Corey Graves has fired back at those who criticize the decision to matchup Logan Paul and Roman Reigns for Crown Jewel.
The November 5 event from Riyadh will feature a matchup for the Undisputed WWE Universal Title, where Roman Reigns puts his title on the line against Logan Paul. This came shortly after Reigns’ appearance on Paul’s podcast, where they teased the matchup.
However, the matchup has been met with a bit of backlash. Although Paul has been impressive in his few matches inside the ring, earning a World Title shot against, arguably, the biggest star in the industry at this point in time is extremely premature.
Taking to his podcast, After The Bell, Corey Graves explained why he thinks the matchup works. Of course, he admits if he had heard of something like this 10 years ago, he would have been against it.
“If you would have asked me that very same question 10 years ago, 11 years ago, when I first started in the company as a developmental wrestler in FCW, I would have said, ‘This is garbage. I hate it. I can’t stand it. This guy hasn’t paid his dues. This guy doesn’t belong.’ I would have given you 75 reasons why it was a bad idea.
“Now sitting where I sit, having experienced this machine in this capacity for as long as I have and sat ringside for countless hours of matches and moments and memories, now I have a completely different point of view and I love it because of the business aspect of it.
“We talk all the time, even the fans say ‘Oh he’s the best in the business. The business is in a good position right now. It’s looking healthy.’ People forget the business part of the wrestling world.”
Graves adds that the character of Paul is an important factor in all of this, as people will tune in to either see the YouTube star get crushed – or pull off the miracle.
“Yes, we love great matches. Yes, we love great characters. Logan Paul is a great character. He may not have been a WWE creation or a pro wrestling world creation, but Logan Paul is a character. He is polarizing. He makes you feel some type of way whether you love him or you hate him.
“You’re either gonna tune in because you love Logan Paul and you listen to Impaulsive, and you think he and his brother are the greatest thing since sliced bread, and you’re sure he’s gonna knock off Roman Reigns, or you’re watching so Roman Reigns can smash him for your enjoyment. It makes you feel.
“The worst thing you can have in this business is apathy. What we’ve seen in small glimpses, small doses, of what Logan Paul is physically capable of, the dude’s got all the tools. There’s not a doubt in my mind. I mean, you watch WrestleMania. If you still didn’t believe it, watch SummerSlam.
“Logan Paul is going to step up. This is going to be big and I actually love it. I can’t believe I’m saying that, but after all these years, I love it.”
Quotes via WrestlingNews.co