Paul Heyman Told Vince McMahon Roman Reigns Could No Longer Be “The Big Dog” Wrestling News Source – Latest WWE, AEW, Pro Wrestling News, AEW All In: London 2026 Results

Paul Heyman has revealed that he pushed back on Vince McMahon’s original vision for his partnership with Roman Reigns, believing both Reigns and his own on-screen character needed to move away from what fans had already seen with Brock Lesnar.

Appearing on Six Feet Under with The Undertaker, Heyman looked back at the formation of his alliance with Reigns in 2020. At the time, Brock Lesnar was no longer appearing for WWE after his contract expired during the pandemic era, opening the door for Heyman and Reigns to finally work together on television.

According to Heyman, McMahon initially had a much simpler idea for the pairing.

“The decision was made for us to work together finally. And when I asked Vince his vision for it, he just said, ‘He’s the big dog, and you’re his advocate.”

Heyman immediately felt that approach would prevent the partnership from becoming something fresh. Reigns had been presented as “The Big Dog” for years, while Heyman’s identity as an advocate was firmly associated with Lesnar.

“The first thing I said was, he can’t be the big dog anymore. We’ve run with the big dog since 2012. He needs to evolve into something completely different. And I can’t be his advocate. I was Brock Lesnar’s advocate. I must be something different to this character.”

Interestingly, Heyman said The Undertaker’s own career evolution became one of the examples he repeatedly used when explaining what needed to happen with Reigns.

“The examples that I continuously gave were the Dead Man, the American Badass. It has to be that shocking of a metamorphosis, and it has to make sense.”

Heyman argued that The Undertaker’s transition into the American Badass demonstrated how a wrestler could undergo a dramatic transformation without completely abandoning everything that made the previous character successful.

“The Dead Man grew into the American Badass because times had changed around him. The nineties had evolved, and the audience wanted more out of the Dead Man, to the point where the Dead Man returned as the American Badass. And even though that’s a seismic shift in character, you never alienated the Dead Man. You incorporated him into an evolved character.”

That philosophy ultimately helped shape the transformation of Reigns into the Tribal Chief, while Heyman became his “Special Counsel” and later became synonymous with his role as the “Wise Man.”

“It’s a progression. It’s a metamorphosis. It’s here’s what I have on my resume, and here’s where I’ve been, and now here’s where I’d like to take you next, and I need to wear a different suit. I need to wear different colors. I need to have a different scheme of things, because that worked with Brock, but what worked with Brock did not work with Roman.”

For Heyman, adapting his own presentation is just as important as developing the wrestler he is paired with. He pointed to several major names from his career to explain why the same formula cannot simply be repeated.

“And what worked with Roman did not work with CM Punk, and what worked with CM Punk did not work with you, or with Steve, or with Rob Van Dam, or anybody else that I’ve worked with. Everyone’s an individual, and we need to create and act like a marriage, like a professional marriage.”

Heyman also discussed how he views his position alongside some of wrestling’s biggest stars. Rather than attempting to become the focal point, he sees his responsibility as enhancing the performer standing beside him.

“If I understand my role right, I’m the supporting player, and I take great pride in that. A great supporting player makes the main character, and makes the main character in such a degree that the main character could not pull that off on their own, male or female.”

He compared that philosophy to Robert Duvall’s performances in The Godfather films.

“Robert Duvall in the Godfather movies. The greatest supporting actor I’ve ever seen. Look at the cast. Brando, De Niro, Pacino, and yet Robert Duvall was the glue, and made everyone else around him look better. That’s the role.”

Heyman added that his contribution extends beyond what viewers see on television. During WWE’s demanding touring years, he believed that removing responsibilities from the wrestlers he represented could allow them to concentrate more fully on their performances.

“If I can take something off your plate the day of a show, and back then we were doing five, six, seven shows a week, if I can take something off your plate so you can achieve that, look at the ride I’m on with you.”

He believes the right partnership can help produce a body of work capable of surviving whatever criticism eventually comes a wrestler’s way.

“If it’s with the right person, Brock Lesnar, Roman Reigns, CM Punk, you, Steve Austin, if it’s with the right Rick Rude, there’s no telling the greatness that can be achieved.”

“People can come at you in your life from multiple directions and say anything that they want about you. They can nitpick you to death. You know what they can’t take away? The body of work that you put together that screams out greatness. They can’t take that away from you. That’s yours. You own that. You earned that.”

The decision to reinvent both characters proved pivotal. Heyman’s partnership with Reigns became one of the defining elements of WWE television during the Tribal Chief era, with Reigns’ historic championship run lasting 1,316 days.

Heyman currently appears on WWE programming as the Wise Man of The Vision, while Reigns is the reigning World Heavyweight Champion and is scheduled to defend the title in Mexico City on September 14.