Paul Heyman apparently had his fingerprints all over the opening of this week’s RAW. A new backstage report claims the entire Sami Zayn and Je’Von Evans situation — along with Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed getting involved afterwards — came from ideas Heyman personally pushed for.
Paul Heyman (Credits: Ringside News)
Paul Heyman Behind October 26 WWE RAW Opening Segment
Speaking during a Self Made Session, Self Made Pro reported that Heyman was the one who pitched bringing those specific names together for the opening portion of RAW. “I was directly told that the opening of RAW — specifically Sami Zayn’s promo, Je’Von Evans coming out, having a match with Sami, and the post-match involving Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed — was told this was the brainwork of Paul Heyman in terms of pitching things for these to happen.”
The report made an important distinction: Heyman did not sit down and write Zayn’s promo or personally produce everything fans saw on television. His involvement was about putting the pieces together and pitching which wrestlers should interact. “Not in terms of producing the segments or writing, but in terms of making the pitch for these people to be involved with each other. That was a Paul Heyman thing, and he had a lot of influence on the show overall.”
How the RAW Opening Segment Played Out
The pitch ended up taking up a big chunk of the October 26 RAW. Zayn opened things by going off on Adam Pearce before declaring himself the most underrated wrestler in the world. He took shots at Roman Reigns’ schedule, brought up CM Punk, Trick Williams and several other WWE stars, and eventually demanded that everyone start acknowledging him.
That brought out Evans, who was not interested in listening to Zayn complain. After the two went back and forth, Pearce made an Undisputed WWE Championship match between them on the spot. Zayn retained after hitting Evans with the Helluva Kick, but things did not end there — Breakker attacked Evans afterwards, Penta tried to intervene, and Reed joined the mess before Breakker and Reed left Evans and Penta laid out.
So while Heyman apparently was not backstage writing every line of Zayn’s promo, the bigger picture of what fans saw was his idea — and if the report about his influence over the rest of RAW is any indication, this was not the only part of the show where Heyman had some input.
Also Read: Sami Zayn Thought His WWE Title Window Had Closed After Royal Rumble 2026 Loss to Drew McIntyre | MyBookie Odds: Bron Breakker Favored as Next Wrestler to Pin or Submit Oba Femi
Source: Ringside News — read the full story there.
