YouTube superstar Logan Paul makes his first appearance as champion at WWE’s annual highlight WrestleMania – and is increasingly making his mark on the showdown league, and not just as a wrestler.
In the beginning it seemed like a marketing stunt, but in the meantime it has become one of the most remarkable careers in WWE history.
Two years after making his debut for the wrestling league, social media superstar Logan Paul is now set to make his third appearance at the WrestleMania mega-show. The older brother of similarly feisty boxing phenom Jake Paul is increasingly making his mark on WWE – in more ways than one.
First WrestleMania appearance as champion
The 28-year-old makes his first appearance as champion at the annual highlight in the NFL stadium in Philadelphia: On the latest edition of the Friday Night SmackDown TV show, WWE made it official that Paul will put the United States Title he won last fall on the line in a three-way match against longtime ring veterans Randy Orton and Kevin Owens
The dazzling influencer Paul has been under contract with WWE since 2022 and has since hit like a bomb: With spectacular actions, great stage presence and, above all, an outstanding understanding of ring craft and psychology, Paul has reached the level of a top star at an impressive pace.
Because Paul has also taken a liking to being a show wrestler in reverse, he tied himself even more closely to WWE with a new contract at the beginning of the year and now describes himself as a “full-time” wrestler who “no longer treats the job like a hobby.”
At the same time, the ever-resourceful businessman has also recognized and exploited new money-making potential in the association.
Logan Paul now also present as WWE top sponsor
As WWE revealed a week ago, a new collaboration is coming into effect at WrestleMania: The energy drink Prime, created by Paul and YouTuber buddy KSI (and not without controversy), is getting unprecedented advertising space at WWE.
From now on, the Prime logo will adorn the WWE ring floor at major events, which was previously a taboo zone for sponsors and only became a prominent platform for the drink, which is also marketed by FC Bayern and other major sports clubs.
The breaking of the taboo has not gone down well with all fans; former boss Vince McMahon, who was ousted at the beginning of the year following serious allegations, had always kept the ring free of sponsor logos. Industry insiders had long suspected that this time would be over under the new umbrella organization TKO.
Paul is now the profiteer. The fact that many fans and even league icon Mick Foley criticized the breaking of taboos on social media does not bother him: “We saw an opportunity here, also an opportunity for people to hate me even more – I’m the bad guy,” he commented on the deal in his Impaulsive podcast.
Logan Paul & KSI respond to WWE fans about in-ring PRIME sponsorship pic.twitter.com/ptkZvanU4X
– IMPAULSIVE (@impaulsive) March 12, 2024
Home game in the summer at SummerSlam in Cleveland
The eternally polarizing Paul is clearly enjoying his role as an irritant and provocateur. And he intends to continue in this role for even longer.
Another highlight will come in the summer: As Paul revealed in his latest podcast, the major event SummerSlam is taking place in his hometown of Cleveland.
The local hero adorns the official posters for the show – he will obviously also take center stage at it
