Paul Heyman finally pulled back the curtain on that emotional WrestleMania 42 moment with Brock Lesnar, and yeah, it was as personal as it looked.
After Lesnar lost to Oba Femi at WrestleMania 42, The Beast Incarnate removed his boots and gloves in the ring, making fans think they might have just watched the end of his career. Then came the real gut-punch moment, as Lesnar and Heyman embraced in the middle of the stadium while cameras caught every second of it.
While speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Heyman revealed what was actually said between them during that embrace. It was not some scripted line or a big performance for the crowd. It was two men who had been through a lot together saying what they needed to say.
“I thanked him for everything. He thanked me for everything. I told him that I love him. He told me that he loves me. Then I asked him if he finds it funny that the two of us are standing in the middle of the ring, in the middle of the stadium, in the middle of WrestleMania, being broadcast all over ESPN, telling each other that we love each other. I said, ‘This is kind of a surreal moment.’ He goes, ‘F**k them! Don’t worry about that, this is just for us.’ Okay, my beast.”
Heyman said he was happy the moment happened and did not shy away from how emotional it was.
“Happy to happen, happy to participate in the moment. It was just a very personal moment that we were not hesitant to share with the rest of the world. It was a very emotional moment.”
At the time, it looked like Lesnar may have been walking away for good. Taking off the boots and gloves after a WrestleMania loss is the kind of image that screams retirement in wrestling. But that was not the end of Lesnar’s story, because he later returned to action and picked up a win over Oba Femi at Clash in Italy. Chris Van Vliet asked Heyman what fans should make of that WrestleMania moment now that Lesnar is still competing, and Heyman said people should focus on how it made them feel in the moment.
“Remember how I felt if I’m an audience member. I would remember how I felt watching it. I’d remember what that moment was.”
Heyman said fans should just appreciate that they got to witness something real between him and Lesnar.
“I remember all that it encompassed, and I would be appreciative of the fact that I got to live that moment and experience it and hold it in my data bank as a fan.”
Lesnar may not be retired, but that does not make the WrestleMania 42 moment fake. Heyman made it clear that what happened in that ring was real between them, even if The Beast still had more left in the tank.
What did you think of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman’s emotional WrestleMania 42 moment? Leave your thoughts in the comments.