Who Was Really Responsible For Cody Rhodes & Paul Heyman’s Dramatic WWE RAW Promo

WWE presented a dramatic segment between Paul Heyman and Cody Rhodes this week on RAW. The words between them brought a lot of tension to the ongoing storyline on the road to WrestleMania, but those subtle gestures were also noted. Credit for those two things do not go to the same person.

Ringside News would like to make it clear that producers and writers have different assignments in WWE where promos are concerned. Michael Hayes produced that segment between Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman, but he had nothing to do with the words they spoke.

We were told by a tenured member of the creative team that Michael Hayes was “responsible for the physicality, as slight as it was,” between Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman. That physicality was noted in a big way, thanks to a few simple nods from Cody Rhodes.

Freddie Prinze Jr, a former WWE writer, noted on his podcast that those small nods from Cody Rhodes during his promo with Paul Heyman could have planted the seeds for something down the line, perhaps a heel turn for the American Nightmare. This is an ongoing storyline that has miles left to develop as we approach the grandest stage of them all, but storytelling in WWE is far more complex than a lot of people give it credit for.

We were also told that, “To say anyone other than Cody Rhodes was responsible for what Cody wanted to say, or that anyone other than Paul Heyman put together Heyman’s promo, is wrong.” The promo took many minds to make everything work, and they obviously had the right people in those roles.

We will continue monitoring this story, and everything else going on in the pro wrestling world, right here at Ringside News.

What’s your take on Cody Rhodes and Paul Heyman’s promo on RAW? Sound off in the comments!