Paul Heyman is the kind of guy who could sell ice in a snowstorm.
Thankfully, he chose pro wrestling over the frozen water business because when it comes to selling a fight, no one does it better.
After
he and Bronson Reed interrupted Roman Reigns’ promo on Raw, pro wrestling’s greatest orator did what he does best: spit fire. In his signature drawn-out and dramatic delivery, Heyman began by reminding his former charge what happened at Clash In Paris, where Reed injured Reigns:
“Not once in your career did a man lay a beating on you to such a degree that you had to be placed on a stretcher, carried out of the arena, placed into an ambulance, and taken all the way to the hospital.”
Then, after the Tribal Chief challenged Heyman’s Tribal Thief to a fight — any time, any place, and any way Reed wants to do it — Heyman went full carnival barker.
“Roman Reigns versus Bronson Reed this Saturday night, Perth, Australia at Crown Jewel in a match that Bronson Reed made famous. In a match that Bronson Reed has never been defeated in. In a match that Bronson Reed was so dominant in that WWE recruited him from Australia to the main roster.
“This Saturday night at Crown Jewel: Roman Reigns, Bronson Reed — in an Australian Street Fight.”
Fans in Dallas’ American Airlines Center perked up as Reigns accepted and the two men brawled to further build interest in their showdown this Saturday.
Yet, the highlight of this segment was Heyman, who framed Reed as an unbeatable force with a legacy tied to a match he supposedly made famous in his homeland.
Sure, this kind of promotion feels pulled from the 1980s, when background checks weren’t just a Google search away. Why, I could fact-check Heyman’s claims about Reed’s history in seconds.
But I don’t want to.
Admittedly, as much as I’ve come to enjoy Bronson Reed, I haven’t done a deep dive into his pre-WWE career. I know he worked in New Japan and on the indies, but that’s about it. If I found Heyman’s claim to be less than authentic, it would kill the illusion.
And really, what’s the fun in that? Besides, whether Reed actually made the match famous is irrelevant because Heyman’s job isn’t accuracy — it’s hype, and, as always, he did a phenomenal job here.
I also don’t know what an Australian Street Fight is. If I had to guess, it’s like every other street fight in wrestling, just with the name of the host city — or in this case, country — tacked on.
What I am sure of is that this match will have no disqualifications and no count-outs. With no rules, anything can happen. And with Reigns saying he doesn’t want his cousins, the Usos, watching his back, Reed has a real shot at winning — especially with help from Heyman or his tag team partner, Bron Breakker.
A win would avenge Reed’s loss to Reigns at Clash in Paris back in August, raising his stock with fans. As Heyman and Seth Rollins continue to hype Breakker as WWE’s future, Reed would earn equal billing.
And with Survivor Series and WarGames approaching, a stolen win could also set up a bigger storyline, one where Reigns reunites the Bloodline to face Reed, Breakker, and Rollins — The Vision — at that event.
On the other hand, the money seems to be in a Rollins vs. Reigns match down the line, maybe at WrestleMania. A loss now could dull Reigns’ shine heading into that battle.
Indeed, Crown Jewel’s Australian Street Fight can go any number of ways. Thanks to how Paul Heyman sold it, Saturday’s spectacular is something I’m willing to buy.
