WWE's live show audience reactions often differ from the spicy online takes of the millions watching at home. Dominik Mysterio and The New Day will be booed out of every building they step into, while everyone at home marvels at their A+ heel work. Jey Uso stands before tens of thousands of people enraptured in pandemonium every time he walks through the curtain, yet the online community remains unconvinced about him. But there's one man in WWE who unifies everyone.
The idea of an influencer causes many a person to roll their eyes. Ask most WWE fans what they knew of Logan Paul before his run with the company, and the answer would be "very little." Just the concept of him was enough to tell him he didn't belong here, only Logan Paul is thriving as a WWE superstar. Dumping out established wrestling royalty in the Royal Rumble and set to be one of the stars of WrestleMania, the social media superstar is only just getting started — whether you like it or not.
Logan Paul Is A Bigger Deal Than His Fellow Superstars
The Controversial Influencer's Reach Is Stratospheric
When the idea has been put to WWE that other wrestling promotions should be seen as competition, the viewpoint from within is that WWE is competing with the biggest names in pop culture and sports like Marvel and the NFL, not AEW. This is true when you consider they are in an arms race for every potential fan's attention, and they will maximize every part of pop culture they can now that Vince McMahon is no longer at the helm. That's where Logan Paul comes in.
Social media is launching more stars than any other branch of media, and Logan Paul is one of the biggest names on the internet. Logan Paul has 27.2 million followers on Instagram, which is over 6 million more than John Cena and nearly three times that of Roman Reigns. AEW has 2.4 million, and that is the same number as Logan's Prime hydration drinks) There is a serious argument to be made that Logan Paul is one of the most important of WWE's roster.
Logan Has A Legitimate Wrestling Pedigree
It Makes People Even Madder That He Can Go Inside The Ring
When CM Punk suggested to Kevin Owens that losing to Paul was worse than losing five Championship matches, Punk played into one of Logan's biggest assets on SmackDown. It's Punk and the audience's insinuation that he's a lesser being in the world of pro wrestling, and that losing to Logan Paul is a source of shame for "serious wrestlers". KO hasn't held a title in WWE for over 8 years, while Logan Paul was US Champion for most of 2024. There's no shock in that result.
In fact, Logan Paul's wrestling ability is why this whole package works. WWE audiences have had fun with Hugh Jackman or Bob Barker throwing hands, but Logan Paul had the best spot in the 2023 Royal Rumble with Ricochet and is operating at a different level. He's had great feuds with Rey Mysterio, Kevin Owens, Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, and LA Knight. Logan Paul lives in and around the Main Event spot now, and from a WWE perspective, he's exactly where he should be.
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Logan Is Essential To TKO Group
The World Of Combat Sports Is Bigger Than Wrestling
It seems ludicrous that, during CM Punk's Art of Wrestling podcast interview, one of his many grievances was being unable to walk his UFC fighter friend, Chael Sonnen, to the octagon while carrying the WWE Championship. Fast-forward to 2025, and TKO Group own both UFC and WWE. It's a more precarious situation than meets the eye, as UFC fans find WWE too theatrical and UFC is not at all family-friendly, but Logan Paul can attempt to bridge that gap.
Given his and his brother Jake's history with combat sports, Logan Paul is the likeliest contender to be TKO's first crossover star. He has already been posturing with Conor McGregor, whose "Billionaire Strut" is a direct replica of Vince McMahon's exaggerated walk and is enormous box office. WWE may be a little less keen than they once were to involve McGregor given the deluge of scandals the Irishman has found himself in, but Logan Paul's combat sports background means it is at least a possibility.
It all comes back to the art of being a true villain. The audience isn't supposed to like the bad guy, and Logan Paul was made to play the bad guy. Watching him dump the man who led a revolution in independent wrestling, and a guy who ran the Bullet Club out of the Royal Rumble is box office, no matter how much it made me want to claw my own face off as it happened. Expect him to follow up the Rumble by beating Hall of Famer and general wrestling god, Rey Mysterio, then punching his ticket to the Elimination Chamber, where he will compete for a shot at the Main Event of WrestleMania. Not bad for a YouTuber.
