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Logan Paul has the ambition to shine as the best WWE Superstar that ever lived and do this by challenging John Cena’s legacy. The announcement sent seismic waves through the wrestling circles, followed by heated debates of claims and possibilities versus the legendary 16-time world wrestler. The full scheme was laid down by Logan Paul in an explosive video published on the IMPAULSIVE channel, wherein he said he will go transit far beyond Cena in every capacity of professional wrestling, from selling promos to working matches.
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The video cuts to a steel-eyed Logan Paul staring at the camera with confidence and a hint of defiance. He recognized Cena’s industry domination for almost 20 years and even humbly alluded to him as “the master” from whom he learned. Yet Paul changed gear: Paul said he and Cena had been tag team partners, and, in a now murky past, “basically just learning all of Cena’s wrestling chops.” The tone now takes an extreme plunge: Paul said that his new and only goal is to take what he has learned and join with everything he’s got to fight Cena in Paris. He said in full confidence, “I belong here and I intend to show everyone that in Paris,” attacking all those naysayers who still see him as a YouTube guy, not a real wrestler.
Paul’s declaration was polarizing. One such division within the wrestling world of opinions about the social media giant-turned-athlete draws on personal experience: “Two years ago I went to a SmackDown event in London with my son, and Paul genuinely thanked fans when the cameras stopped rolling, making me believe that his on-screen character is really just a character. This in a way implies that maybe behind all the bravado, more goes into Paul’s take on the wrestling business than some critics are willing to give him credit for.”
The vision for GOATing does not sit well with some others. Several fans stood up for what they believe should just be an experience gap between the two accounts, with one user going bluntly, ‘You have only had 23 matches. You are still a rookie; you are not even a veteran.’ That comment was the epitome, really, of what the vast majority of traditional wrestling fans are saying about Paul’s ascension to WWE in the time span of a blink of an eye-that he somehow avoided the path of “paying dues,” a path along which almost every career wrestler has to go. The comment then took a jab at Paul’s family, expounding that Jake, Paul’s brother, holds way more combat sports championships than Jake does as just a boxer.
The discourse has broken off into others besides the Cena feud, as unsuspecting fans have started to speculate about other dream matches for Paul. A very eager fan even demanded to know when Paul would fight Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, writing in all caps: “THE WORLD IS WAITING!” There have been suggestions that a Paul-CM Punk match would draw massive attention. These comments illustrate that whether fans agree with Paul’s current standing or not, they are aware that he can hype situations, and he has become the attraction that one simply cannot ignore.
There were some that did not really buy the box-office show; a few wondered if Paul’s hostility against Cena was real, asking, “Bro i thought you were on good terms with johnny wtf happened.” This question tells you just how quickly wrestling storylines move and how the distinction between real-life relationships and what the cameras capture can become very blurred. Other fans embraced Paul’s heel persona all the way, with one telling him, “Keep on playing your heel role dude.”
The sharpest criticism came from those with an outright rejection of Paul being a part of wrestling. “Logan Paul does not deserve to be in the ring with any legends,” stated one of the comments expressing the portion of the fanbase who feel celebrities and outsiders have done more harm to the sport’s credibility. Another comment sarcastically reminded us of Cena’s “You can’t see me” catchphrase, ‘And John Cena already beat you on the mike,’ implying sarcastically that Paul will never surpass Cena at legendary microphone work.
Nevertheless, quite a few chose to support him in these glaring question marks. One of these was simply said, “Logan is amazing in the ring,” another, “Bro already is the greatest of all time,” possibly ironically, and the third, seemingly sincerely, supported him with: “I believe in you.” So, in the ring, through his performance, Paul has convinced a few converts.
More than just another WWE event, the Paris event is supposed to be an opportunity for Logan Paul to stake his claim alongside the elite wrestlers. The very high self-confidence or egotism is either being declared with that upward claim against John Cena, one of the most decorated and respected performers of WWE in history. In his very brief wrestling career, Paul has shown an awkward yet surprisingly amazing athleticism with a natural charisma, but the Cena fight is a whole different story. Cena, with his two decades of experience, is second to none nor is that in-ring ability or few and far-between when it comes to microphone skills-an opponent that is possibly the bravest of all for an amateur like Paul.
Perhaps even more juicy than the meta-student versus teacher is the plot that Paul has openly admitted to learning from Cena during their past interactions, and he is now basically saying he is ready to use those lessons on the teacher. This eternal wrestling story trope has spawned some of the most unforgettable instant moments in sports entertainment history, and obviously, Paul knows what he’s getting into.
These comments from the fans that are so extremely divided perfectly reflect the present split in professional wrestling: on one side, we have the traditionalist believing in generations of wrestlers “paying dues,” and on the other is the present reality of celebrity crossovers and social media fame. There are fans who welcome the new energy and exposure that stars such as Paul bring to the industry; then there are those who see them as interlopers who haven’t earned their place. That stratum of tension between the old wrestling purity and mainstream entertainment value has been defining WWE’s trajectory over the past decade.
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The whole world seems to be keyed in on the approach to Paris, wondering if Logan Paul will be able to back his bragging with a performance worthy of his aspirations. Success is a possibility, as is failure, but the announcement against John Cena has, for sure, already brought up one topic, and that is about what happens when the old generation gets challenged by the new school in wrestling.