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Logan Paul’s WWE success as an outsider ‘messed it up’ for everyone else, Austin Theory says
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Austin Theory and Logan Paul have one of their biggest tests as world tag team champions this weekend as they defend their titles against The Street Profits at Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Theory and Paul are members of The Vision – the top faction on “Monday Night Raw” featuring the future of the WWE. Bron Breakker may be the in-ring leader of the group as he made a thunderous return to the roster at WrestleMania 42 and then defeated Seth Rollins at Backlash. Theory and Paul are the ones with the gold while Paul Heyman is the mouthpiece for the next generation of superstars.
With the tag team title around his waist, Paul has now held gold twice in WWE since making his debut with the company in 2021. Paul has the tools that any pro wrestler dreams of – the athletic prowess in the ring coupled with immense heat from the crowd along with his skills on the mic.
Theory told Fox News Digital that Paul’s rise in the WWE has made it tougher for any outsider to come in and have success, suggesting the YouTube sensation has set the bar enormously high.
Austin Theory and Logan Paul speak during WWE Backlash at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Fla., on May 9, 2026. (Michael Owens/WWE)
LOGAN PAUL’S JAW-DROPPING SPRINGBOARD MOONSAULT WOW FANS AT WWE MONEY IN THE BANK
“I say with Logan Paul, with his athletic ability and his skills in wrestling and how he’s been able to just develop it so quick,” he said. “It’s impressive to me – somebody who’s wanted to be in WWE since I was eight, started training at 18, signed with the WWE at 22 and took that longer path. But I have to give Logan his respect. This is a dude, as a young kid, started with YouTube and streaming and pretty much – dude created YouTube. He put it on the map, his whole streaming thing.
“Kind of both of us building our dreams in different ways and kind of meeting in the middle. I just think he kinda just messed it up for everybody on the outside that wants to come into WWE and thinks like, ‘Oh wow, this is easy. Like, I can pick up a mic and talk trash and I can do these cool moves off the ropes like Logan Paul,’ but you can’t. There’s an art to it. Logan Paul is exceptional on the mic. In the ring, he does things even highflyers we have in WWE couldn’t even do. He’s just a phenomenal athlete. When it comes to me and Logan Paul, we’re freaks of nature. That’s why I say we’re gonna motivate everybody this Saturday at Saturday Night’s Main Event in Fort Wayne.”
The Vision, which also includes an injured Bronson Reed, is under the tutelage of Heyman, who has been a “wiseman” and an “advocate” for many young talents in WWE.
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Theory had the utmost confidence that Heyman was sending him and his stablemates in the right direction.
World Tag Team Champion Austin Theory enters the arena during Monday Night RAW at Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, N.C., on May 18, 2026. (Michael Owens/WWE)
“With Paul Heyman, you know, this history with him having Brock Lesnar, having Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Seth Rollins – you know, before he realized he was a loser,” he said. “Paul Heyman, man, he’s the ‘wiseman.’ I think anything that comes out of his mouth is gold and especially kind of molding The Vision and sending us in the right direction. I couldn’t ask for more. It’s just sitting under the knowledge tree of history. He’s from back in the 80s to present day. The dude’s done it all. I’m very grateful for the wiseman, Paul Heyman.”
Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins will challenge for the tag titles. The two returned to “Monday Night Raw” after WrestleMania 42 after a prolonged absence.
Theory gave them credit where credit is due. They are three-time WWE tag champions and won the tag titles at NXT and Evolve. However, Theory made clear that Ford and Dawkins are running into “the greatest tag team champions of the world.”
“Well, the Street Profits. They’ve been in the WWE a very long time,” he said. “Feels like too long, like 60 years. I do realize every time I have a title, they’re around, which makes sense because they’re irrelevant and I’m relevant. But not to push them too low down, they’re very athletic, they have a great resume. But it’s just that comparison to Austin Theory and Logan Paul – The Vision. The greatest tag team champions of the world, of the universe. You can’t really compare.
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World Tag Team Champions Austin Theory and Logan Paul stand alongside Bron Breakker and Paul Heyman during Monday Night RAW at Greensboro Coliseum Complex in Greensboro, N.C., on May 18, 2026. (Michael Owens/WWE)
“Unfortunately, yes, I said unfortunately, the show is in Fort Wayne, Indiana. I look at this match as more of a big motivational moment for those people because they’re gonna see two guys that don’t look like anybody from Fort Wayne. We look like freaking superheroes. We’re really there to inspire everybody and then after the match, get the hell out of there.”
Saturday Night’s Main Event will take place Saturday in Fort Wayne, Indiana, much to Theory’s chagrin. And, it’s a loaded card.
