Paul Heyman Explains The Prep & Development He Puts Into WWE On-Screen Character

WWE Hall of Famer Paul Heyman has done just about everything in WWE. He has been the creative force behind the television shows, been an in-ring competitor, and has sat ringside on commentary for some of the biggest matches in WWE history. However, his greatest roles have come as a manager, whether as Brock Lesnar's "Advocate" or Roman Reigns' "Wiseman." 

But to fit into so many different roles, especially on-screen, a lot of time and effort has to go into perfecting his character, which he broke down during a recent interview with "Screen Rant."

"I study. I'm a voracious student of camera angles, lighting, sound. From being obsessed with directing, I've studied different ways to approach the performance. And also it's a lot of what we do is very much improv. I know the theme of what I'm going to talk about when I go out there. I know the sales pitch. I know what I'm trying to convey to the audience, but I don't really know the exact words. I may know a line or two that I have planned. But besides that, it's just taking the temperature of the room and playing to it. And when you do that for so long, there are nuances and idiosyncrasies and subtleties that you learn in reading the room," he said.

Heyman explained that the key is to figure out when the audience might get sick of him so that he knows when to get out or to rile them up more than usual if they are into what he's doing. Both are key elements in Heyman's longevity in the business as he has always cared more about what the audience wants to see compared to what he wants to see himself.

Understanding the audience he is performing for is not just a helpful tool that has helped Paul Heyman remain relevant after all these years, but a necessity. He explained that he tries to put himself in the shoes of the fans to see if they would connect, or even understand half of the stuff he's saying before committing to a promo.

"It's just a feel for the interactive synergy that you have with an audience. I would dare to say that if you watch any orator perform in front of his audience, they will all tell you something similar to this. What's the core of what I'm talking about? How do I drive that core into the heart of the audience? How do I get them to feel what I'm saying and care about? And if you can ask yourself those questions before you go through the curtain and perform or if it's a backstage before the red light goes on, then what you've accomplished is putting yourself in the mindset of the viewer," he explained. "And once you're in the minds of the viewers, how do you play to them? And how do you get them emotionally invested in the message that you're delivering?"

Heyman rounded off by using his work with Roman Reigns as an example. If he knows he needs to get the audience to feel sympathy for "The Tribal Chief's" opponent, his tone and expressions will dictate the pace of the journey he takes the fans on in getting them to the destination. This also works for the opposite when he needs to amp up his antagonistic tendencies to get fans to hate Reigns' opponent.