Tom Brady and Logan Paul briefly stole attention away from the pitch during Spain’s World Cup final victory over Argentina.

A video recorded inside the New York New Jersey Stadium showed Brady turning towards Paul and raising his middle finger. The WWE star immediately returned the gesture from a nearby hospitality suite.

Fanatics chief executive Michael Rubin, who was positioned between the two sections, then appeared to intervene.

World Cup final hosts latest taunt

According to Mark Elibert of Complex, the exchange occurred during Sunday’s final and continued the pair’s increasingly public rivalry.

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There is no indication that the two became involved in a physical confrontation inside the stadium. The gestures appeared to be another performance in a series of provocative but largely playful exchanges.

The timing was difficult to ignore. Just two days earlier, Brady had struck Paul across the face during an appearance at Fanatics Fest in New York.

Slap sparks staging claims

Brady and Paul were appearing together on stage when their exchange became heated. The seven-time Super Bowl winner then reached around NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns and slapped Paul before they were separated.

According to Julia Elbaba of NBC New York, both men continued the confrontation on social media afterwards.

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Paul accused Brady of setting a poor example, while the former quarterback dismissed him as a “dork”.

Their rivalry began during Super Bowl week after Paul claimed that his work in WWE had made him as athletic as NFL players. Brady rejected the comparison, leading to further exchanges before they competed on opposing sides at the Fanatics Flag Football Classic.

The atmosphere during that event appeared notably lighter, with Brady smiling during parts of their confrontation. That has strengthened the suspicion that the supposed animosity is being exaggerated for entertainment.

Brady fuels WWE suspicions

Neither Brady nor Paul has publicly confirmed that the feud is staged. However, Brady’s own comments have made a future WWE appearance appear increasingly plausible.

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According to Kevin E. G. Perry of The Independent, Brady openly asked to be included in a WWE storyline one day before the Fanatics Fest slap.

“I’ve been waiting for Nick Khan to come up with some storyline for me,” Brady said.

WWE’s official social media account subsequently shared footage of the confrontation with Paul, further fuelling speculation that the incidents are helping to promote a future appearance or match.

For now, the rivalry should be described as apparent rather than genuine. But with a slap at Fanatics Fest followed by middle fingers at the World Cup final, Brady and Paul are doing little to calm talk of an eventual meeting inside a WWE ring.

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