Who Is WWE's "Next Big Thing" According To Nick Khan?

WWE CEO picks his favourite up-and-comer and the answer will surprise you. Or then again, maybe not?

by Michael Hamflett
Logan Paul Shocked
WWE/BT Sport

WWE CEO Nick Khan believes enormous global megastar and established household name Logan Paul is "going to be the next big thing".

Speaking at the MoffettNathanson’s Inaugural Technology, Media, and Telecom conference (h/t Sportskeeda), Khan said;

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“Logan Paul is going to be the next big thing. He came in and took it seriously, as did Bad Bunny. It registered. It mattered. Our young audience spiked...our bread and butter are our full-time superstars, but to be able to bring in Bad Bunny and Logan Paul and Pat McAfee at different points, it just increases awareness, which is good for us."

Away from the inadvertently humorous and extremely on-brand take on pop culture through the prism of WWE, Khan's take feels less shocking that it might have done just over a year ago.

Critics raved about Paul's natural pro wrestling charisma in his first and second matches alongside and against The Miz at WrestleMania 38 and SummerSlam 2022 respectively, and audiences writ large were dazzled by epic-feeling displays against Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel 2022 and Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 39. Alongside Ricochet, Paul stole headlines at the Royal Rumble too thanks to a jaw-dropping dual springboard body-press spot too.

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As noted by Khan, Paul is perhaps the best example of an ongoing new trend around celebrities/special guest performers stealing shows. Pat McAfee has drawn similar accolades to Paul in his infrequent outings, while Bad Bunny's physical contributions to WWE since 2021 have been without flaw.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett