In 2024, Paul Heyman joined some of the biggest names in pro wrestling when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, and while many fans believe it was the right move, during an appearance on the “What’s Your Story?” podcast, he revealed that he’d turned the offer down four times previously.
“I just thought ‘I will never do it while active,’ and my kids always wanted me to accept it because they were afraid they were gonna have to accept it for me after I’d died,” he admitted, before explaining why he eventually agreed to it. “Number one: it was WrestleMania 40; pretty momentous. Number two: I was the first person asked by Paul Levesque, with him being in the complete control of the Hall of Fame and, to me, that was a lifetime honor. Number three: he asked me to headline it; which was also his first Hall of Fame that he’s running, and I’m asked to headline? What an honor. And number four: we were coming out of a very chaotic time corporately.”
Heyman further noted that Paul Levesque was doing a magnificent job of running WWE despite the opinions, and he wanted to be the one to publicly give Levesque his flowers. Heyman also expressed that it was McMahon’s first public appearance since stepping away from WWE, which was another moment he admired.
“No matter what anybody says about anybody around you, you live and die on your own merits or demerits; yours, no one else’s,” he added.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit “What’s Your Story?” and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
