Paul Heyman answered Stephen A. Smith on Monday in a video posted to the Heyman Hustle YouTube channel, four days after Smith said on ESPN’s First Take that Heyman had “gotten a bit softer.”
Heyman opened by calling Smith a “Paul Heyman wannabe,” then said he did not mean it as an insult. He played a clip from an earlier First Take appearance alongside Roman Reigns in which Smith asked what he could do to become a Wiseman.
“What does it take to be under your stewardship?” Smith asked in the clip.
“The willingness to be subservient to the cause of pure greatness,” Heyman answered.
Heyman then addressed the “soft” comment directly, taking a shot at First Take host Shae Cornette along the way.
“I guess the fact that I choose, after a 40-year Hall of Fame legendary goated career, not to be the second most obnoxious, abrasive loudmouth on television next to Shae Cornette, that makes me soft,” Heyman said. “Let’s be honest, the only person soft in this conversation is Stephen A. Smith.”
He continued: “But let’s not talk about rumors coming out of our own bedrooms. Dr. Heyman is here with the 100 milligrams to get you hard all over again so that you can advocate on the wonderment of self fornication. FYI, that means GFY.”
“But don’t worry about it. It doesn’t make you soft. It makes you hard, because my softness is a prelude to a level of hard you will never achieve,” Heyman said. “Hey Stephen, it’s okay, because you miss me and you love me, and I miss you and I love me too.”
Smith made his original comments on the October 8 edition of First Take.
“I wanna send this message to Paul Heyman. I love you, but I’m kinda disappointed in who you ended up being,” Smith said. “Paul Heyman has not stood out over the last few months the way I expected him to. He’s actually become a likable figure. It’s one thing for me to like you, but everybody is supposed to hate you. I would dare say that I think Paul Heyman has lost a touch of his luster because he has been too fixated on being liked. I’m kinda disappointed, I must say. I think Paul Heyman has gotten a bit softer.”
"I think Paul Heyman has gotten a bit softer!"@stephenasmith has a message for WWE Manager Paul Heyman 😂 pic.twitter.com/Bs050gKf7K
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 8, 2026
Heyman responded on X the same day, calling the segment a “comedy routine” and promising to address it “sooner rather than later.” He also objected to First Take calling him a manager.
As I stated on another platform, I shall address this comedy routine by my dear friend @stephenasmith, and I shall do so sooner rather than later.
And by the way, @FirstTake, you may refer to me as a @WWE Hall of Famer — an Advocate – an Oracle – the Wiseman – or the #GOAT,… https://t.co/l5JRbds8uY
— Paul Heyman (@HeymanHustle) October 8, 2026
On First Take in May, Smith said he could become WWE’s top heel under Heyman’s guidance, adding that he would “outheel the heel.” As of this writing, WWE has not announced an on-screen role for Smith.