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Aside from the tag team title match, read below for how the rest of the card looks.
- Paige and Brie Bella (c) vs. Nia Jax and Lash Legend for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship.
- Becky Lynch vs. Sol Ruca.
- Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss vs. Jade Cargill, Michin and B-Fab.
- Penta (c) vs. Ethan Page for the Intercontinental Championship.
Sports
Alexi Lalas dreading thought England could win World Cup on America’s 250th birthday: ‘Cannot have that’
Alexi Lalas previews 2026 FIFA World Cup, ‘Summer of ’94’ film
U.S. Soccer legend Alexi Lalas joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. Lalas highlights the event’s cultural significance and reflects on the 1994 US World Cup team. Fox Sports announces a $250,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, matched by Fox Corporation, aimed at growing soccer grassroots.
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There is no clear-cut favorite heading into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but if you ask Fox Sports analyst Alexi Lalas who he believes will lift the trophy at the end of the tournament, he’ll give you one answer.
“I don’t care who wins as long as it’s not England,” he said during Fox Sports’ FIFA World Cup 2026 Media Day on Wednesday in New York City. “I can abide by a lot of things happening this summer, but one thing I cannot is having England come over on our shores, on our 250th birthday of what I feel is the greatest country in the world, and for them to win a World Cup.
“If you think they’re insufferable now, could you imagine they came over and won that World Cup and it’s coming home through our country. I cannot have that, so anybody but England.”
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Alexi Lalas, Fox Sports soccer analyst and U.S. men’s national team legend, appears animated on stage at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., on April 14, 2023. (Michael Janosz/ISI Photos/Getty Images)
The U.S.-England rivalry in soccer was in full force in 2022, when they were pitted against each other in their group stage in Qatar. It was a 0-0 draw in a hard-fought match for both sides, but in 2026, they’ll have to get out of their respective groups if they are to meet in the tournament.
But Lalas couldn’t imagine England taking home its first World Cup since 1966 — the country’s only victory in the tournament of all tournaments.
US SOCCER GREAT THINKS AMERICAN TEAM CAN SHOCK THE WORLD AT UPCOMING WORLD CUP
There is no denying, though, how great the English squad will be this year, as Lalas knows.
“They’re really good,” he said. “As much as it pains me to say, they are very, very good. The soccer gods have a wicked sense of humor. Please not England, anybody but England.”
Lalas’ Fox Sports colleague, host Rebecca Lowe, is a West Londoner who has dreamed of her country winning it all since she can remember.
“Every four years of my play since 1990, I think about England winning the World Cup,” she said after Lalas’ rant. “So, I’m now getting to a stage where if I now go against them, they’re going to do it.
“I’m going to be courageous. It is going to come home.”
Commentator and former player Alexi Lalas looks on before the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2025 final between the United States and Mexico at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, on July 6, 2025. (Omar Vega/Getty Images)
Lowe and Lalas said that they will have a bet in place once the tournament begins where, if England does indeed win it all, the latter will have to do something and vice versa.
Carli Lloyd, Stu Holden, and Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez also gave their predictions about who would win. Hernandez was on Lowe’s side believing England could win it all, though he hopes his home country, fellow host site Mexico, can do so instead.
Lloyd and Holden both think France, which fell in penalties to Argentina in the 2022 World Cup Final, will get the job done at MetLife Stadium in July.
“The French, I just look at this team, they continue to get stronger. When they go down a generation, the next generation comes,” Holden said.
Soccer analyst Alexi Lalas speaks at the FOX Sports 2018 FIFA World Cup Celebration on Sept. 26, 2017, at ArtBeam in New York City. (Mike Coppola/Getty Images for FOX Sports)
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“I’m going to go with France as well,” Lloyd added shortly after. “The depth, the experience. I know firsthand losing in 2011 at the World Cup, coming back and really having that desire to really want to win in 2015. There’s something about that.”
The panel was hopeful the U.S. men’s national team can make a run on home soil, but it’s hard to deny the talent level elsewhere as the best players and countries in the world converge on North America in just a few weeks.
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ISLAMABAD: Renowned climber Salman Ateeque on Thursday successfully scaled Mount Everest, becoming the 13th Pakistani to reach the world’s highest peak.
Ateeque reached the 8,849-metre summit at approximately 11:39am during the ongoing 2026 Himalayan climbing season, which has drawn hundreds of climbers from across the world.
Around 464 climbing permits were issued this season to mountaineers from 80 countries, with the largest contingents coming from China and India, said sources privy to the matter.
Ateeque was reportedly the only Pakistani climber to obtain an Everest permit this year.
