Earlier this week WWE announced that SmackDown is moving to Tuesdays and going live. The company also announced that both Raw and SmackDown will have their own unique rosters because the brand split is returning.
There are a lot of rumors going around in regards to what WWE is going to do when the brands actually split. There are a lot of decisions to be made such as, will there be two World Titles? What will happen to the IC Title? The US Title? One of the other questions people seem to be asking is, who will run each show?
The obvious choices here for General Managers on Raw and SmackDown are Shane and Stephanie McMahon. But I’m here today to argue the case for another person to be thrown into the General Manager mix, and that man ladies and gentlemen is Paul Heyman.
Paul Heyman is a unique talent and people often say that SmackDown was better than Raw when Paul Heyman was in charge of the show. If WWE is going to make SmackDown great again, they’re going to need Paul Heyman in the GM position and here’s why.
He’s An Awesome On Screen Character
Paul Heyman is an awesome on screen character and it’s a shame that we don’t get to see more of him. Heyman does a great job as Brock Lesnar’s advocate, but he could also do an awesome job in the General Manager position on SmackDown.
Paul Heyman as an on screen authority figure is absolute gold. It’s worked several times over the years and there’s a reason why it worked, and that’s because Paul Heyman is a one of a kind talent. Pretty much any time Paul Heyman is on the screen wrestling fans shut up and listen. Paul Heyman is always in demand when it comes to the fans and WWE would be doing themselves and the fans a favor by giving Heyman the chance to fill the SmackDown General Manager role.
He Knows How To Make New Stars
When it comes to creating new stars, Paul Heyman knows what he’s doing. Heyman is one of those guys who can take just about anybody and find a way to get them over. That’s because Paul Heyman understands that not every performer is going to be great at everything that comes with being a professional wrestler. Some performers are great on the mic, but not so great in the ring and some are the other way around. Paul Heyman knows how to exploit a performer’s strengths and hide their weaknesses and that’s why he’s been able to help so many talents become stars over the years.
It’s rumored that WWE will be aggressively pursuing new talent so that they can add new names to the roster and it’s also rumored that more stars from NXT will be getting called up as well. It’s important to make sure that all of these new talents don’t get lost in the shuffle and Heyman seems to have a pretty good track record when it comes to helping talents develop.
With two brands and possibly two World Titles in play, WWE will have many opportunities to make new stars. But those new stars are going to need someone to guide them, and Paul Heyman seems like a pretty good candidate for the job.
SmackDown Was At Its Best When Heyman Was In Charge
You hear these three words all the time in the Internet Wrestling Community, “Paul Heyman’s SmackDown.” Heyman hasn’t been in charge of SmackDown since 2004 but fans still talk about his run on the show like it ended yesterday. When Heyman was in charge of SmackDown fans often said that SmackDown was better than Raw and it would be great to hear someone, anyone, say that again and actually mean it.
With SmackDown going live on Tuesday nights WWE can’t just brush it off as the “B” show any longer. WWE is going to need to pull out all the stops to create compelling programming in order to make SmackDown great again.
WWE is going to need fresh new storylines to draw people in and make people care about SmackDown once more. “Paul Heyman’s SmackDown” had twists and turns, it had suspense, it had drama, it had humor and it had lots and lots of action. It wasn’t just a good wrestling show, it was just a damn good show period.
Putting Paul Heyman in charge of SmackDown would create an instant buzz around the brand. When fans hear the words “Paul,” “Heyman,” and “SmackDown” in the same sentence, their ears perk up. If WWE gives Paul Heyman another chance in the SmackDown GM role it might just motivate older fans who have distanced themselves from the product to give WWE and/or SmackDown another chance.
What do you guys think, would you like to see Paul Heyman get another run as the SmackDown General Manager? Sound off in the comments below.
The WWE must make Paul Heyman SmackDown General Manager, because it’s the only way to make it equal. Same goes for them making Eric Bischoff Raw General Manager.
They also refer to his time as head creative writer in 2002/2003, when the Smackdown 6 was kicking ass and taking names.