Eli Drake debuts for NXT as LA Knight

Another former Impact champion joined the NXT roster as Eli Drake appeared at NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day. 

Taya Valkyrie was not the only new face to be mentioned as a part of the NXT brand on Sunday. During the NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day preshow, Eli Drake, going by the new name of LA Knight, debuted for the black and yellow brand.

During the preshow, Knight interrupted Sam Roberts before cutting a promo on the other members of the pre-show crew. He emphasized his name in the same fashion that fans will remember when saying “Eli Drake.” It was a brief cameo on screen, but he made it clear that he is there to chase titles in NXT.

At 38-years of age, Knight is bringing nearly twenty years of professional experience into NXT. During his career he is held titles across multiple promotions. His most well-recognized reins were back in Impact Wrestling where he was the Impact World Champion and tag team champion with Scott Steiner. Most recently, he and James Storm carried the NWA tag team titles for almost 300 days. His last match was back in November where he and Storm lost those tag titles to Aron Stevens and Jr Kratos.

Drake, along with Taya Valkyrie and additional names are some of the newest members of the NXT brand as WWE continues to rebuild the roster for its Wednesday show.