After earning the wrong kind of headlines for calling negative attention to Imane Khelif on social media, a situation that reportedly forced WWE to confront their United States Champion about the situation, Logan Paul made his triumphant return to SmackDown on the go-home show before SummerSlam, where he likely expected a hero's welcome in Cleveland.
On paper, it made sense, right? Though Paul is semi-billed from Puerto Rico, where he lives now, and frequently brags about his Hollywood achievements, both Logan and his brother Jake are from Westlake, Ohio, which is a suburb of the “Forest City.” If he banged on the table for where he grew up, pointed out that he helped to bring SummerSlam to Cleveland Browns Stadium, and just generally went all in on beginning a local babyface for the night, who knows, maybe he could get over for an evening with 10,000 or so local fans.
Instead, Paul was booed from the jump, booed throughout his promo, and booed when LA Knight came out to confront him. While some of this was by design, as Paul has been a heel for all of 2024, even he seemed somewhat surprised by the animosity thrown his way.
“LA Knight, I have never met a man so eager to take my belt off me. Hey hey, bad news, Bicep Boy, you're not my type. And you are delusional if you think that you are gonna strip me of my United States Championship in my own hometown. Whether y'all wanna admit it or not, I inspire this great city. I represent this great city. I am Cleaveland. What kinda welcome is this?” Logan Paul asked. “Yo, the reason LA Knight has so many fans, let's be honest, people like you can relate to him: A bunch of tryhards who never made it. And look, sounds like y'all don't think I'm a great champion. I mean, I guess I see your point. I've only had two title defenses I’ve only had two title defenses in 273 days. But hey, that’s two more title defenses than LA Knight will ever have. I’ll be honest, I can’t relate to you people. I’m great. I made it. So today, we are here to recognize my greatness, which is why I have brought these esteemed dignitaries. Cleaveland’s finest.”
When Paul lays out his “accomplishments” in the WWE Universe, if you want to call them that, it's easy to see why fans might be annoyed with his actions, as two title defenses in 273 days is pretty brutal, especially when you consider the “Maverick” is the longest-reigning champion in the WWE Universe right now. Still, considering the negativity around Paul heading into the weekend, the timing feels perfect to give Knight the strap and allow Paul to take a few months off as Creative comes up with something new for him to do this fall.
Logan Paul eventually apologized for sharing Olympic misinformation
If you're wondering what the controversy surrounding Paul and the Olympics was, you are in luck, as he hasn't deleted the post, and you can read what he initially said about Khelif below.
“This is the pruest form of evil unfolding right before your eyes,” Paul wrote. “A man was allowed to beat up a woman on a global stage, crushing her life's dreams while fighting for her deceased father. This delusion must end.”
After being informed about the error of his ways, that Khelif is not, in fact, transgender but instead a cis woman who has a medical condition known as DSD, Paul took to social media to semi-apologize for spreading misinformation, even if he ultimately doubled down on his initial statement at the end of the post.
“!!OOPSIES!! I might be guilty of spreading misinformation along with the entirety of this app Although she’s been previously disqualified for failing a ‘gender test' and has XY chromosomes, some sources say Imane Khelif was born a biological woman. I stand by my sentiment that biological men should not compete against biological women in any sport, and if you disagree, you’re a sick f**k.”
Did this have anything to do with WWE's decision to book Paul against Knight, have the “Megastar” go over in a major way on SmackDown by stealing the Prime truck, and potentially win the United States Championship in his foe's hometown like The Bloodline did versus #DIY later in the night? No, WWE has been pushing this storyline for a while now and losing a title in a wrestler's hometown has become something of a tradition in professional wrestling. Still, taking Paul off of television for a little while might be best for everyone, as his current gimmick has grown stale without a truly interesting storyline to progress things along.
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