Paul Heyman has revealed that his WWE return in 2002 was originally planned to see him aligned with Chris Benoit, but a last-minute decision by Vince McMahon changed the course of wrestling history by pairing him with Brock Lesnar instead.

During an appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet, Heyman reflected on the events leading up to WrestleMania X8 and how he unexpectedly became Lesnar's on-screen advocate.

After spending much of late 2001 on commentary alongside Jim Ross, Heyman stepped away from television following WWE's victory over The Alliance at Survivor Series. The expectation was that he would return months later alongside Benoit.

"I was coming back on camera, WrestleMania 18 to manage, I hate that word, Chris Benoit, and that was where we were headed," Heyman explained.

At the same time, Brock Lesnar was eager to move beyond Ohio Valley Wrestling and onto WWE's main roster. According to Heyman, Lesnar became frustrated waiting for the call and made it clear he wanted his opportunity immediately.

"Brock was very impatient in OVW and moved back to Minneapolis and told WWE, put me on the main roster," Heyman recalled.

As Lesnar began appearing in dark matches, Heyman noticed that many producers viewed him as a traditional powerhouse and were limiting what he could showcase.

"All these old timers are there, Jack Lanza, Tony Garea, the previous regime of producers, and it's the same thing. Just stand in the middle of the ring, kid, you'll be fine. Let everybody bounce off of you. Don't move too much. He should be a Russian," Heyman said.

Heyman believed WWE was overlooking what made Lesnar special. He pointed to Lesnar's NCAA accomplishments, rare athleticism, and natural presence as reasons he could become something far more unique than a standard monster heel.

"He's an NCAA Division One heavyweight champion. Look at his combine numbers, look at what he can do, look at his leaping ability, look at the way that he moves," Heyman said. "Have you ever seen anyone move like that, let alone someone of that size move like that? And listen to his name, you couldn't think of a better name for a fighter, Brock Lesnar."

The connection between Heyman and Lesnar reportedly began thanks to Taz, who was already familiar with Lesnar's amateur wrestling credentials and believed Heyman was the right person to guide him.

"Taz brought him over to me, because Taz was such a huge fan of Brock's amateur career," Heyman explained. "Taz said, 'Hey, brother, they're gonna screw this up, you got to get involved in this over here.'"

Heyman then approached Vince McMahon directly, warning that WWE risked mishandling one of its biggest developmental prospects. McMahon responded by putting Heyman in charge of helping shape Lesnar's matches.

"So I went to Vince and I said, 'Hey, we have a heavy investment in Brock Lesnar, we're gonna screw this up,'" Heyman recalled.

Working together behind the scenes, Heyman said they focused on a simple formula designed to maximize Lesnar's strengths.

"We just went by the theory of simple, spotlighted, singular. We just kept his matches to that," he said. "It would resonate, it would translate to the audience, and in that we found a chemistry with each other that was undeniable."

That chemistry eventually convinced McMahon to make a dramatic change. According to Heyman, the decision came just one night before WrestleMania X8.

"The night before WrestleMania 18, Vince pulled me aside, and he said, 'This whole thing with Benoit was called off. I'm putting you with Brock Lesnar,'" Heyman said. "Okay, happy to be of service, because I knew this is a once ever opportunity, and that's a once ever athlete, and this will be a once ever act."

The following night on Raw, Lesnar officially debuted on WWE television with Heyman by his side, beginning one of the most successful partnerships in wrestling history.

Looking back, Heyman believes Lesnar would have become a star regardless, but admits the alliance had a profound impact on his own legacy.

"Brock Lesnar would still be massively successful. I wonder what Paul Heyman's career would look like without Brock Lesnar," he said. "We are a very unique pairing, and we work well together behind the scenes, and that transpires on camera. There's a camaraderie, there's a trust between us, there's a pursuit of greatness amongst us that permeates the screen."

Heyman closed by offering perhaps his strongest praise yet for Lesnar, calling him one of the greatest athletes and most overlooked performers he has ever witnessed.

"Brock Lesnar is the modern day Jim Thorpe. He's the greatest athlete on the face of the planet," Heyman stated. "There's no one like Brock Lesnar, and he is the most underappreciated, underrated in-ring worker I have ever seen in my life."