‘Biography: WWE Legends’: Paul Heyman on Making of Emotional Roman Reigns Documentary

Paul Heyman has been a promoter, visionary, sh*t stirrer, manager, and advocate. These days the outspoken New Yorker may be in arguably the most rewarding role yet as the special counsel and “Wiseman” to the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Under Heyman’s guidance, the “Tribal Chief” is enjoying a historic reign with The Bloodline leader at more than 1,300 days at the top of the WWE mountain. An incredible accomplishment, especially in the modern era. His name has emerged among the likes of Hulk Hogan, Bruno Sammartino, and other legends with years-long title runs. Reigns’ unprecedented success has not been without setbacks, heartbreak, tragedy, evolution, and growth. Ahead of WrestleMania 40, his journey to greatness is told through the upcoming WWE Legends Biography on A&E.

Transitioning from the gridiron to the ring. Dealing with the pressures of being part of a Samoan wrestling dynasty. The battles with leukemia. Coming to grips with his brother’s death. Finding himself as a performer. For Heyman, who serves as the documentary’s director and executive producer, it was important to not only dig into Reigns the superstar but the man himself. He takes pride in watching his Padawan’s transformation.

Here Heyman opens up about their bond, what makes Reigns a cut above the rest, and his own induction into the WWE Hall of Fame on WrestleMania 40 eve.

What did it mean to you to be so hands-on with Roman’s doc? Did you feel added pressure knowing he is someone so close to you?

Paul Heyman: No pressure at all. When you do what you love, is that pressure? I get to associate with a man I consider to be the most transformative, disruptive, innovative, progressive performer in the history of this industry in Roman Reigns on a daily basis. The pressure is to just keep up with him. His decision to work with me was a wise choice, all puns intended. So when Roman Reigns was approached by A&E about doing a biography on Roman Reigns, he didn’t just want to do a biography. He wanted to do the greatest biography not just for WWE, but the greatest biography that has ever aired on television.

Worthy of Emmy consideration or worthy of the Emmys being accused of corruption if it is not nominated for an Emmy. Plus, if I’m the director and executive producer of the project. Someone who truly cares about Roman and his family. If I’m in charge of the project, the narrative means something to me personally because I’ve known his family for over 40 years. We had a chance to collaborate on a project that in some ways is very WWE and some ways is an outside project because A&E doesn’t just want to know about the ‘Tribal Chief’ Roman Reigns. They want to know about Joseph Anoaʻi, the man behind the persona. What it takes to drive him to be this disruptive force that lifted the entire sports entertainment industry out of the pandemic into unfathomable heights.

The Bloodline (WWE)

You’ve worked with so many over the years including Brock Lesnar and CM Punk. What makes Roman stand out so much in comparison to them? 

I speak passionately about Roman Reigns because I speak from the heart about Roman Reigns. I aspire to be as good a father to my children as he is to his. His ambition, drive, and lust to pursue his dreams match, if not surpass mine. That’s very hard to find in life because I have always been, both to my credit and discredit, the most passionate person in the room regarding creative efforts. It’s hard for me to compare Roman Reigns to Brock Lesnar or Brock Lesnar to CM Punk or CM Punk to Roman Reigns.

My tactic is to extrapolate from the talent what drives them, what motivates them, and what is the trigger that allows them to tap into the compensatory behavior that all men of great accomplishments exhibit. For  CM Punk, the motivation to achieve greatness is far different than what drives Brock Lesnar. What drives Brock Lesnar is completely different than what motivates and pushes Roman Reigns. So comparing them is like asking which one of my children I love the most. I love them all equally, but at the same time, I love them differently from one another.

After Roman Reigns told the world of his leukemia diagnosis on live TV, you were right there when he came back through the curtain. You hug him and tell him he is not alone. I thought that was a powerful moment to include in the documentary. How was it revisiting that emotional scene? 

Very emotional because I’m usually very cognizant of when cameras are around, and I was one of the few who knew what he was going to say before he went out there. I didn’t want to do any public display of emotion, but as I saw him trying to hold in the spiritual turmoil he was going through in the ring, I just knew he needed someone in the gorilla position backstage he didn’t have to lift up. It was, “Hey, you can lean on me.” I rushed up to the gorilla position to be there for him when he came back through the curtain.

To this day, it’s difficult to watch. I don’t even remember it happening because it was all such a blur when it was transpiring. At the same time, I’m glad that was captured because I think it shows, even out of character, the respect and admiration that I have for him. Not just for the character of Roman Reigns, but for the soul of the man who presents himself on television as Roman Reigns. That is Joe Anoaʻi.

The Biography also sees Roman talk about his brother’s death and what he would think of his success today. How was it for you to see him work through that? 

I have to give a lot of credit to A&E for this because the protocol on an A&E Biography would have been to present Matt [Anoaʻi] in a certain way that leads up to the revelation that he passed away mid-story. I didn’t want to tell the story that way. I wanted the viewer to be involved in this story of these two brothers who have much different paths in life but their bond and their love for one another was undeniable.

