Reasons Why So Many People Can't Stand WWE's Logan Paul
Current WWE United States Champion Logan Paul has never been a stranger to controversy across many forms of media, be it his own YouTube channel or things he's said to other outlets. Paul's often outlandish actions and business ventures have caused fans and viewers alike to talk for years. Paul started out creating content on Vine, but moved to YouTube in October 2013 after the popular short video-sharing platform was shut down. "TheOfficialLoganPaul" channel has almost 6 million subscribers, and his newer "Logan Paul Vlogs" channel sits at well over 23 million. Paul also runs the "IMPAULSIVE" podcast where he interviews other WWE stars and celebrities. The podcast channel has 4.6 million subscribers.
The YouTuber got involved in WWE on the "Road to WrestleMania 37" when he stood by Sami Zayn's side as he took on Kevin Owens. When Owens defeated his friend, Paul switched sides and took a Stunner for his troubles. The following WrestleMania, Paul got involved with The Miz and was revealed to big the "A-Lister's" partner in a tag team match against Rey and Dominik Mysterio. Paul signed an official contract with the company in June 2022 and went on to face Miz at SummerSlam that year. He even challenged for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Crown Jewel in a failed attempt against Roman Reigns. Paul won the United States Championship from the elder Mysterio in November 2023, and has held it since. It was confirmed back in April 2023 that Paul had signed a new, multi-year deal with WWE.
Here's why so many people aren't Logan Paul fans.
Aokigahara Forest Video
When Logan Paul began working with WWE, the thing many fans remembered him for the most, and the thing for which he gets the most hated, was a video he recorded in Japan's "Suicide Forest" in 2017. The video recorded in the country's Aokigahara Forest is the first time many people heard of the then-budding YouTube talent. The forest is known as the most popular site for suicide in Japan. A total of 105 bodies were found in the forest in 2003 and deaths often occur in brutal manners, leading country officials, volunteers, and even journalists to conduct "body searches" since the 1970s. The country has ceased releasing numbers of bodies and suicide statistics from the forest in an attempt to curb attempts.
While Paul and his friends were visiting the forest, they found the body of a man who had hung himself and got the body on video, laughing and making jokes while filming. One member of the now infamous "Lo-Gang" is heard saying he "didn't feel good," and Paul remarks, "What, you never stand next to a dead guy?" while laughing. The video was uploaded to Paul's YouTube channel, where it remained for a full day, at a time when the channel had over 15 million subscribers. The BBC reported the video had millions of views before it was taken down.
Paul issued what many fans considered an "insincere" apology. Paul said he filmed the body and uploaded the video in order to "raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention." He remarked he "didn't do it for views," but "he gets views" and was reminded of how "big of a reach he truly has" and "with great power comes great responsibility." The apology was posted to Paul's X (formerly Twitter) account, and has since been removed.
CryptoZoo Scam Allegations
Logan Paul's various business ventures have gotten him some heat across all fans, not just in WWE. Paul launched a crypto currency game called "CryptoZoo" in 2021. The concept behind the currency was a game where players could "breed, collect, and trade" hybrid animal NFTs. When the game launched, users were not happy with the poor quality of the NFTs. There were even claims that stock photos of animals were used to create the "hybrid animal" images. Users invested upward of $1.8 million into the game, prior to it even being officially released.
In the midst of the backlash, Paul was hit with a class-action lawsuit. He posted a lengthy statement to X in January of 2024, announcing he was buying back the NFTs for their original purchase price, though claims could only be submitted for a month following his statement. Paul said that even though he personally "never made a single penny from the project," he would be buying back "more than $2.3 million" base-game NFTs. In the statement, Paul said that "bad actors" betrayed the project and stole money from it, and he filed a lawsuit of his own in federal court in Texas to hold "the bad actors accountable."
Following the backlash and lawsuits, the game was never released to the overall public, and Paul said he personally spent $400,000 to have it developed. Readers added context to Paul's post on X, noting there was "lots of missing context," but most notably, that customers accepting the buyback meant waiving their rights to sue both CryptoZoo and Paul for additional damages, including other purchases made in preparation to play the game.
