Over the past few days, once it became clear Logan Paul vs. Roman Reigns was going to be the main event at Crown Jewel in November — a match that was made official Saturday during a press conference in Las Vegas — much of the chatter among wrestling fans online was about whether Paul “deserved” such an important title match.
He’s only had two WWE matches so far, some pointed out. He’s not a full-time wrestler.
Both of those things are true, but also slightly miss the point.
In a scripted endeavor like pro wrestling, anyone can get a shot at or even hold a world championship (see also: David Arquette). There are no prerequisites, no checklist of accomplishments one needs to have marked off before being put in that spot.
What matters in this case is if WWE thinks Paul will help them make money, which isn’t much of an issue given Paul’s oversized social media following. The secondary consideration is credibility, both externally with fans and within the company.
While the former remains to be seen, there’s no issue with the latter. During Saturday’s press conference, Paul “Triple H” Levesque spoke glowingly about how hard Paul works for his WWE appearances.
“He takes this very seriously,” Levesque said. “There’s nothing we’ve told Logan Paul to where he doesn’t say, ‘I got it. I’m good. I’ll put on a show.’
“When it comes to doing the work, there’s not an ask he doesn’t say yes to. It’s constant. That level of drive earns my respect. This is his passion in this moment.”
It’s also important to remember there are two sides to this matchup, and on the other, WWE has the luxury of having one of the very best in the business.
“Roman Reigns is in the spot he’s in because he thinks about this more than everybody — every nuance, every expression, every eyebrow, every head turn he does is thought out for a reason,” Levesque said.
“He’s the consummate pro.”
All of which is to say the match is probably going to be good, and maybe even better than that. If it doesn’t come off well, it’s not going to be due to a lack of effort on the part of the performers involved, or because Paul isn’t “worthy” of the honor, whatever that even means.
Even the skeptical are going to be curious, and for a show that is in Saudi Arabia and many fans might otherwise consider skipping, that’s pretty much ideal. Levesque, for one, is confident Paul and Reigns will deliver.
“At the end of the day, we’re going to put on a spectacle, a show like nobody else can.”