WWE history: How Paul Heyman saved SmackDown from getting canceled

The backstory

Back in 2002, WWE was losing viewers at a fast pace. After WrestleMania 18 was done and dusted with, the weekly shows weren't getting the kind of response that Vince was expecting. Both Raw and SmackDown were doing poor numbers on a regular basis. Those were desperate times and something needed to be done to keep the audience engaged.

In a rare interview, Paul Heyman can be seen explaining how he saved the blue brand from getting canceled at the time, courtesy "The SmackDown Six".

Heyman's vision

After WrestleMania 18, Chris Jericho was sent to Raw. In a meeting that featured Vince McMahon, Stephanie, Heyman and a bunch of other backstage officials, Vince asked Heyman whom did he want in exchange of Jericho. At the time, Heyman was the lead writer on the SmackDown brand.

According to Heyman, the show was on the verge of actually getting canceled, and WWE was ready to experiment with anything they could come up with. Heyman asked for Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero, and the request was met with laughter from Vince, Bruce Prichard and many others. Eventually, the request was granted and thus kicked off the era of The SmackDown Six!

You can listen to Heyman's interview HERE.

Heyman elevated the following six wrestlers as top Superstars on the blue brand: The Guerreros, Rey Mysterio, Edge, Chris Benoit, and Kurt Angle. Over the course of the next several months, these wrestlers were heavily featured and competed against each other, resulting in a surge in ratings.

As per Heyman, no one was laughing at him now.

The aftermath

Over the course of the next several years, The SmackDown Six went on to become major Superstars on the WWE roster. Barring Chavo Guerrero, everyone won the WWE/World Title at some point in their careers.

Years later, Heyman is now the Executive Director of Monday Night Raw, and there's a reason why the WWE Universe is as excited as ever!