YouTube Stunts
The "Suicide Forest" video controversy may have been what brought Logan Paul into the negative limelight on the internet initially, but he continued to shock viewers with multiple other stunts on the platform in his early days of creating content. One stunt involved Paul faking his own death in front of a group of young fans. Footage from March 2017 shows Paul, then 22, driving down Hollywood Boulevard in California, greeting fans who often stood outside his home, telling them they are going to "witness his murder." In the video, Paul is standing at his window, taking photos of fans, and another person in a black mask sneaks up behind him, shooting red paint at Paul and the window, making it look like Paul had been shot. Thankfully, the YouTube video ends with Paul going outside to greet the many shocked fans and revealing it had all been a prank.
Other videos posted to his channel saw Paul using a Tazer on dead rats, which prompted a response from PETA, a video titled "I GOT ARRESTED BY ITALIAN POLICE! NOT CLICKBAIT" that revealed Paul and his brother Jake were illegally flying a drone near the Colosseum in Rome, leading to a response from Italian police and military, as well as another video of the brothers jumping into a canal in Venice (another illegal action in Italy) as another stunt for views.
PRIME Caffeine Content Controversy
Yet another business venture of Logan Paul's that has caused a lot of controversy comes from his PRIME company, specifically, its energy drinks. PRIME made its way into the market in January 2022, a brainchild of Paul and his former opponent in the boxing ring, YouTuber KSI. Between the pair's following, the energy drink quickly became a hit amongst the younger crowd. PRIME started with an un-caffeinated, sugar-free sports drink, like Gatorade, combining coconut water and electrolytes, before moving into its ultra-caffeinated energy line the following year.
A standard 12-ounce can of PRIME Energy packs 200 milligrams of caffeine, which is six times more caffeine than a can of regular Coca-Cola, according to CNN. A standard cup of coffee, eight fluid ounces, has 95 milligrams of caffeine. The caffeine content of the energy drink sparked controversy in the summer of 2023, when Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the US Food & Drug Administration should investigate PRIME for not just the caffeine content, but its marketing efforts as well. Schumer said that children were the target for the high-powered energy beverage. In response, PRIME said that their drink had "comparable amounts of caffeine to other top selling energy drinks."
While the FDA did not respond to CNN's request for comment regarding on if the agency would investigate PRIME Energy, it did say that 400 milligrams of caffeine a day – for healthy adults – does usually not cause negative effects and is not dangerous. Paul responded to the criticism in November 2023. He cited Instagram analytics, and said 90% of his audience is over the age of 18. Paul said that parents and children should "be smart" about what they are consuming.
PRIME is also a lead sponsor within WWE, with its logo being featured in the middle of the ring for every premium live event throughout 2024, beginning in April for WrestleMania 40. Paul also entered the stadium for his United States Championship match riding a PRIME truck.
WWE Success
Despite the various controversies when it comes to his businesses, both failed and successful, to his actions on the internet, one of the main reasons WWE fans dislike Logan Paul is the simple fact of how good he is in the ring, on top of all the questionable things he has done. While liking Paul's talent is of course, subjective, it's been argued across the wrestling community that Paul is one of the most successful celebrity wrestlers of all time, and he's taking his time in the ring with WWE seriously. That can be gauged by the fact Paul has held the United States Championship for months, and the fact he's already been given a shot at the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, accomplishments that can't be ignored.
The timeframe of Paul's current WWE deal is not known, outside of the fact it has been confirmed to be for multiple years. Paul has wrestled in matches across many WWE premium live events already, including an appearance in the Elimination Chamber, as well as his multiple WrestleMania matches. Most recently, he retained his United States Championship in a triple threat match at WrestleMania 40 against Kevin Owens and Randy Orton. While Paul still holds the championship, his next match has yet to be revealed, and it looks like despite the hate the WWE star constantly gets online, he'll be around the company, in a championship or main event spot, for years to come.