WWE Paul Heyman DVD Review: 13 Things You Should Know

5. Brock Lesnar And Smackdown

In 2001, former ECW star Tazz introduced Heyman to a rookie named Brock Lesnar. The OVW wrestler was new to the business and Heyman helped settle him into how things worked. "Paul smartened me up to a lot of things" Brock says about his mentor. Seeing how the relationship developed, WWE eventually put the two men together for Brock's 2002 television debut. Another gig that Heyman got in 2002 was the Smackdown writing job. "He understands our business and world in a way most people can't fathom" Stephanie McMahon says on Heyman's appointment. It was a great opportunity, but a challenging one too. "It was a tough gig, Smackdown is the b**** of WWE" Heyman states. Nevertheless, he set out to do his best. Three hour edits turned into six hour sessions under Paul's perfectionism. "He was all about discovering talent" according to The Big Show. Edge was one benefactor, crediting Heyman with his singles career push. Jim Ross was another fan, "I thought Paul did a hell of a job writing Smackdown". The show started beating Raw in both tv ratings and ticket sales. Heyman actually credits this period as the best writing tenure of his career, superior to even his ECW days. Unfortunately, he also believes that's what cost him the job. With Smackdown beating Raw, he believes "A lot of people didn't like that."