LA Knight Is Ready for the 'Stone Cold Like Rub' amid WWE Rumors

There isn't much WWE can do to salvage the fading lightning in a bottle that is LA Knight if it truly doesn't want him in a feud with Seth Rollins or Roman Reigns at the very top of the company.

But getting him involved with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin somehow might be one of the only exceptions.

Some recent rumblings have at least made it sound like this is a possibility. According to BWE (h/t Randall Ortman of Cageside Seats), there is one Superstar who could get a "big Stone Cold Steve Austin rub" in the near future.

That wording sure suggests it could be a different vibe than when Kevin Owens linked up with Austin for a feud that culminated in a match at WrestleMania 38. Owens got a rub per se by getting to work with Austin, sure, but that was more WWE throwing a proven veteran it trusted into the ring with Austin to make sure things went well sort of scenario.

Knight could certainly use the help, as odd as it might seem to say after describing him as lightning in a bottle. But WWE fumbled it, and the whole bottle could shatter soon if the company doesn't figure out a way to catch it.

After all, WWE missed a layup at Money in the Bank, handing the briefcase win to Damian Priest. Almost predictably, that has resulted in a mid-level storyline where he's flirting around the idea of feuding within his own stable against Finn Balor as opposed to seeming like a serious threat or long-term option.

That leaves Knight swinging in the wind without a feud, which is a momentum killer of massive proportions. Yes, he came out of a feud with Bray Wyatt somehow looking better than he entered it, but the best option right now seems to be...Austin Theory and the U.S. title? That's not going to cut it.

As it stands right now, Knight is almost in danger of missing the SummerSlam card. The Triple H-led creative likes its shorter, more important cards, especially for big events. The summer's biggest event already has Bloodline, Cody Rhodes-Brock Lesnar, Logan Paul-Ricochet, Gunther-Drew McIntyre, Edge in a match, Trish Status-Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey-Shayna Balzer, Asuka in a title match, Rhea Ripley in a title match, etc.

Knight getting to brush shoulders with Stone Cold, though, would certainly mark the card no matter what. And SummerSlam is the only place to do it that makes sense, given the size of the audience.

Maybe it's fitting, really, that a guy who sounds like a modernized version of Stone Cold in his own right and a former outsider is the one to come in and disrupt all the plans by getting organically over with the crowds in a way we haven't seen since Daniel Bryan and Kofi Kingston.

Just listen to these reactions and his mannerisms:

Even if it's not an actual match with Stone Cold, a mere war of words could be the rocket strapped to Knight's back that all involved need to keep this momentum going.

That said, a match would make a ton of sense. Austin wasn't on the WrestleMania 39 card and it feels like he's due. Knight is one of a handful of veterans we could pluck off a list as safe to work with Stone Cold, given he's 40 years old and a longtime veteran on an international scale.

But match or not, exposing Knight to a bigger, casual audience really has a chance to reel in lapsed viewers. If we think about fans who stepped away from WWE over the years, it's probably folks who grew up in the Attitude Era who aren't as interested with the modern vibe. Knight is a throwback in the best possible sense of the word and if he's standing his own in a verbal spat with Austin (which he would), it will be impossible to ignore—even if it's just seeing the clips of it on social media after the fact.

There aren't many other candidates who fit this rumored role if we're looking at it through the lens of up-and-coming guys WWE wants to elevate, especially in front of more casual crowds or even lapsed fans at an event as big as SummerSlam.

Gunther doesn't really need the help anymore as his dominant intercontinental title reign continues. Austin Theory appears to be stuck forever in neutral and Austin can't change it. Dominik Mysterio would make some sense for a lot of reasons, but he's doing just fine as one of the most despised heels in pro wrestling with Judgement Day. Montez Ford needs a good heel turn first and a long storyline.

That leaves Knight, who feels like he has enough momentum right now to really disrupt WWE in a positive way at the very top. He should probably be in a feud with Rollins for the World Heavyweight title right now, but it's just as easy to see that taking a prominent slotting at WrestleMania 40.

Heck, it's even realistic to think Knight could take the eventual Rhodes role in a feud with Reigns for the unified titles if WWE wants to again go outside the family-based storyline with an outsider who comes in and takes him down.

But if the hope is to drag out Knight's stunning over-ness with fans right now, Austin is one of the only viable options to keep it going at this level. In a way, it could only elevate him further and bring more eyeballs to his run, too, giving him even more momentum exiting SummerSlam as everyone starts spitballing ideas for the next 'Mania.

This feels as obvious as the Money in the Bank finish that WWE botched, so Knight's longevity as an unstoppable force with fans might hinge on the company being able to get him in the ring with Austin this summer.