LA Knight has had one of the more interesting WWE main roster runs, and not for the best reasons. When given the opportunity to be himself, he shot to the top of list of fan favorites. That opened the door to an important angle against Roman Reigns. However, looking back at how things played out, LA Knight is exactly right in saying that angle elevated him and hurt him at the same time.
On March 20, LA Knight sat down with Shakiel Mahjouri of SHAK Wrestling who asked him about this angle against the then WWE Undisputed Champion and what it did for him overall.
“I think it did a little bit of all that,” Knight said. “I think it took me in a few different directions. I think it optically in a way elevated me and I think also optically in a way it also kind of set me back a little bit to where I had to do a little bit of a rebuild back in the winter and spring time last year. I think that’s just by virtue of the way it was all kind of set up and the way it was done. Ultimately, Crown Jewel was a nice payoff, so that was pretty good.”
LA Knight should have never faced off against Roman Reigns
LA Knight’s rise to fame in WWE is a testament to his work and the power that fans should have in professional wrestling. Knight does an excellent job delivering his character in his matches and via promos, a character that fans respond to well beyond his “Yeah” catchphrase.
In 2023 there were hopes that he’d win the Money in the Bank briefcase, which instead went to Damian Priest. Knight’s star power was undeniable, and it pushed him into the orbit of the Tribal Chief. However, everyone knew the moment that feud started that Knight would not defeat Reigns. Reigns was locked into a future that involved Cody Rhodes, and everything else along the way was just a side story, including Knight.
This brings the conversation to The Bloodline angle. While there were several great points in this story that spanned years, there are moments in which the angle wasn’t helping anyone rise up the roster and stay there. LA Knight was a victim of that cycle.
After losing to Reigns, he eventually found himself in an angle against Logan Paul for the WWE United States Championship, which he’d win at SummerSlam 2024. That felt like a moment that should have been the catalyst to a sustained, strong push for Knight; but that crashed apart three months later when he dropped the belt to Shinsuke Nakamura at Survivor Series. Predictably, WWE did nothing with Nakamura as champion and put the belt back on Knight – causing many to say that the time was wasted and he should have never lost the strap.
LA Knight has main event-level potential in WWE. Even though he’s older than most of the other main event performers, he has a unique ability to galvanize fans. WWE must find a way to capitalize on this and not miss out on someone who would be a strong champion on the main roster. His feud against Roman Reigns proved he is ready for the opportunity, but the real question is whether WWE will ever give him the chance to stand in that spotlight.