SI.com’s Week in Wrestling is published every week and provides beneath-the-surface coverage of the business of pro wrestling.
Jake Paul on the success he and his brother, Logan, are enjoying: “We’re taking over the world. We’re the next Kardashians”
Jake Paul has an undefeated record in pro boxing. All six times he has entered the ring, he has exited with a victory.
If he has the same prowess with predictions, then we’re only days away from the crowning of a new WWE champion this Saturday at Crown Jewel, when his older brother, Logan Paul, squares off against Roman Reigns.
“My brother is going to become champion,” Paul says. “I believe that. This is his time.”
Reigns is the undisputed WWE universal champion, and he has been blitzing through opponents over the past two years. Logan Paul will ultimately be no different, even if Jake fails to acknowledge it. Despite the likely straightforward result, this is an unexpected pairing of stars from two different worlds. It is the type of match that adds intrigue to WWE, especially for a glorified house show at Crown Jewel.
“It’s crazy, so crazy Logan has this match,” Paul says. “I’m so proud of him. It’s surreal he has this opportunity, and it’s serendipitous that his event and my event are happening on back-to-back weekends. We’re taking over the world. We’re the next Kardashians.”
Only four days removed from a boxing victory against Anderson Silva, Paul is unlikely to be at the WWE show. But he sees potential in working with WWE and some of their stars. Moving forward, Paul would be open to partnering with the legendary Paul Heyman.
“Paul Heyman is very entertaining and smart,” Paul says. “I love a lot of the WWE characters, and he’s on another level. I’d love him in my corner. We’d be Paul and Paul.”
The (online) week in wrestling
- There are multiple title matches that stand out on this week’s Dynamite, particularly Chris Jericho defending the ROH title against a yet-unnamed former ROH champ and TBS champ Jade Cargill against Marina Shafir in a match where both can prove this is a spotlight they deserve.
Bobby Lashley always knew his time would come with Brock Lesnar
Five years ago, Bobby Lashley knew a program with Brock Lesnar was inevitable.
Even if it seemed improbable.
“I want that fight with Brock Lesnar,” Lashley told me in February 2017. “I don’t care if it’s in the ring, the cage or in a street fight.”
At the time, Lashley was employed by Impact and in his fourth reign as its champion. But he still believed there would come a time when he would lock up with Lesnar, and that is exactly what happened.
Lashley and Lesnar are set to meet in a singles match this Saturday at Crown Jewel. Their program started to kick off at the beginning of the year, then resumed when Lesnar returned this fall. Their build has included some phenomenal brawling, a realistic display of physicality that no one else in the industry can match.
“This is two behemoths getting in the ring and fighting,” Lashley says now. “Two guys who are larger than life. That’s what I grew up watching. I’ve been training my ass off, and I’m sure Brock has been doing the same. This is going to be something people really want to see.”
Lashley never lost faith that he would have a meaningful program with Lesnar, which seemed unlikely even when they were in WWE for nearly three years together—they never interacted with each other on-screen.
“I’m the type of person that always keeps a positive outlook,” Lashley says. “I always say, ‘The harder I work, the luckier I get,’ and I’ve been working my ass off. So I always knew this would happen. With hard work, you’ll get the things you want. I knew, as long as Brock was here, this would happen.”
The chance to share the ring—and fight each other outside of it—has been exactly what Lashley imagined it would be.
“Brock is exactly who I thought he was,” Lashley says. “He’s a different animal. Take someone like Seth Rollins. That’s arguably one of the best wrestlers in the business, or take somebody like Edge—what he’s done is astronomical. Or Rey Mysterio. These guys are all up there for the best in the business, but Brock has a completely different style. He might be the best ever. Getting in the ring with him, he’s more powerful than you can imagine. It’s exciting to be in the ring with an animal. This isn’t about just having a good wrestling match. His power is a whole different challenge.”
Lashley is a friend of the great Kurt Angle, who once defeated Lesnar in an impromptu amateur wrestling match before a WWE show in 2002. Angle won, though he was wise enough to never entertain a rematch. Unlike Angle, such an opportunity has never presented itself to Lashley. If it did, he would eagerly accept.
“If I had the chance, I wouldn’t say no,” Lashley says, who, like Lesnar, excelled as a college wrestler. “Brock is one of the best. I’d spar with him or wrestle him. As an athlete and competitor, both would be an honor.
“It’s a different locker room now. I used to go out and tangle with guys like Shelton Benjamin and John Morrison. No one from the locker room wrestles with me. With Brock, it’s never reached that point. We don’t spend much one-on-one time together. He’s strictly business now.”
Tweet of the Week
Cody spoke his truth, and the Bucks responded.
Justin Barrasso can be reached at JBarrasso@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @JustinBarrasso.
