Tom Brady and Logan Paul reignited their simmering rivalry with an explosive encounter at Fanatics Fest on Friday night, a spectacle that follows months of speculation about a potential WWE showdown between the two.
Captured on video by the Daily Mail, the confrontation began with Brady and Paul exchanging fiery words at the glamorous New York City gathering, culminating in the NFL icon losing his composure.
In a dramatic turn, Brady smacked Paul on the head, prompting NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns and a vigilant security guard to swiftly step in and separate the two.
Even after the physical altercation, Paul, a prominent WWE figure, was visibly agitated, emphatically gesturing toward Brady as Towns attempted to defuse the tension.
Prior to this fiery face-off, Brady and Paul had already clashed verbally, revisiting contentious issues from their previous encounter at the Fanatics Flag Football Classic event held earlier in the year.
They had a couple of run-ins on the field that day, but it was the online personality who had the last laugh after his Wildcats FFC team defeated Brady’s Founders FFC.
Tom Brady lashed out at Logan Paul in an astonishing moment on stage at Fanatics Fest
Brady and Paul have reignited their feud months after being tipped to collide in a WWE ring
‘It’s just nuts to me how Tom Brady couldn’t come back from us winning the flag football game that he said he was going to beat me,’ Paul said while sitting on the same panel as the seven-time Super Bowl winner at Fanatics Fest.
‘I just want to say it… never forget. Never forget the YouTuber beat the football player.’
‘There were a lot of cheap shots in that game too,’ Brady responded.
After the viral slap, Paul posted on X: ‘This happened bc 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’.
Brady quoted his post and wrote: ‘I tried America… will try again next time I see this nerd.’
Brady became embroiled in a shocking beef with Paul after he mocked the wrestler’s athletic ability during a guest appearance on his ‘Impaulsive’ podcast in February. He dismissed Paul’s athlete chops as ‘cute’ while claiming he lacks the toughness of football players.
In response, Paul argued that he could beat the majority of NFL athletes in a fight – a statement which sparked fierce debate – before they ramped up their rivalry at the flag football event.
Many have questioned how real Paul and Brady’s apparent disdain for one another is, instead rubbishing it as an attempt to generate attention.
The Daily Mail revealed back in March that, according to an insider, Paul and Brady are only playing on the feud to promote a potential WWE storyline.
The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback was expected to appear at WrestleMania earlier this year, only to not show up at the wrestling company’s showpiece event.
Brady and Paul exchanged some heated words on stage before the NFL legend lost his cool
Their rivalry began when Brady dismissed the WWE star’s athletic ability as ‘cute’ in February
They then crossed paths at the Fanatics Flag Football Classic in Los Angeles a month later
Yet on Thursday, Brady revealed he is waiting for WWE president Nick Khan to give him a call about making an appearance.
He said at Fanatics Fest: ‘I feel like, I’m retired from football, have the opportunity to go out there and showcase that I’m still a little bit of an athlete. My boy Gronk’s done it, I’ve seen Logan Paul do it. I think I could get in there for at least one match, right?’
Brady has been keeping himself busy since retiring from the NFL in 2023. He is preparing to enter the third year of his decade-long, $375million contract with Fox after venturing into broadcasting for the league.
Shortly after joining Fox, he also became an NFL owner in highly controversial fashion. His deal to acquire a minority stake in the Las Vegas Raiders sparked uproar in 2024 over what many argued was a conflict of interest amid his commentary role.
When asked if he’d want to be a good guy or a ‘heel’ in the wrestling world, Brady insisted: ‘It’s such an easy choice. I’m a bad guy. I’ve always been a bad guy.
‘I mean, I feel like when our teams did really well, I would always go into these stadiums and I would feel that… When you go on the road and you’ve had some success in the NFL, they don’t like you. It’s an incredible feeling when you work that entire day to basically try to send the crowd home early.’