Former NFL icon Tom Brady slapped the WWE superstar Logan Paul on stage during Fanatics Fest on Friday, July 17 and now fans are convinced that it was a WWE-style marketing gimmick and had nothing to do with rivalry between the two.
The event unfolded when both were on stage joking with each other; however, suddenly the 7-time NFL champion reached past NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns, who was standing between them, to slap the 31-year-old social media sensation.
Towns immediately de-escalated the situation and both athletes went in opposite directions.
Paul immediately took to social media and explained: “This happened because I was roasting Tom for beating him in flag football. And he tries to smack me?? Horrible example for the kids.”
“Aura -100 + Blocked. With a torn tricep.”
Taking to X, Brady also posted a clip of the event and captioned: “Dork”
However, fans are convinced that it was a pre-planned promotional stunt to build anticipation for Brady’s appearance in WWE. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the close inspection shows that the ex-NFL player’s hand missed the target and touched only Paul’s shoulder.
Another thing pointing to the slap being a marketing preview was comments made by Brady just a day before Fanatics Fest. The 48-year-old said, “I am retired from football. I feel like I have the opportunity to get in the ring and show I am still an athlete.”
He said that Rob Gronkowski’s done it, Logan Paul still does it, adding, “I think I could get in there for at least one match.”
Elon Musk owned xAI’s chatbot Grok, often known for its unhinged responses also described the event as “playful (likely staged promo) moment.”
One of the X users commented under Brady’s post, writing, “Admit this was staged for something undoubtedly stupid.” Another expressed, “No need for these scripted moments Tom! There’s so many better things to be doing!.”
None of the parties have yet confirmed it to be a marketing stunt.
2026-07-18 20:44:00
