Logan Paul has shown he is a natural when it comes to the in-ring aspects of WWE, but his future will be dependent on him and the company's plans for the social media influencer.
Paul picked up a pinfall victory over The Miz at SummerSlam in Nashville. The highlight of the match was when Paul leaped from the ring to the outside announce table to frog splash The Miz through it.
The match was a showcase for Paul, as his first match was a tag team bout with The Miz against The Mysterios at WrestleMania. In singles action, the 27-year-old showed he had been putting the work in to make WWE a career -- Paul had signed a contract with WWE on June 30.
But the big question is where does Paul go from here? The influencer and podcaster is not a full-time star, though he does appear to be committed to being a WWE wrestler. I see three directions Paul's career can go after his SummerSlam victory.
Paul turns heel
This is more dependent on Paul than WWE. The company would surely like to sell a ton of Paul merch, but WWE appear to be more interested in the publicity Paul can bring than anything else. The current problem with Paul outside of the ring is his character and promo work. He's currently miscast as a babyface. The crowd has very little interest in rooting for him. While his recent performance may change that going forward, it's no guarantee.
A potential issue could be with Paul and his motivations for wanting to be a WWE wrestler. Does he simply want the cheers from fans? Is he OK with the idea of being booed, whether it be kayfabe or otherwise? Fans have their reasons for disliking Paul in general and delving deeper into that could help Paul's status as a star.
WWE 24/7 Champion
Paul is a natural in the ring, but is WWE willing to push him as a mid-card champion or even a world champion? Bobby Lashley and Gunther hold the United States and Intercontinental Championships, respectively, and Roman Reigns is the current Undisputed Universal Champion. Paul is nowhere near those wrestlers.
The WWE 24/7 Championship is a literal joke title. It's hardly a prestigious championship -- NFL broadcasts would never call Rob Gronkowski a former 24/7 Champion, not even the FOX broadcast, the same network SmackDown is aired. Again, what are Paul's goals in WWE? Is he just happy to be there, or is he striving for more? The answer will likely determine his relationship with the 24/7 belt.
Part-time celebrity attraction
This is Paul's current standing in WWE, and it might be one he's entirely comfortable with. He has many other interests outside of the company, and perhaps he wants to continue exploring those interests while also doing WWE on the side. As noted before, Paul is clearly taking the in-ring work seriously, but his lacking in character and promo work could be a result of putting focus on one aspect -- the part he will be seen most in.
WWE are comfortable enough with their part-timer performers -- John Cena, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, etc. Paul could be another name in that list who helps them draw a younger crowd. These special attraction appearances would also help keep Paul out of a significant title picture and keep him special as an act as well, as he won't be oversaturated being on television every week.
