heyman's epic bump was part of a wild, unruly stunt show of a Last Man Standing main event pitting Paul's current managerial client, Roman Reigns, against Lesnar for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Reigns successfully retained the belt in a bout that saw all manner of crazy stunts, including Lesnar using a tractor to lift one corner of the ring several metres from the ground.
In his report, Meltzer adds that Heyman will likely return as a future surprise.
Reigns is currently booked to defend his Undisputed WWE Universal Championship against Drew McIntyre at Clash at the Castle on 3 September. This is WWE's first major stadium show since SummerSlam 1992, with McIntyre, a Scotsman, slotted in as the babyface challenger in the UK. WWE has thus far shifted around 63,000 tickets for the 71,810-capacity show.