Paul Heyman Thinks WWE Fans Can Now Handle Long-Term Stories

Paul Heyman has lifted the lid on his booking strategy and why he thinks pro wrestling fans are now equipped to handle long-term stories.

Paul Heyman is widely credited for his work with The Bloodline and finally getting Roman Reigns to the very top of the mountain as the accepted face of WWE. For the last four and a half years, Heyman has been by Reigns’ side as the Wise Man to the Tribal Chief.

When Roman Reigns lost his Undisputed WWE Title to Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 40, that spiralled into a new story for The Bloodline. Solo Sikoa assumed power, kicking out Jimmy Uso and Paul Heyman while welcoming Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, and Jacob Fatu.

But just how does Paul Heyman set out his stories to get the most bang for their buck?

Paul Heyman Looking To WrestleMania 43

Speaking on Impaulsive with Logan Paul, Paul Heyman gave an insight into his booking mindset as he revealed how we would set up a story for the former WWE US Champion:

If the question is how I would book Logan Paul in 2025, my answer is I wouldn’t book him just for 2025. My question would be, who’s Logan Paul’s opponent for WrestleMania 42, which is in 2026, and more importantly, who’s Logan Paul’s opponent in 2027, which is WrestleMania 43?

Heyman continued, noting that he has always booked with the final match in mind and thinks pro wrestling has equipped its audience to deal with long-term storytelling:

In an industry that has now enabled its fan base to embrace long-term storytelling, I’m capping you at 18 months. ‘Oh, who’s my opponent for 42? That’s only 18 months from now. Who’s your opponent for 43?’ And once we figure out who your opponent is for 43, let’s back-tell that story.

I never have written a script or answered an idea without knowing the final page. I write the final page first. Here’s the end. It may transition to something else, but here’s how this story ends. Now, how do we get there? How do we milk it? How do we tease them? What’s the intrigue? What are the other characters’ dimensions that play off of this? How does this story affect all others?

Paul Heyman also revealed just how detailed his philosophy is as he discussed Solo Sikoa’s rise in WWE and how the timing was critical for him to declare himself as Tribal Chief:

If everything drives to this point, then you know the narrative that you want to tell. Making sure Solo never said ‘acknowledge me’ before he said it in Madison Square Garden. Making sure he’s never referred to as a Tribal Chief before. Making sure that all roads led to that moment, that 15-minute segment that engrossed everybody because everything since WrestleMania built to that moment.

While it’s far too early to know who Roman Reigns’ WrestleMania opponent will be in 2026, his WrestleMania 41 opponent might become clearer in a few short weeks as the Tribal Chief has entered the Royal Rumble in a quest to win back his WWE Championship.