Paul Heyman disclosed that WWE initially intended to pair him with Chris Benoit in 2002 before assigning him to Brock Lesnar instead. The revelation came during an appearance on Insight with Chris Van Vliet. Heyman described how the change occurred just before WrestleMania 18.
Paul Heyman stated that plans were in place for him to manage Chris Benoit upon his return after WrestleMania 18. Taz, now with AEW, alerted Heyman to Brock Lesnar's potential and urged intervention to avoid mishandling the talent.
Heyman approached Vince McMahon with concerns about Lesnar's development. McMahon directed Heyman to produce Lesnar's matches, leading to strong chemistry between them.
The night before WrestleMania 18, McMahon informed Heyman that the Benoit pairing was canceled. He assigned Heyman to Lesnar instead, a role that began with Lesnar's main roster debut on the March 18, 2002 episode of Raw.
Heyman also discussed his current backstage duties as a creative liaison for talent in the same interview.
