Logan Paul had his second real match in the WWE at SummerSlam last night, and just like at WrestleMania, the collective reaction from fans was really positive. The social media star delivered one of the better matches of the night alongside his opponent The Miz thanks in part to a ridiculous frog splash he delivered from the top rope to the announcer’s table. Footage of the extremely acrobatic maneuver started flying around social media including an alternate angle that wasn’t shown on the broadcast.
In the alternate angle, that's maybe even wilder than what was shown live, Paul is seen standing on turnbuckle and diving toward the camera to land perfectly on The Miz. It’s one of the most athletic things anyone did during the entire premium live event, and fans were absolutely loving it. The video has already been watched more than a million times on Twitter, and Logan Paul posted it himself on Instagram with the caption “I love this shit.” Check out the wild alternate angle below…
Logan Paul’s tenure so far in WWE has been one of surpassing expectations. Fans were very skeptical of the influencer ahead of WrestleMania, but his tag team match with The Miz against The Mysterios overdelivered in a big way. He showed off a lot of natural athleticism, dropped a few deep cut wrestling moves perfect for the moment (hello Three Amigos) and worked the hard cam like a twenty year veteran. He leaned into being a heel, which is a character fans are meant to root against, and WWE signed him to a long-term contract. The move was well-received, at least until WWE turned him into a face, which is a good guy character fans are meant to cheer.
The response in the month or so leading into SummerSlam was once again skeptical from hardcore wrestling fans, myself included. I wrote an entire article about how he makes a lot more sense as a heel. You could feel that skepticism last night when he walked into the Nashville arena and got a very lukewarm reception from the crowd. But like someone born to do this, he slowly won over the crowd by telling a great story with The Miz. You could feel more and more people embracing it with each passing minute until he dropped the ridiculous frog splash and fully won over the crowd. I mean look at how far this table is away from the ring…
Logan Paul obviously deserves a ton of credit from fans and rightfully so, but a huge shoutout here also needs to go to The Miz. The longtime WWE veteran has become the go-to guy to work with celebrities, and he always makes everyone look like a million bucks. Paul has clearly trained and trained hard, but it’s not easy to make a match look really tight and seamless with a guy who is really new to sports entertainment. The Miz is such a steady hand. He really helped get this match over with the crowd prior to the incredible frog splash, and I wasn’t surprised to see him picking up compliments on social media afterwards from other wrestlers.
Long story short, I can’t wait to watch Logan Paul on WWE premium live events for years to come. I’m still not entirely sure he should be a face, but at this point, I’m done loudly doubting him. He’s got charisma for days. He knows how to milk a moment, which is so important in wrestling, and his athleticism is off the freaking charts.
