“This Is Unscripted”: Going Against the Grain, Paul Heyman Hilariously Pranked Vince McMahon During an Episode of LiveWire in 1996

Paul Heyman has been in a fraught relationship with Vince McMahon thanks to how he was fired from WWE in 2006. Frequent clashes of opinions emerged between the two as both were in the decisive places inside Extreme Championship Wrestling where Heyman served as CEO and McMahon as the occasional investor.

But much before those disagreements reached the zenith, the duo was on a pretty fun-filled term. Around 1996, The Wise Man enjoyed poking fun at the WWE boss during a live studio event.

Paul Heyman roasted Vince McMahon on WWE Livewire

WWE Livewire is a fun concept that gained traction back in 1996 in the form of a Saturday Morning show. The program was pitched differently. It was arranged with the motive of beneficial public interactions via calls and emails. It was the time when WWE needed to catch up with WCW, so they made an outlet to receive diverse fan suggestions.

Paul Heyman hilariously crept into the scene, and orchestrated a prank call, introducing himself as the ‘Bruce from Connecticut’. The applauding tone of ECW and his voice helped McMahon, Jim Ross, and other hosts of the show to identify the prankster as none other than Heyman himself.

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Recalling that event, Jim Ross on the latest episode of his podcast Grilling JR, noted, ”This is a prank. This is unscripted. This is against the grain. It was really Paul Heyman, but we didn’t know at that time, but most folks didn’t know at the time. ”

However, after getting kicked out of the promotion for a December to Dismember fiasco in 2006, the career manager took 12 years to take off the grudge against McMahon for a flattering comment.

Vince McMahon and Paul Heyman reconciled their issues three years ago

While Heyman headed ECW, the promotion was bought out by WWE after it became bankrupt. Following this, Heyman worked alongside McMahon to revive the brand under WWE. However, with creative differences arising between the two, Heyman was eventually let go from WWE in 2006.

However, three years ago, McMahon and Heyman were both on an investor conference call. In between the discussion, McMahon brought up Heyman’s infamous firing, assuring him that it didn’t come from a personal place. Rather, the show needed to be pushed in a different direction back then. The WWE patriarch also shook hands with Heyman afterward in what seemed to be a mutual reconciliation.

Things have been much lighter between them ever since.

Vince McMahon went on to continue his WWE chairmanship, whereas Heyman has still been enjoying a prosperous WWE run managing a bunch of top talents on the roster since his return in 2012.

What is your take on Vince McMahon falling victim to a cheeky prank of Paul Heyman back in 1996? Let us know in the comments.

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