In the early 2000s, Paul Heyman was added to WWE's creative team by Vince McMahon. At the time, a young Stephanie McMahon had also been put in a position of power, and we've often heard about some explosive clashes between her and the former ECW boss.
Heyman recently appeared on the latest episode of What's Your Story? With Steph McMahon. He revealed that then-WWE Chairman Vince McMahon deliberately pit his daughter against Heyman (and vice versa) for reasons known only to the billionaire.
"We were pitted against each other," Heyman recalled. "Oh, of course, of course, of course we were, we were absolutely. Well, you know, first of all, I had just spent seven and a half years of my life being God of my own universe."
"Now, I come aboard and I’m working for other people, yeah, and there’s an approval process where, number one, I was the approval process, and now I’m one of many pitching," the WWE Hall of Famer continued. "So when I came aboard, I was told, 'My daughter runs the writing team. Take her out of her game. I want you to be the disruptor in the room. I want you to be the contrarian opinion. Do not make that easier. There’s no nepotism here. She earns that right to manage you, or she doesn’t get to do it at the same time.'"
"So I’m walking in to be the disrupter," Heyman said. "And she’s told, 'God damn it, Stephanie, you’ve got to manage that Heyman guy. He’s out of control. He thinks this is his company, and it’s not rein him in. You can’t let Haman take you out of your game. You have to show that you can manage someone like him.' This is true. This is all true."
They eventually worked out that Vince was manipulating them both in an argument that took place at 3am one morning. They both revealed what the WWE boss had told them about the other, and that was a turning point for their relationship.
Despite still often clashing, it sounds like Heyman and Stephanie enjoyed their time on the creative team together and both admitted that they hold no ill will towards Vince. Why not? Well, they appreciate the lesson he was trying to teach them as they found their footing in WWE.
The full conversation is a must-watch (it's a surprisingly personal interview), and can be viewed in the player below. It includes some fascinating insights into Heyman's past, details on his ADHD diagnosis, and a touching story about a young boy with cancer that he and Brock Lesnar met.