WWE: Should Paul Heyman Be Brought Back as Brock Lesnar's Manager?

Aw shucks, Paw.  

Definition:

1– Phrase, exclamation, often used in Southern culture, conveys frustration, or apprehensive agreement, spoken by a child to his or her father.

2– The words I hear in my head every time Brock Lesnar cuts a promo.

You’re smiling, but you have to admit it, because there is no way I am the only one. It is impossible that I am the only fan out here who, when he hears Brock Lesnar speak, does not instantly view him as being an unstoppable war machine.

I look at him and see Opie Taylor, all grown up, and with a really bad attitude.

The fact that Brock looks as though he belongs on a farm, tossing bales of hay over his shoulder into the barn loft like Clark Kent, does not really bother me all that much. The guy is from the Midwest—South Dakota, to be exact. Can’t blame a guy for physically looking like the product of his environment.

But when he speaks, it just completely throws me off, even today. Lesnar is a classic example of the man not matching the voice.

Remember the first time you heard Mike Tyson speak? That whiny, squeaky little voice coming from that muscled-up, rage-filled tough guy who could cave in another boxer’s skull with one punch?

He looked like a monster, but sounded like a Muppet.

Physically, though Brock Lesnar looks like a jacked-up farm boy, there is no doubt that he is one bad man. The tattoos, the muscles, the stout frame, the menacing stare he gives when he confronts an opponent—everything about him screams “cold-hearted killer.”

His voice? Not so much.

But it’s not just the tone of his words that are leaving a somewhat bad taste in my mouth, it’s the way he delivers them.

Lesnar doesn’t sound as though he believes anything he is saying. When he speaks, I get no sense of real emotion, of real passion for the business or what he’s doing in it.

Of course, a lot of that stems from the fact that he likely doesn’t have any in the first place. After all, if you can’t buy into what you’re saying, then how do you expect anyone else to?

To be honest, I did not remember it being this rough when I heard Brock speak during his first run with the company. I do not follow UFC, so as a result, I did not follow him when he left the first time.

I say “first time” because, make no mistake, he will leave again. Just saying.

So, because I did not keep tabs on him, I had all but forgotten that he sounded like an extra from Hee Haw.

If you don’t know that TV show, YouTube it, and tell me he doesn’t fit right in.

The truth is, Brock’s delivery and the sound of his voice were not all that much of an issue before, mostly because he was not the one doing the talking.

Hence the reason for this column.

Should Brock’s former manager, and current close friend Paul Heyman, be brought back to work with the Next Big Thing?

You bet your tractor he should.

Brock, during his epic first run in WWE, was effective for two reasons.

The first of which was obviously his physical strength, and athletic ability in the ring. Lesnar went toe-to-toe with some of the best that the company had to offer, and he made it look easy, as if he had been a WWE Superstar for years longer than he actually had been. He was a natural.

The second reason he was effective, and over, was due to the work done by Paul Heyman.

Paul was the mouthpiece for Brock, the “agent” who told fans what was going to happen, then stood back and watched it happen. His ability to speak his mind and put all of himself into his promos transferred directly to the man that he represented.

He made Brock relevant before anyone knew who he was, or what he was capable of.

Lesnar’s current run thus far has been dramatic, vicious and controversial. It’s what we have come to expect from him. But for me, it could be so much more.

Bringing Heyman back to the fold would provide the personal direction, storyline-wise, that Brock needs. In order to function in the WWE environment and control his animalistic outbursts, he needs someone he trusts and will listen to to help keep him in line.

Paul Heyman is that someone. Despite what plans WWE may or may not have for Brock in the future, I believe that Heyman’s presence would only benefit him and his character.

Oh, and if I have offended anyone with my earlier criticisms of Southern dialects, well, too bad. I live in North Carolina, and I happen to be a fan of the Andy Griffith Show.  

And, if you don’t know the Andy Griffith Show, YouTube it.  Or just watch one of Brock’s promos.

It’s pretty much the same thing.