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After spending years as the top heels in professional wrestling, Roman Reigns and his “Wise Man,” Paul Heyman, have somehow become one of the biggest babyfaces in professional wrestling, with The Bloodline continuing to evolve in one of the longest baseball games of all time.
But when did Heyman know that The Bloodline was going good for the first time in the faction's history? Well, in an interview with Justin Barrasso of Undisputed, the WWE Hall of Famer broke it down, noting that it all came together during his big speech at Wells Fargo Center last spring.
“My Hall of Fame speech became the catalyst for multiple avenues. In hindsight, it’s the trigger for everything we’ve done this year. Roman Reigns stepping out of character to be emotional about his Wise Man at the Hall of Fame, that was the very first step toward the babyface Roman Reigns while he was still the heel champion and Cody Rhodes was his challenger,” Heyman told Undisputed. “Accepting the Hall of Fame honor, in Philadelphia of all places–the birthplace of ECW–at WrestleMania 40 in a building where people were shouting ‘ECW!’, I was so grateful. I was also so thankful to speak to my children on camera for the first time. I went out of my way to keep them off camera and let them decide for themselves what they wanted to do in their lives.”
Did Reigns' speech actually help to turn him babyface just before his big match against the “American Nightmare,” Cody Rhodes? It's hard to say, but Heyman certainly felt that way in the moment.
“That became the first step toward the vulnerable Paul Heyman you saw when Solo really started leaning on me. Roman was vulnerable showing love for his Wise Man. Then the Wise Man revealed his vulnerability, and everyone was ready to embrace us. People were ready for it, then Solo really started to lean on me. In hindsight, the Hall of Fame speech was the beginning of the babyface turns for Roman Reigns and Paul Heyman–and the identification of my best friend in the world, who was sitting beside my children,” Heyman noted.
“That came into play this summer when I told Solo that Roman Reigns said for CM Punk to be left alone. So when I came back, and it was five-on-four, and the OG Bloodline needed one more member for WarGames, it made sense that I’d bring in CM Punk. And it made even more sense that I’d owe him a favor for it.”
How long will Heyman and company remain babyfaces? Considering his personal resume, it's only a matter of time before Paul E. Dangerously turns heel once more with a new confidant by his side. But for now, The Bloodline is riding high as heroes heading into the Royal Rumble, and WWE certainly isn't complaining about that one bit, as they remain just as popular as ever before.