In 2004, Stephanie McMahon was overseeing the creative direction of RAW, while Paul Heyman held the same position on SmackDown. Then-WWE commentator Jim Ross recently addressed a disagreement the two had had behind the scenes.

In late 2004, Stephanie McMahon hosted a conference call with other members of the RAW creative team. It later emerged that Hyman made the call without being invited and heard part of the call. As a result, the WWE Hall of Famer lost his position as SmackDown’s creative leader.

talking BBQ JR Host Conrad Thompson-Ross explained the logic behind Heyman’s unauthorized entry into the call:

“Well, in her opinion, Conrad, Paul betrayed Stephanie’s trust. I disagree with you (it’s not important that Heyman heard about the meeting). You would think the head writer of the show being taped the next day Will be told what happened, as Stephanie was scheduled to have a cage match on RAW, which would give Heyman a chance to make a decision, should he repeat another cage match or do something else? The logical answer might be to do something else.” (29:53 – 30:36)

Heyman continued to work on WWE’s revamped ECW brand before leaving the company in 2006. After a six-year absence, he returned as an on-screen character in 2012.

Jim Ross defends Paul Heyman following Stephanie McMahon dispute

After reflection, Jim Ross Don’t think there’s a problem with creative team members hearing about plans for another WWE show.

The legendary announcer thinks Stephanie McMahon’s ego played a role Paul Heyman Removed from SmackDown position:

“He should be listened to anyway, but he’s not popular,” Ross continued. “They wanted to separate, they had a rivalry, and all this other shit. It’s weird. It shouldn’t seem weird, Conrad. It’s so weird! It’s egos and politics and all that sh**t . Heyman is lucky he didn’t get fired.” (30:42 – 31:07)

In the same episode, Ross gave his honest response Corey Graves recently exploded after being demoted to NXT.

What are your thoughts on the Paul Heyman and Stephanie McMahon issues in 2004? Hit the discuss button and let us know.

If you use a quote from JR in this article, please credit Grilling JR and credit Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.