Fair or not? Should celebs like Logan Paul be given lucrative contracts from wrestling companies? (Exclusive)
"I'm coming for you Miz, at SummerSlam," Logan Paul declared on Monday Night RAW.
Logan Paul is known as a YouTuber, actor, vlogger, showman, singer, entrepreneur, producer, professional boxer, and now he's an official sports entertainer. He's done some very impressive short-term work in WWE. He was involved in a very hot angle with The Miz earlier in the year and proved to be very skilled with his ring work at WrestleMania 38. After their 'Mania victory over The Mysterios, The Miz attacked the famous YouTuber and laid him out in front of the entire AT&T Stadium.
Paul recently signed a lucrative contract with WWE. Although many in the business look at the signing in a positive light, there are also those who have an old school mentality that celebrities in wrestling have not paid their dues. When they are brought in, there's always a chance they could possibly take the spotlight away from established talent who have worked hard for years to get to a top spot.
In my opinion, the wrestling business can't work off that old school mentality fast enough. If a celebrity has a few million social media followers and can bring huge revenue to a company like WWE, it's a really good thing!
"Celebrities really enhance our event," noted Jerry 'The King' Lawler. "And they bring new eyes to what we do. From my matches with Andy Kaufman, and things at WWE with stars like William Shatner, it makes what we do even more special. They don't try to push us out of whatever spots we've made for ourselves in our careers. It's usually fun for everyone involved. I don't have any issues with celebrities in our world and they're great to us and very respectful of our business."
ECW veteran Big Vito Lograsso doesn't exactly share Lawler's feelings. Here's what he had to say:
"Celebs coming in for a spot in a big event is okay. It’s money making. But it takes away from the guys and girls who put the time in. They get to work in our business because of their outside popularity. It’s entertainment. It’s not wrestling. I've kept the same belief from when I first started. That’s how it’s done. Wrestling 101. You learn from the bottom up. In today's world, when you're a celeb, you're starting on top. You don’t earn your spot. One day we will have that again, but in another generation."
I decided to ask two journalists who have covered wrestling for many years to chime in on the subject.
First, Sportskeeda's own Jeremy Bennett:
"From a business perspective, it's a no-brainer for the WWE to do this, especially with someone who has the social reach of Paul and Bad Bunny. From a fan's perspective, it all comes down to the build and performance in the match itself. This is something that BOTH Bad Bunny and Logan Paul have excelled in, like them or not."
He added:
"In my opinion, the build to Damian Priest and Bad Bunny vs. The Miz and John Morrison was one of the better ones on the card, and Bad Bunny excelled in the ring as well. You could tell that he put in a lot of dedication in training to not just phone in the match. The same goes for Logan Paul, his athleticism was on full display during his teaming with The Miz against The Mysterios. I might even go as far as to say it was a better performance than Bad Bunny, so much so, that it led to Paul signing a WWE contract. I think the most complaints come from hardcore fans, but you have to take a step back and look at the big picture. As long as the performance and effort are given, a celebrity has the right to share the squared circle with the WWE Superstars."
Sal LaSardo Jr. has written for me back during my tenure at 1wrestling.com. His "Rough Cuts" stories and videos are always well received. I asked him to give me his take on Logan Paul joining the WWE ranks.
"Logan comes on the heels of many other celebrities who have held their own over the years. Mr. T was one of the most famous. He headlined WrestleMania 1 by teaming victoriously with Hulk Hogan over Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. Muhammad Ali managed to not only referee WrestleMania 1 but challenged the late Gorilla Monsoon on TV only to be bodyslammed. Celebrities entering the squared circle generate public interest, sells tickets, merchandise and pay-per-view buys. Logan Paul will do all that and more come SummerSlam on July 30th."
What do you think about Logan Paul becoming a WWE Superstar? Does his recruitment, or the involvement of other celebrities like Bad Bunny, lure you in to watch wrestling? Let us know!