Paul Heyman recently recalled cutting a promo in 2014 in Chicago, the hometown of CM Punk. It came after Punk’s departure from the company following Royal Rumble that year. Punk’s future in pro wrestling was up in the air and Paul Heyman had to deal with the hostile Chicago crowd as he came out to Punk’s music on the March 3rd edition of WWE Raw in 2014. Well, Heyman revealed that he drew inspiration from ‘The Untouchables’, the popular film from 1987 that revolves around Chicago gangster, Al Capone.
During an interview with Undisputed’s Justin Barrasso, Paul Heyman recalled the segment and how he managed to pull of the iconic promo. He said:
“That moment in Chicago was a very unique period of time. It came after the Royal Rumble where CM Punk had walked out, and the Chicago crowd was on fire, angry that obviously CM Punk was not going to be there. In the meantime, my appearance took on a whole new meaning because I was so closely associated with Punk. I was going to be a distraction from Brock Lesnar, and we had to get Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker on the map because we were heading straight into WrestleMania.”
Heyman continued that given the circumstances of the show, it reminded him of the movie, ‘The Untouchables.’ He said:
“In looking at the circumstance, it reminded me of The Untouchables, which was directed by Brian De Palma. Kevin Costner, who plays Eliot Ness, leads a group–they’re ‘The Untouchables’. One of the villains in the movie kills one of ‘The Untouchables’ and writes ‘Touchable’ in blood on the elevator wall. It was such a dramatic turning point in the movie.”
Dealing with Chicago crowd is not a walk in the park but Paul Heyman did not see it as an unwinnable situation in Chicago. Heyman grabbed the opportunity to promote the historical match between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker at WrestleMania. He managed to struck a chord with the fans and the rest is history. He said:
“I never saw the situation in Chicago as unwinnable. I looked at it as a magnificent opportunity to promote Brock Lesnar vs. The Undertaker. I knew I could spin within my persona the fact that Punk would have beaten The Undertaker the year before had he just listened to me and ignored the love being bestowed upon him by the audience. In blaming the audience for Punk’s decision to leave, which would only have happened outside of my wisdom, I was directing my venom towards them–and I’d punish the audience by taking something away from them, which would be The Streak, and the only beast on the planet that could beat The Streak was Brock Lesnar. It sounds so fucking convoluted, but when you put it in front of yourself, with that audience that night in that moment, it all made sense.”
Paul Heyman and CM Punk have a fair share of history together in WWE. After Punk’s shocking return in 2023, he has been on quite the run. Punk and Heyman are also reunited together on-screen. Punk is finally set to live his dream of headlining WrestleMania against Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. This Friday on WWE SmackDown, it all comes full circle as Paul Heyman returns to Chicago, Illinois with the hometown hero in the mix as well.
