Paul Heyman escalated the rivalry between WWE’s top power couples, publicly dismissing AJ Lee and insisting she does not measure up to her WrestlePalooza opponent, Becky Lynch.
Appearing with World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins on ESPN’s First Take, Heyman described the match as a “complete misuse of CM Punk’s family.” Pressed on strategy, he sharpened his focus on Lee’s status in the industry. “I don’t think AJ Lee is in the league of the greatest woman’s wrestler of all time, Becky Lynch, the first woman to ever main event WrestleMania and win, by the way,” Heyman said, pointing to Lynch’s victory over Ronda Rousey and Charlotte Flair. “I think it should simply be Seth Rollins versus CM Punk and the loser keeps AJ.”
The comments extend an ongoing media offensive from Heyman’s camp. On another ESPN program, Rollins reflected on the confrontation from this week’s Raw, when Lee slapped him before being dropped with a Manhandle Slam from Lynch. Rollins acknowledged the slap’s impact—“She’s got a h—l of a right hand on her, I’m not gonna lie”—but portrayed the entire sequence as part of a deliberate strategy.
According to Rollins, he and Lynch orchestrated the moment to rattle their opponents, presenting themselves as “the greatest couple in the history of professional wrestling.” He reinforced that message by calling himself a “moment-making machine” and declaring he will stand on the “Mount Rushmore of this industry.”
The combined rhetoric from Rollins and Heyman underscores a clear approach heading into WrestlePalooza: their plan is as psychological as it is physical.