Paul Heyman has shed new light on one of wrestling's most intriguing "what if" stories, revealing that Shane McMahon once pushed hard to purchase ECW before the promotion ultimately collapsed.

For years, there have been rumors that WWE secretly bankrolled the original ECW. While Heyman acknowledged that narrative isn't entirely accurate, he confirmed WWE did provide financial assistance during the company's final months.

Speaking on the "Insight" podcast, Heyman revealed WWE made two separate payments to help keep ECW afloat. The first was a $500,000 payment in the summer of 2000 that allowed the Heatwave 2000 pay-per-view to go ahead. A second payment arrived in December, giving the promotion enough time for the McMahon family to examine ECW's financial situation.

According to Heyman, Shane McMahon had ambitions of purchasing the company and operating it as its own brand.

"Shane wanted to buy it. So Shane wanted to buy ECW and run it on its own. Vince said, 'It's easier to let it go into bankruptcy and we get Heyman.' Shane still pushed and pushed... Vince found it more valuable to have me. As Vince would say, 'I'd rather have Paul Heyman in the castle p****** out than out of the castle p****** in.'"

Heyman compared the situation to Apple's acquisition of Beats Music in 2014, explaining that the real prize wasn't necessarily the company itself, but the people behind it. In his view, Vince McMahon valued bringing him into WWE more than preserving ECW as a separate promotion.

That move eventually led to Heyman's arrival in WWE in March 2001, although he admitted the working relationship became far more difficult once he was inside the company rather than collaborating from the outside.

The partnership ultimately reached a breaking point in late 2006 when Heyman walked away from WWE after becoming increasingly frustrated with the direction of the revived ECW brand, which he felt had drifted too far from the identity of the original promotion. He would remain away from professional wrestling for more than five years before eventually returning.