WWE News: Paul Heyman’s WWE Contract Has Expired, WWE Future Depends on Brock Lesnar’s UFC Situation

During the WWE Draft on Tuesday night, Raw’s Stephanie McMahon and Mick Foley made the decision to select Brock Lesnar with the eighth overall pick. However, something subtle happened during Lesnar’s selection in the WWE Draft that has gone unnoticed until only a few hours ago.

When the United States Champion Rusev was selected by Raw with the sixteenth overall pick in the WWE Draft, Lana was also drafted to Raw with him as his valet. The same thing happened for the very next pick when SmackDown selected the current Intercontinental Champion The Miz along with his wife and valet, Maryse.

The subtle detail that many people have missed is that when Brock Lesnar was drafted to Raw, his advocate Paul Heyman was not announced to come with him during the WWE Draft. Once that information revealed itself, there was immediate curiosity and speculation about why Paul Heyman wasn’t Brock Lesnar’s plus one to Raw.

According to a rumor from CageSideSeats , Paul Heyman’s contract with WWE has officially expired. What’s especially interesting is not only that there was virtually no news about Heyman’s WWE contract expiring soon, but it comes at a time when Brock Lesnar’s status with WWE is on shaky ground.

It was reported yesterday that if Brock Lesnar hadn’t been flagged for a violation of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, he would have been the first overall selection in the WWE Draft. Since his first violation went public, he’s also failed a second test, which is putting him in hot water with UFC and on thin ice with WWE. Suffice to say, thin ice and hot water aren’t a good combo.

For Paul Heyman, it’s just a coincidence that his WWE contract to appear on WWE television is expiring, but it’s inopportune timing to be sure. As of this writing, there hasn’t been an agreement on a renewal yet, and WWE has stopped mentioning him on WWE television for the time being, and that is why he wasn’t mentioned during Brock’s selection to Raw during the WWE Draft.

Since Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar’s futures are tied closely together on WWE programming, especially since 2012, Heyman’s future in WWE is in question as long as Lesnar’s future in WWE remains uncertain, which is a problem considering Summerslamis right around the corner for the company and Lesnar has a match with Randy Orton at the event.

Needless to say, Paul Heyman has been pivotal for helping with Brock Lesnar’s run in WWE because the two make the perfect duo. Much of Lesnar’s talking is done in the ring, so it is Heyman’s work on the microphone that gives the feuds and matches more color and commentary, but WWE could be thinking that Brock Lesnar doesn’t need Heyman anymore to add any color.

If Lesnar’s issues with the USADA are resolved without him having to be suspended by UFC or WWE, it’s possible that the duo of Heyman and Lesnar may not be necessary any longer since Lesnar’s recent success in UFC is more than enough to sell him as a dominant fighter in WWE going forward. If it is confirmed that Brock violated the rules of the USADA, and he gets into deep trouble, Heyman may not want to be involved with Lesnar professionally for awhile, which will likely end his run with WWE.

WWE may resign Paul Heyman and bring him back as an advocate for a new “Paul Heyman Guy,” but that is not a guarantee for success. The WWE Universe will also continue to associate Heyman with Lesnar, so that may be a bad idea. For now, it seems Heyman and WWE are going to wait to see what happens with Lesnar before making any decisions about a new deal.