Life comes at you pretty fast.
In what must have felt like a blink of an eye, Paul Heyman went from smooth-talking his way into Madison Square Garden as a teen to take photos of the WWWF — the regional precursor to WWE — to being a 58-year-old legend getting power-bombed through the announce table at the iconic venue by a monster he helped create but in the end, refused to indulge.
Since the middle of the pandemic, Heyman has been acting in — and in many ways directing — the saga of the “Bloodline” in WWE, and he deserves formal recognition for his performance.
In previous generations, professional wrestling kept a veneer of “kayfabe” — the art of staying in character — but in the modern era it is transparently presented as scripted entertainment, and thus there’s no reason why Heyman shouldn’t be considered for being awarded best supporting actor in a drama series.
At MSG last Friday, Heyman was in the ring with the current members of the Bloodline — Solo Sikoa, Jacob Fatu, Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga — and they were having a ceremony to formally acknowledge Sikoa as their Tribal Chief.
In the storyline, this was an honor that was deserved by Roman Reigns, whom Heyman managed to the longest world championship run in WWE (1,316 days) since Hulk Hogan in the 1980s.
While Reigns at one point in the story said Sikoa would be his heir, that time has not arrived yet.
Sikoa, who is not a champion and is, by virtue of accomplishment, behind Reigns and The Rock in the Samoan family pecking order, had not earned this title. He instead is trying to take advantage of the power void with Reigns having not been on WWE television since dropping his championships to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40.
On-screen, Heyman was a nervous wreck and his anxiety was compounded by the expectation that he would get badly beaten up once his hand was forced.
One by one, Loa, Tonga and Fatu “acknowledged” Sikoa as their Tribal Chief, as Heyman had bloodshot eyes and uncharacteristic facial stubble.
Heyman was then handed the “Ula Fala” necklace, which Reigns had previously been given by his father and uncle, Sika and Afa Anoa’i, who performed as the Wild Samoans in the 1980s and were later inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
“Solo, I love you, and I acknowledge that you are NOT my tribal chief!” Heyman said, as the MSG audience erupted.
Heyman, who has probably earned enough money in professional wrestling to live the rest of his life eight times, was then the recipient of a “Samoan Spike” from Sikoa and a headbutt from the top rope from Fatu before he was slammed through the announce table.
While WWE is scripted, taking bumps like this is an enormous sacrifice even for the pro wrestlers who are tremendous athletes in peak physical form, which Heyman is neither.
He is likely still feeling the effects.
“Smackdown” on Friday had over 2.5 million viewers on TV, and within 48 hours the fateful segment with Heyman and Sikoa had accumulated more than 60 million views across WWE’s various digital platforms.
By virtue of Heyman’s performances, Reigns, who was a dastardly heel when he dropped the Undisputed WWE Universal championship to Rhodes at WrestleMania in Philadelphia in April, will be cheered as a babyface when he eventually returns to WWE, without having directly appeared in the story for at least several months.
Calls for Heyman to receive an Emmy began percolating on social media immediately after “Smackdown” and the idea was also verbalized by combat sports host Ariel Helwani.
“Cinema,” Helwani said, perhaps mimicking Martin Scorcese.
“Even if you don’t like pro wrestling you have to get behind this.”
This is a story that has been brewing for several years, and Heyman has been the conductor both as an on-screen MC and behind the scenes.
In March, before he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Heyman told The Post that he wanted the saga of the Bloodline to stand up to classic TV drama series such as “The Wire” and “Breaking Bad,” and pulled back the curtain on how involved he is in the process of creating it.
“I carry a significant voice in how we are portrayed and presented — that includes everything from camera angles to music to storylines,” Heyman revealed.
“It’s why Roman Reigns bestowed upon me the blessing name of the Wiseman, which is both acknowledgment from the Tribal Chief to his Special Counsel, and also a historical reference to the Grand Wizard, Freddie Blassie and Captain Lou Albano, who are the only managers during the Vincent James McMahon (father of Vince McMahon) era.
“I don’t know if I could only be a performer. I wouldn’t be satisfied. I wouldn’t be happy with just going out there and doing our shtick. I have to have a voice. I have to have some level of input, and so far, as luck would have it, that input has been not only welcomed but encouraged and very well received.”
The deadline for WWE to nominate Heyman for an Emmy came and went in May, but presuming his performance continues to be transcendent into next year’s WrestleMania season, which could very well feature Reigns vs. The Rock, he absolutely deserves a nomination.
