Logan Paul knocked out John Cena with a pair of brass knuckles to close tonight’s episode of WWE SmackDown in Dublin. The attack occurred as SmackDown General Manager Nick Aldis was attempting to deliver a message to Cena regarding Brock Lesnar.
As Cena was exiting the arena, he was stopped by Aldis, who began to speak about Lesnar. Before the message could be fully relayed, Paul appeared and struck Cena from behind, leaving him unconscious. Paul fled the scene after shouting, “See you in Paris!” The broadcast concluded with Aldis checking on Cena, who was slowly regaining consciousness.
The ambush followed an in-ring confrontation earlier in the show where Cena delivered a promo addressing fan backlash to their scheduled match at Clash in Paris. Cena listed several other superstars he would rather face, including Dominik Mysterio, AJ Styles, and Jacob Fatu, before hitting Paul with an Attitude Adjustment. Later, a backstage segment showed Drew McIntyre urging Logan Paul to get his revenge on Cena that same night.
This attack serves as the latest escalation in the ongoing rivalry heading into their marquee match at Clash in Paris on August 31. Paul has recently used his Impaulsive podcast and other media appearances to state his goal is to “take Cena’s spot as the greatest of all time.” He has also publicly referred to Cena’s recent career choices as a “midlife crisis.
READ MORE: Olympic Medalist May Sign with WWE