WWE News: Jerry Lawler Reveals Paul Heyman’s Biggest Changes To ‘Monday Night Raw’
Monday Night Raw has undergone some changes since Paul Heyman was given more control of the weekly WWE show. New superstars have been given prominent roles on the card and storylines have received more focus, but according to Jerry “The King” Lawler, Heyman is also encouraging superstars to express themselves more.
As quoted by Wrestling Inc, the Hall of Fame announcer appeared on the latest edition of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin’s podcast to discuss Heyman’s impact. In Lawler’s opinion, the executive director of the red brand has stopped the performers from being so micromanaged by the creative team, and it seems to have had a positive effect on them.
“Now that Paul Heyman is sort of in charge of Raw, it’s so much not the characters that are being predetermined by the writers or creative. They’re giving the guys a chance to be themselves just like [Austin was] back when [Austin] became ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin. Nobody was telling you, ‘oh, this is how it [has] got to be.’ [Austin was himself] and [he] was given that opportunity and [Austin] took it.”
Austin was also critical of WWE creative’s tendency to script the performers, stating that it turns the superstars into “robots.” The Hall of Famer also believes that being scripted causes wrestlers to question their abilities and spend too much time “in [their] head.”
45 years ago today we lost the King who crowned me a King! RIP Bobby Shane. pic.twitter.com/0gIt8ztweq
— Jerry Lawler (@JerryLawler) February 20, 2020
Lawler also recalled a story where a 20-year-old writer handed a script to the legendary Ric Flair, which made the announcer question the state of the modern wrestling business.
One superstar who’s benefited from the new approach is Drew McIntyre. As The Inquisitr previously reported, he revealed that Heyman encouraged him to put more of his real personality into his character, and now he’s on his way to WrestleMania 36 to compete against Brock Lesnar in the main event.
During the conversation with Austin, Lawler weighed in on McIntyre’s recent push and revealed that he thinks he could be “the guy.” With John Cena’s career winding down as he focuses on Hollywood, WWE is in need of a new breakout main event star, and Lawler believes McIntyre’s love of the business can take him to the top.
The long-term effects of Heyman’s changes remain to be seen, but new superstars are receiving opportunities. Furthermore, some of the roster members are starting to emerge as stars courtesy of having more creative freedom to connect with the WWE Universe, which will only improve the red brand in the long run.
