As WWE opens its doors to streamers and YouTubers jumping into the squared circle, we take a look at a list of content creators that should follow in the footsteps of Logan Paul.
Between April 10-11, Vince McMahon’s sports entertainment business gave everybody around the world a taste of normality again as fans packed out sections of the Raymond James Stadium, in Tampa, Florida. For months, the roster had been performing in front of a wall of television monitors with fans watching along at home, due to the global healthcare crisis.
On Day 2 of WrestleMania 37, the biggest Pay-Per-View event on the company’s 2021 calendar, it might have been a shock for casual fans to see Logan Paul appear in a match with Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens. The match ended with Owens delivering a devastating Stunner to the boxer, who was booed strongly right throughout the segment.
The YouTuber didn’t just generate a strong negative reaction – which is money where WWE is concerned – but he will have also brought some of his massive following along for the ride to see him on such a grand stage. For perspective, he has nearly 19 million followers on Instagram alone, which dwarfs even the company’s hottest talents. Roman Reigns, for example, only has 4.3 million.
It should be no surprise to see massive internet personalities like this get involved with programming, due to their popularity. As the trend of streamers and influencers showing up in WWE doesn’t seem to be slowing down, let’s run through a list of streamers we think would be perfect for a surprise future storyline.
Tyler1
Showing off his muscles on stream in tank tops is all well and good, but this League of Legends streamer needs a bigger stage to impress on.
Tyler1 looks like somebody who would thrive in front of the WWE cameras – a trash-talker if we’ve ever seen one. He’s got the look, the charisma, and his 4.2 million following on Twitch would absolutely lap up an appearance in the Cruiserweight division.
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Or, with the massive amount of momentum behind YouTuber boxing, maybe Tyler could face off against long-term rival Dr Disrespect. The pair have been involved in online spats in the past, but imagine they locked horns at a PPV in a fully scripted match. With the size difference, it could be a David vs. Goliath situation.
Commentators have had storylines before, so it’s not even out of the question. We’re looking at you, Michael Cole.
TimTheTatman
TimTheTatman has proven in the past that he can carry an entire game on his back with Fall Guys, so he’d definitely be entertaining in the ring.
The content creator has 3.2 million subscribers on YouTube, not to mention another 6.4 million followers on Twitch. The guy is loved by his audience and nobody would argue against him being a very likable performer on-screen, making him a perfect babyface character.
His consistent loss streak on Fall Guys went viral time and time again, building up to what was one of 2020’s biggest moments on the internet when he finally grabbed himself a crown in-game. In recent years, WWE has seen huge success with loss streaks for wrestlers and doing something similar with this tattooed streamer could be even better.
xQc
Félix ‘xQc’ Lengyel is the type of guy that can go viral without even meaning it.
Whether it’s getting banned for overstepping the mark in a video game like GTA RP, or coming up with an incredibly funny clip that millions of people end up seeing on social media, the Canadian has it all.
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Despite looking like a Cruiserweight in wrestling terms. you can definitely see a bit of Rick Flair in him. If he stuck to the theatrics, the dark arts and cheating to get wins, xQc could be the perfect heel. People would want to boo him out the building, meanwhile his loyal fans would enjoy every second of it.
Corinna Kopf
There’s a blueprint for big influencers to follow in order to get an opportunity in WWE, and Corinna Kopf certainly has the audience to get her on that track.
The Instagram model and streamer has a following of over 5.4 million on Insta, 1.77 million subscribers on YouTube, and looks like a star. Thinking about a route to wrestling can be difficult for everybody that’s never wrestled before, but she could take inspiration from Mandy Rose in WWE. She rose to prominence in a season of Tough Enough in 2015, a reality show where the company tries to build its next big star with contestants.
After the grueling process, Amanda – her real name – transformed herself from Instagram influencer to one of the best on the roster. With a bit of hard work, Kopf could follow the same pattern – and her fanbase would definitely watch along for the ride.
NICKMERCS
Not many other streamers quite have the intensity of NICKMERCS on camera.
