Paul Heyman reportedly went off-script during the opening segment for the throwback edition of SmackDown.
A week earlier, Roman Reigns successfully defended his Universal Championship against Daniel Bryan. Per the match stipulation, the latter was banished from SmackDown following the loss.
Paul Heyman, accompanied by Reigns and Jey Uso, opened the show by conducting a 10-bell salute for Bryan.
According to a report from Ringside News, the 10-bell salute wasn't actually in the script. Heyman decided to run it himself, and it was reportedly well-received backstage.
One source told Ringside News "imagine if we had a live crowd to react to this!"
Dave Meltzer (h/t Paul Davis of WrestlingNews.co), confirmed Ringside News' report about Heyman going off-script for the 10-bell salute.
Bryan's WWE contract expired following his loss to Reigns on the Apr. 30 edition of SmackDown. He is now a free agent and can sign anywhere he likes, but WWE officials are reportedly keen that he'll end up staying with the company.
Ring of Honor is reportedly planning to submit an offer to Bryan (he competed there from 2002 to 2009). Some talents in AEW reportedly expect Bryan to stay in WWE.
Reigns' program with Bryan is now over, and he has since moved into a feud with Cesaro. The latter will challenge him for the Universal Championship a the WrestleMania Backlash pay-per-view this Sunday.
Heyman Is Flourishing With Reigns
Few WWE managers (and superstars) have consistently performed strong and powerful promos as well as Heyman. Few people could go off script and get away with it, and Heyman is one of them.
It's no wonder that countless WWE fans called for the company to pair Heyman with Reigns some years earlier. These two have been a near-perfect fit together, and Heyman has been instrumental in helping Reigns grow into a successful and giant heel.