The Next Paul Heyman Guy Should Be…

SummerSlam has come and gone, and looks like it will be remembered, in part, as the swan song for the era of Brock Lesnar. Lesnar dropped the Universal Title to Roman Reigns after an incredible 500+ day reign and looks poised to take a sabbatical from the WWE and begin training for his upcoming UFC championship fight. That seems to have left his advocate, Paul Heyman, in a bit of limbo.

You would assume that Lesnar will not be back on WWE television again until at least WrestleMania, if not longer. Heyman is too much of a talent to go unused for that length of time. He is an incredible promo and he carries a presence and credibility with him that could be used to give another superstar a needed “rub.” Yes, I know there have been some failed cases of this being attempted in the past (Curtis Axel, Ryback, Cesaro), but none of those guys were looked at as true main event stars at the time, even with the backing og Heyman. But given the current situation, one in which there is a new champion on a RAW brand that is lacking in real main event heels to challenge him, a new “Heyman Guy” could be just the ticket to launching Roman’s next big feud. And I think I have just the guy.

Ladies and gentlemen, enter Bobby Lashley.

Lashley has been a curious case since his return earlier this year. He was debuted with little fanfare, and though it was clear that the powers that be saw him as a big time player, his first major feud was a mid card tilt with Sami Zayn. Following that, however, Lashley was thrust into the main event scene with a war of words against THE GUY Roman Reigns. The feud got over with the crowd and their issue culminated at Extreme Rules in a match where Lashley BEAT Reigns! He was put over the Big Dog, the top star in the company, and put over clean no less. It would have appeared Lashley was going on to bigger things.

Had Vince gotten cold feet with Reigns again? Would it be Lashley who was ultimately the man toi dethrone Brock at SummerSlam?

No, no he wasn’t.

Reigns got his win back two weeks later on RAW to become the number one contender, rendering Lashley’s win at Extreme Rules useless, and eventually went on to defeat Brock at SummerSlam. And Lashley? Lashley wasn’t even on the show!

Is there anyone else you can think of who beat the top star in the company on pay-per-view, cleanly, and then wasn’t even on the show the following month? It was two steps forward, three steps back!

The fix? Lashley needs to turn heel and take on Heyman as his advocate.

The angle almost writes itself. First, there is continuity with the obvious ties between Roman and Heyman. Heyman almost becomes the Bobby Heenan to Roman’s Hulk Hogan or Ultimate Warrior by sending challenger after challenger after the Big Dog in hopes of regaining the Universal Title into his stable of clients. Secondly, Lashley would have logical fuel for his fire by harping on the fact that he has beaten Reigns before, wasn’t booked for SummerSlam, hasn’t been given the opportunities he was promised, etc. Lashley has the look, he has the physique, he’s even a former MMA fighter- almost a Brock Lesnar 2.0.

You could even take it a step further and create a “Heyman Family” by bringing in names like Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre and really build up a Shield vs Heyman Guys feud.

More importantly, it gives Bobby Lashley a more concrete direction and character. Other than his big win against Reigns, which then went no where, Lashley has been floundering on RAW at best. Other than his few week run with Roman at the top of the card, what has he done of note in the past four months? And you have to think that Vince envisioned more for him than this when he signed him away from IMPACT. Otherwise, with a roster full of talent in NXT and others on the main roster not currently being utitlized, why sign him at all? A partnering of him with Heyman as a mouthpiece and manager, which will help shore up Lashley’s weakness in the promo department, might give him the extra boost he needs to really be an impact player on the RAW brand. And gives Roman a credible challenger to the title that fans would believe might actually beat him (because they’ve seen it happen before).

The fact is, Heyman and Lashley are a perfect match. Heyman is way too talented and valuable to the television presentation to keep on the sidelines, Roman needs a strong roster of heels to face as champion (which RAW currently lacks), and Lashley is a guy who could stand to gain much more as a heel with a defined direction than as just another “good guy.” Unleash the Dominator!