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Braun Strowman Denies Targeting Paul Heyman But the Receipts Say Otherwise

Braun Strowman claims thereâ€s “no problem†with Paul Heyman—but based on his new interview and the paper trail on X/Twitter, it sure doesnâ€t sound like the full story.

On the October 21, 2025 episode of TMZ Inside the Ring, Strowman finally addressed his online back-and-forth with Heyman, but his explanation directly contradicts what actually happened.

“I gotta stop you right there. I keep getting this ‘tweeting with Paul Heyman.†I never even talked about Paul or acknowledged Paul. I donâ€t know why he got so upset and came at me with thinking that I was a kid — especially because he gets to see my face every commercial break on SmackDown. And letâ€s be for real, if anybody knows about me having a show about ordering everything on the menu, youâ€d think Paul would know.â€

Except… Strowman did mention Heyman. On October 7, he posted an old clip of himself destroying Roman Reigns in 2017—complete with ambulance footage and stretcher shots—to clap back at Heymanâ€s recent RAW claim that Reigns has “never been beaten so badly he had to be stretchered out.†Braun didnâ€t stop there. He added a direct insult aimed at Heymanâ€s appearance:

“yea ok Oswald Cobblepot!!â€

The “Penguin†reference wasnâ€t subtle, and it didnâ€t go unanswered. On October 8, Heyman responded with pure venom masked in faux-respect.

“Dear Mr. Strowman,
Your post was brought to my attention. I have nothing negative to say about you, nor to you sir. In fact, I am actually relieved and indeed celebratory to learn youâ€re still alive, something most of us didnâ€t realize and even fewer cared about.
With Love and Respect,
Paul Heyman.â€

Rather than fire back with more insults, Strowman flipped the moment into a PR opportunity. On October 9, he responded:

“Morning Paul,
Thank you for such a thoughtful, kind, caring note but Iâ€ve been quite busy and just getting started. Why donâ€t you tune in to #EverythingOnTheMenu premiering 10/24 on @usanetwork following @wwe #Smackdown. Stay well my friend! Hereâ€s a preview:â€

He attached a promo for his upcoming USA Network show Everything On The Menu, using Heymanâ€s sarcasm to shine a spotlight on his brand. But back to the interview. Strowman insisted it was all misinterpreted and that he never even meant to stir anything up.

“I have no idea. I guess I struck a nerve or something. I donâ€t know. I didnâ€t deliberately, intentionally mean to talk to him or any of that stuff. Maybe heâ€s just sensitive or something. Or maybe he misses me. Thatâ€s probably what it is. People wait and hear struggling a little bit and they realize that when the monsterâ€s on TV, it draws ratings. So, who knows? I have no problems with nobody. Iâ€m my own man. I can handle business how I need to handle business.â€

Still, claiming he “never acknowledged Paul†just doesnâ€t line up with whatâ€s been posted. The original “Cobblepot†tweet, the callback to their 2017 feud, and the subsequent shade from Heyman suggest Braun knew exactly what he was doing. If anything, Strowmanâ€s version of events looks like strategic backpedaling—playing it cool while continuing to get his name out there and promote his new show.

Is Braun Strowman trying to play innocent while stirring the pot? Drop your take in the comments and tell us what you really think.

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Basketball

Lakers reportedly targeting mid-November return for LeBron James

From the moment LeBron James†sciatica was announced, the most optimistic of return timelines seemed improbable. At best. To think he would only miss six games or so after having battled this nerve issue since late July or early August was highly unlikely, it was going to be longer (which is why our initial story suggested mid-November was more realistic).

Now comes the report that the Lakers are being “patient†and want the 40-year-old to return to full health, not rush him, which has them thinking mid-November for LeBronâ€s return, via Shams Charania of ESPN speaking on NBA Today.

“Iâ€m told that the Lakers and LeBron are looking at around mid-November as a realistic debut for him, and so October 30th would be the earliest that the Lakers would be officially reevaluating LeBron James, but it is expected he will need at least a few weeks after that point. A source told me tonight that LeBron will be taking a patient approach with this rehab from nerve injury.â€

That tracks with what we know about recovery from sciatica, it is not a fast process.

His return ultimately depends upon healing whatever is compressing the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back through the hips and down the leg to the feet. The nerve can be compressed by a number of things, such as a herniated disc, a bone spur, muscle tissue after lifting something heavy incorrectly, or other issues.

LeBronâ€s injury is not going to hit the Lakers too hard on the court at the start of the season (he is out for opening night, Oct. 21, when the Lakers host Stephen Curry and the Warriors on NBC and Peacock). Luka Doncic is one of the great floor raisers of the game — just having him makes a team competitive — and he enters the season in the best shape of his life and playing with a chip on his shoulder. However, to reach their ceiling in the playoffs, the Lakers will need not only a healthy LeBron but him and Doncic (and Austin Reaves, and Deandre Ayton) on the same page and clicking. Building chemistry takes time and is the one thing delayed by his return.

LeBron averaged 24.4 points, 8.2 assists, and 7.8 rebounds a game and was named Second Team All-NBA. LeBronâ€s historic streak of making 21 consecutive All-NBA teams is in jeopardy this season because, after missing games to start the season, his ability to get to the 65-game cutoff (imposed by the league) is in question.

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Cricket

Women’s World Cup 2025: Charlotte Edwards says England targeting semi-final spot

Much of the criticism that England faced following the T20 World Cup and the Ashes centred on their inability to perform under pressure, since they have an excellent record against lower-ranked teams in bilateral series but they have not won a global tournament since 2017 or an Ashes series since 2014.

Edwards, who took over from Jon Lewis in April, admits England are not favourites but says they are becoming more familiar and aware of their gameplan for 50-over cricket.

“I’ve definitely come here to win the tournament, of course, but Australia are always going to go in as favourites, India are in their backyard,” said Edwards.

“So we know where we sit, but we also know that we can beat any team on our day and I think we’ve shown that over the last week, but we’ve got to do it consistently. We’ve got to do it under pressure in big events.

“I think around our batting, we’ve got a blueprint that we want people to get big scores, big partnerships, set up the game for the last 20 overs and the players are starting to understand batting time.”

Edwards also spoke of a desire to deliver more success after England’s triumph at the Rugby World Cup, saying that the team got together to watch the Red Roses beat Canada at Twickenham.

“We were truly inspired by those group of girls. I think they’ve been wonderful and hopefully we can build on that coming into our World Cup now,” added Edwards.

“I don’t think it adds pressure. I just think it just inspires us to want to go replicate what they’ve done, and it’s great to see England and female sport in such a great place.”

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