His newest fans might just know him for his commitment to Call of Duty Warzone, but the FaZe Clan creator’s success has ultimately came for jumping on trends. The 30-year-old certainly wouldn’t look out of place in the wrestling ring and he’s already got a massive merchandise range behind him, meaning he’s probably just as marketable as the WWE Superstars of today.
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The foundation is there. If he worked on his in-ring skills, Nick could do a job for Vince McMahon.
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Valkyrae
The streaming world has been dominated by powerful women in recent years, just like WWE. In wrestling, Sasha Banks, Bianca Belair, Charlotte Flair and many others have been dominating main events and making a case for women to have a more even playing field in terms of opportunities.
On YouTube and Twitch, there’s always competition between male and female streaming stars to see who can draw the largest audience. In 2020, she was named the top female streamer and in 2021 she’s blowing away the competition again. As seen below, the 100 Thieves star has had over 12.2 million hours watched – and that’s rising every day.
🚀@Valkyrae is by far the most-watched female streamer in 2021 so far! pic.twitter.com/eKu5sv8Jyd
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) April 7, 2021
As WWE fans will know so well already, the crowd decides who goes over in this business – and with numbers like this, without a doubt Valkyrae would be a hit in the ring.
Knut
Knut is one of the biggest attractions to the Just Chatting sections on Twitch, and when we say big – we mean big!
Streaming about his life as a bodybuilder in Norway, he’ll take his fans around with him anywhere. It could be a trip to the shop, a session in the gym, or preparing meals at home.
Now, for wrestling fans, you may remember a wrestler called Ryback a few years back. “Feed me more!” was his slogan, and Knut looks to be in that sort of ballpark in terms of his size – standing 6ft 5. With a traditional wrestler build and a strong personality, it would be a natural move for him to get in the squared circle and dominate a whole host of jobbers.
SweetAnita
Sweet Anita actually looks a lot more prepared for ring action than the rest.
She clearly puts in the hard yards in the gym already, so there’s already a foundation for a career in wrestling. With 1.3 million subscribers on YouTube and another 1.6 million followers on Twitch, the British streamer has already built up a base of popularity as well. The good thing about WWE as well is that they do actually run some gaming content on their networks, such as UpUpDownDown – a channel created by Xavier Woods.
There’s no reason why she couldn’t be a killer in the ring and in the roster tournaments playing video games, too.
broxh
We’ve seen some lumberjacks in WWE over the years (in fact there’s a match named after them), and we’ve found the closest thing to it on Twitch.
Streamer broxh will sit there streaming all day, chopping up and lifting wood on camera. As you might expect, he’s a big lad and would definitely be tough to lift up into a big exploder suplex. Many wrestling talents spend years looking for the right character to portray, but this woodcarver already has thousands of people hooked.
With 1.3 million followers on Twitch and a whole load of wooden weapons to bring down to any arena of his choosing, he could be a perfect fit for a No Disqualification match.
Dr Disrespect
Last, but certainly not least, is Dr Disrespect.
WWE is a familiar arena for the Doc, who showed up at a SmackDown live show back in October 2019 looking for a fight. That followed weeks of stream promos showing him staring at the Undertaker, one of the most iconic showmen the business has ever seen. On Twitch and YouTube, he’s had – by far – the best production for his streams.
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Just look at this promo, for example, back when the Phenom appeared on his broadcast.
Ultimately, his character is actually very similar to that of wrestling creations. He acts on-screen with a persona that’s pretty much a larger-than-life character. Dr Disrespect is the loudmouthed, flashy, and arrogant competitor that Guy Beahm was never going to become – and he relishes playing the ‘tough guy’ part.
There’s no doubt that it would be amazing to see the Two-Time Blockbuster Video Game World Champion make a play for the WWE 24/7 Championship. Can you imagine him picking up the title in a fluke victory, only to wear it on YouTube for months and refuse to show up? That title is a bit of a joke anyway, so this would be the ultimate payoff if they wanted to get a streamer involved.
Have we missed anyone out? Let us know on Twitter @Dexerto and maybe we’ll add to the list in the future.