Let me talk to ya.
LA Knight has suddenly found his ‘Yeah!’ catchphrase – and incredibly fun (not to mention funny) mic skills – catching on with live audiences in a very big way at WWE shows.
Yet his journey here – within distance of, but not quite at, the top – has been a very long one.
He’s bounced around through different wrestling promotions, even going to – and then out of – NXT (initially WWE’s developmental territory, before becoming a third brand that brilliantly showcased indie and indie-style wrestlers), before moving up to one of the two main WWE TV shows, Smackdown.
Yet when he was moved up initially, he was seemingly shifted permanently away from actively wrestling and into a management role – as the head of comedic stable ‘Maximum Male Models’.
He even endured a name change (Max Dupri); the plan, apparently, was for him to be away from in-ring action entirely, going forward.
In my opinion – and the fans seemed to agree – this was absolutely criminal.
Despite the higher-ups having little faith in Knight (real name Shaun Ricker), less than a year before he was involved in a brilliant feud with Cameron Grimes on NXT; a feud also involving legendary wrestler Ted DiBiase, aka the Million Dollar Man.
Knight even got maximum heel heat from brutally beating the aging DiBiase, leading to a hugely satisfying moment in the climactic match against Grimes – with DiBiase getting his revenge using one of his classic moves.
There was no doubt that Knight could work, put on great matches and cut brilliant promos – yet Vince McMahon seemed to have zero faith in him due solely to his age (he’s now 40, nearing 41, at the time of writing).
When the LA Knight persona returned, the crowds ate it up – even though his booking has only just begun to match his current popularity in the last few months or so.
Despite his brilliance on the mic, Knight’s most well known and hilarious promo actually happened back in 2019, when he was briefly in NWA under the name of Eli Drake.
This promo showcases everything that’s great about LA Knight, made all the more impressive because he’s clearly inebriated while running wild on the mic.
His verbal slip up and reaction to it (‘shoes of a champion!’) is absolute gold.
So here it is, in its full glory. Enjoy!
MLGG: Pop Culture News, Reviews & Interviews 
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