The climber, who has a professional background in electrical engineering and over two decades of experience in the telecommunications sector, previously summited Mount Manaslu — the world’s eighth-highest mountain — in Nepal last year.
Officials familiar with the expedition said Ateeque successfully navigated the hazardous Khumbu Icefall and made his summit push during a favourable weather window.
His ascent adds another chapter to Pakistan’s growing presence in high-altitude mountaineering.
It is pertinent to mention here that Nazir Sabir became the first Pakistani to summit Everest in 2000, while Samina Baig made history in 2013 as the first Pakistani woman to reach the top of the mountain.
Other notable Pakistani Everest summiteers include Hassan Sadpara, Mirza Ali Baig, Abdul Jabbar Bhatti, Shehroze Kashif, Sirbaz Khan, Sajid Ali Sadpara, Naila Kiani, Wajidullah Nagri, Abdul Joshi and Saad Bin Munawar.
Sirbaz Khan is recognised as the first Pakistani to scale all 14 peaks above 8,000 metres, while Sajid Ali Sadpara became the first Pakistani to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen.
The Pakistani mountaineering community and sports enthusiasts are now awaiting Ateeque’s safe descent to Everest Base Camp following the successful summit.
Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer was handed a surprise recall to Germany’s 26-man World Cup squad on Thursday, coming out of international retirement to play in the tournament for a fifth time.
The 40-year-old retired from international duty in 2024 but coach Julian Nagelsmann confirmed the World Cup winner will be the number one option ahead of Oliver Baumann at this summer’s tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“Everyone knows the aura and quality Manu has, what he brings to a team,” Nagelsmann said at a squad announcement in Frankfurt.
“We’re planning with him as our number one.”
Joshua Kimmich will retain the captaincy despite the long-time skipper’s return.
Former Manchester City and Bayern winger Leroy Sane, now at Galatasaray, has retained his spot.
Bayern Munich’s Neuer is the only remaining member of the squad that won the World Cup in 2014.
Matthias Ginter, another 2014 World Cup winner who was instrumental in Freiburg’s run to the Europa League final, failed to make the cut, with Newcastle’s Malick Thiaw preferred in central defence.
Bayern goalkeeper Jonas Urbig was dropped from the squad after being called up for the March friendlies, but will travel with the side to help in training during the tournament.
Munich’s Jamal Musiala returns to the squad after missing Germany’s March friendlies as he recovered from a broken ankle.
Nagelsmann named a Premier League-heavy attacking contingent, which includes freshly minted English Premier League champion Kai Havertz of Arsenal, Liverpool’s Florian Wirtz and Newcastle’s Nick Woltemade.
Bayern youngster Lennart Karl, 18, was also called up to a major tournament for the first time.
Germany’s World Cup struggles
As expected, Bayern forward Serge Gnabry misses out with a thigh injury, as does Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen. Recent regulars Niclas Fuellkrug and Robert Andrich were not called up.
The German FA (DFB) began sharing video snippets announcing the squad player by player on social media early on Thursday, with Kimmich the first confirmed.
Neuer was the standout player as Germany won their fourth World Cup in 2014, but since then the team’s form has plummeted.
Germany crashed out at the World Cup group stage in 2018 for the first time since 1938 and repeated the feat four years later in Qatar.
The Germans have not fared much better in other international tournaments. Since making the semi-finals of Euro 2016, Germany have won just one knockout game in the tournament— a 2-0 success against Denmark on home soil at Euro 2024.
Neuer has impressed this season for Bayern, winning man-of-the-match honours in the quarter-final victory over Real Madrid, but comes into the tournament under an injury cloud due to a recurring calf complaint.
He is in doubt for Saturday’s German Cup final against Stuttgart in Berlin.
The Germans will have one final match on home soil, against Finland on May 31, before facing World Cup co-hosts the United States in Chicago on June 6.
Germany will be based in North Carolina during the tournament.
They are in Group C alongside debutants Curacao, the Ivory Coast and Ecuador.
Germany squad:
Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Nuebel (Stuttgart)
Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Borussia Dortmund), Nathaniel Brown (Eintracht Frankfurt), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayern Munich), Malick Thiaw (Newcastle/ENG)
Midfielders: Nadiem Amiri (Mainz), Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich), Pascal Gross (Brighton and Hove Albion/ENG), Jamie Leweling (Stuttgart), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Felix Nmecha (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Angelo Stiller (Stuttgart), Florian Wirtz (Liverpool/ENG)
Forwards: Maximilian Beier (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal/ENG), Lennart Karl (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Galatasaray/TUR), Deniz Undav (Stuttgart), Nick Woltemade
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Logan Paul’s WWE success as an outsider ‘messed it up’ for everyone else, Austin Theory says
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