The Disturbing Truth Behind Paul Heyman’s WWE RAW

CuckTales.

Brock Lesnar Rey Mysterio
WWE.com

“Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”

—The Who, ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’

WWE fooled us once again this week by bait-and-switching the promised Seth Rollins Vs. Rey Mysterio dream match, hoping that the awe-inspiring sight of Brock Lesnar suplexing Rey Mysterio into another dimension would compensate for it, and it did, to an extent: Brock Lesnar looked genuinely awesome here, engineering an atmosphere of unhinged danger. The angle, performed brilliantly by all involved—Dominick’s inexperience revealed itself at one point, but no matter, Lesnar is a genuine freak of nature—was another strong deviation from the dire opening segment Paul Heyman is intent on ripping to shreds.

But the fact remains that the #1 Contender’s Fatal 5-Way match on RAW the previous week was a waste of time. A waste, to be precise, of 20 minutes and 21 seconds. It was also a waste of talent; under the elimination format, Ricochet, a performer promoted as special, was presented as something rather ordinary for literally no reason other than to build the Beast up. This sort of pointless, unflattering booking chips away at the aura of a performer though basic conditioning.

False advertising, and systemic normalisation, are far from the only rotten WWE practises Paul Heyman has maintained in his role as Executive Director.

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!