As we reveal the fact that Matt had such an enormous impact on the man Roman Reigns, then the revelation where you find out throughout that Matt has been speaking to the viewer from the beyond. That you don’t realize it when it’s happening, but you’re listening to a ghost. All of this great advice and experience based on his own experiences that Matt gave to his younger brother is coming to you from a ghost. You don’t realize that until the revelation that he passed away. It’s not the standard way A&E presents a biography. It’s a disruption of the status quo, and to their credit, the network allowed us to tell that part of the story in our way. I can tell you from vast experience most networks are never lenient to an alternative narrative. And A&E was wonderful to work with in giving us that space to tell the tale.

WWE

How important was it having the legends give their insight as the doc shows Roman’s ascension? 

You can not tell the story of Roman Reigns without understanding how the concept of the number one star in the entire industry was blazed by John Cena, Hulk Hogan, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, The Undertaker, and Steve Austin. These are people that have lived their lives. These are people who took on the responsibility and obligation and the accountability, the fame, the glory, and the burden of being the number one star in not just WWE but the entire industry. So, you can’t understand the life Roman Reigns has right now at this moment living if you don’t understand what these men have accomplished and gone through and now reflect on.

Most biographies will look back on your tenure at the very top. Right now, Roman Reigns is smack dab in the middle of that tenure. So, to document that in a biography, while he is living that life makes it even more fascinating to hear what Austin, Triple H, Undertaker, Flair, and Cena have to say about living that lifestyle and living up to the expectations. The responsibility you have to your family, which will conflict with your obligations to the business itself. It lends itself to your promise to the audience that looks at you above anyone else for their entertainment fix.

This doc premieres the week before WrestleMania 40. Roman is set to team with his cousin The Rock on Night 1 and then defend his title against Cody Rhodes on Night 2. When you think about it, you’ve had quite the string of Mania main events. 

In terms of WrestleMania’s main events, You’re talking about six consecutive ones plus other ones in the previous decades I’m walking in with the champion. I can’t even count my stats anymore, and they are far ahead of everyone else or anyone’s wildest dreams. When your stats are such that you can’t even quote them anymore, know you’re living a dream that far exceeds anything your mind could have comprehended when you were younger. I’m very blessed to live that life.

And I’m only living that life now because I was rescued from the ocean of obscurity and pulled on to the Island of Relevancy by Roman Reigns. I thank him every single time we walk through that curtain. If you look at the behind-the-scenes footage of the two of us, when we walk through that curtain, I say thank you to Roman every single time. I think every performance is merely an audition to be invited next time. The day I’m not qualified to be his “Wiseman” is the day I will advise and counsel him to replace me.

Beyond being there for those main events, you will also be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in Philadelphia Put into words what this will mean to you. Have you written a speech? Do you know who is inducting you? 

Do I know who is going to induct me? The answer is yes. I don’t want to reveal it yet, but when I do reveal it, it will make sense to everyone. I don’t think anyone will challenge the notion of this person inducting me.

Have you planned out what you are going to say during your induction yet?  

No, I don’t know what I’m going to say because I don’t know the temperature of the room yet. One of the oldest adages in show business is to know your audience. Another one is to read the room. Even though it’s Philadelphia, is this a crowd that wants to talk about ECW? Or is this a crowd that wants to talk about modern-day WWE and this year’s WrestleMania? Or is this a crowd that is looking for an inspiring speech from a kid who bull*hitted his way into the locker room as a teenager and got to live out multiple dreams and continues to dream bigger dreams to live out as I push out into the future?

I don’t know what the room is going to want. I don’t know what the crowd at the Wells Fargo Center in Philly on that night at that time is going to want to hear. So, I’m going to wing it. I’m going to speak from the heart and try to give them the very best I can. In some ways, the speech is the same as the night after Brock Lesnar conquered The Undertaker’s undefeated streak at WrestleMania. I was just there to put into perspective what you witnessed. It’s like the first promo Roman Reigns, and I did together when we were paired up together in August 2020, and he won the title on his first night back. I was there to put into perspective not only what you witnessed but where we were going with it.

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In other ways, it’s the most unique promo of my entire career because I’m speaking for myself and only myself and other people’s influence on me. It’s because this is not an in-character presentation, I’m speaking as myself. Not an embedded or exaggerated version, not to sell anything with the possible exception of selling the importance of the Hall of Fame. Being the first person named and the first headliner in the first class made by Paul Levesque. It is one of the reasons I accepted this honor when I turned it down multiple times in the past. It’s because I was the first person named by Paul Levesque and the first headliner for it. So, speaking for so long in front of that large of an audience out of character is a first for me, and there are not a lot of firsts left for me in this business. It’s a unique situation. I plan on doing this with my heart, soul, and spirit the night of. And hopefully, I won’t suck at it.

Biography: WWE Legends, Sundays, 9/8c, A&E