Since Roman Reigns choked him out and left him motionless at Clash in Paris just over two weeks ago, Paul Heyman has been absent from WWE television. Heyman has now resurfaced, but his comments have only fueled speculation about where his loyalties lie.
Appearing on ESPN’s First Take with Stephen A. Smith, Heyman addressed the aftermath of Reigns’ attack, citing visible damage to his eye. “Roman Reigns choked me out so hard. If you take a look right here, I busted all these blood vessels in my eye. I don’t know if it’s permanent damage or not,” he said. The injury reinforces the kayfabe “laryngeal contusion” that WWE commentators referenced to explain his disappearance from programming following the premium live event.
The real intrigue came when Smith asked if Heyman would be at ringside for Seth Rollins’ high-stakes tag team match at WrestlePalooza this Saturday. Heyman declined to give a definitive answer, instead offering a carefully crafted tease. “H—l of a cliffhanger. I’m always comfortable ringside with Seth Freakin’ Rollins. Maybe the strategy calls for me to be elsewhere at that moment. Maybe the strategy calls for me to be ringside at the moment.”
Heyman’s deliberate ambiguity leaves his role shrouded in uncertainty. His absence has already been noted on Raw, with Bron Breakker pointing out that without Heyman, his faction, The Vision, lacked leadership. By refusing to commit ahead of the Indianapolis event, Heyman has ensured that all attention will be on him at WrestlePalooza—whether he appears at ringside or not.