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Vince McMahon always had a bit of a soft spot for ECW, the cult-favorite wrestling promotion operated by Paul Heyman. From time to time, McMahon would donate some much-needed capital when the company was running on fumes. Maybe hardcore wrestling was his guilty pleasure. Maybe he kept ECW alive for his own benefit. Or maybe, he appreciated the kind of talent that Paul Heyman was.
Upon the closure of ECW and subsequent buy-out, Heyman was welcomed to WWE. His first on-screen role was as a commentator, a replacement for Jerry Lawler. He then managed Brock Lesnar, became SmackDown General Manager, and led the revival of ECW as the third brand of McMahon’s empire. And then he was fired.
2006's ECW December to Dismember Was One Of The Worst Pay-Per-Views Ever
Paul Heyman was synonymous with the ECW brand, and during the most pivotal year of the revival in 2006, Heyman was sent home, putting an end to a five year working relationship. What happened? It all began with an accursed PPV by the name of December to Dismember. Said PPV is notorious for how awful it was and as painful as the show was, the backstage drama surrounding the event was even worse.
The main event was an Extreme Elimination Chamber, with each participant carried a weapon into the pod. Big Show was the defending champion and the two leading names to win the match were Bobby Lashley and CM Punk. Vince McMahon wanted Bobby Lashley as the face of the new ECW. Heyman, on the other hand, saw CM Punk as the future of the company.
Paul Heyman Wanted CM Punk As The ECW Champion But Vince McMahon Wanted Bobby Lashley
CM Punk was a massive fan favorite, and while Lashley was decently popular, the right answer was obvious. The ECW fanbase wanted Punk as the champion. Prior to the event, Heyman did everything he could to persuade McMahon. The champion, Big Show, was of the same opinion as Heyman, and he wanted to put CM Punk over.
Despite the efforts of Heyman, Vince McMahon vetoed the suggestion of CM Punk, and perhaps as a way to punish Heyman, he booked Punk to be the first one eliminated in the chamber. Lashley went on to dominate the match, but the crowd started booing as soon as Punk was eliminated. McMahon ended the show as he wanted but when the numbers came in the next day, they spelled disaster for Vince McMahon.
The PPV was an embarrassment, with only 4,900 attendance and 90,000 international buys. Vince McMahon was irate at the figures. He found the perfect scapegoat to pin the blame onto, ECW booker, Paul Heyman. Paul E. Dangerously was already ticked off about how the PPV was booked. Getting blamed for the poor buyrate and slumping ratings was the final straw. This little battle between Vince McMahon and Paul Heyman over the direction of ECW was brewing for weeks, and during a plane ride back home, tempers flared to the breaking point.
During an interview years later, Heyman was asked what exactly happened. He dismissed the lingering rumor that it got physical, but nonetheless, the conversation was very, very heated. He referred to the December to Dismember PPV as a promotion ending event and said that it was the worst PPV ever.
Vince McMahon Blamed Paul Heyman For ECW's Failures
Heyman was personally offended by the suggestion that McMahon wanted CM Punk and RVD, two of the most popular ECW stars, eliminated first in the match. The situation escalated from that point on. He termed the incident a confrontation, and eventually, McMahon pinned the blame on Heyman for how poorly the event performed, even calling him difficult to work with. The guy who was working for company for five years in numerous backstage roles was suddenly deemed difficult to work with.
Paul Heyman has always mentioned that he holds a deep level of respect for McMahon but the former ECW boss was fed up, and he spoke his mind about what he thought of McMahon’s pitiful attempt at emulating ECW. By that point, Heyman wanted out of the promotion and this argument was the ticket into getting out of there. McMahon relieved Heyman of his duties as ECW head booker, and a few days later, WWE released a statement that Heyman was sent home, citing bad ratings and a disgruntled roster as reasons for this decision.
Heyman was later approached by Stephanie McMahon with an offer to return to the company, but after the trouble he went through, Heyman wanted nothing to do with the company. He would return to WWE six years later, thanks to his friend Brock Lesnar, and he has been with the company ever since.