UFC 131 Extended Preview: Paul Heyman Aids Shane Carwin in Acting as Menacing as He Looks

Since Shane Carwin exploded into the UFC, crushing other heavyweights as if they were tin cans, one glaring issue stood out.  The man wasn't all that interesting outside of the cage.  He was a humble, hard working, giant of a man.  As fun as it is to watch him fight, the pre-fight hype during the lead up to it would be incredibly dull.  Well, it would seem that Carwin's days of being interesting in the cage only have passed.

Zuffa brought in Paul Heyman to handle Carwin's part in the Countdown to UFC 131.  Say what you will about Heyman, but he gets the job done.  I was unsure if Heyman could pull it off, but after watching the extended preview above, I'm convinced he can turn water into wine.  Although hardcore fans may cry that Carwin's attitude feels forced, the vast amount of casual fans who aren't in the know have no clue what's going on with the sudden attitude change.  Putting myself in a casual fan's shoes, after watching Carwin and seeing this new attitude, I'd draw the conclusion that his loss to Brock Lesnar lit a fire inside of him.  A marketable storyline for a fighter with a marketable style and look.  

This is only a sample of what we'll be seeing tonight at 6:30 pm ET, when the Countdown to UFC 131 airs on Spike TV.  It'll be interesting to see more of this new Carwin, to say the least.  If the full show comes across as the preview did, I think it's safe to say that Heyman will be back to work with the UFC again in the future.