The Unfortunate Reality of LA Knight in WWE
The Vision's vicious beatdown on LA Knight on the December 8 edition of Raw may not have been a "burial," per WWE's claims to Fightful Select, but it also wasn't an indicator that bigger things are ahead, either.
The update added that The Megastar has years left on his WWE deal, so the questionable angle wasn't designed to write him out of the company, either (a la Ricochet in the summer of 2024). Rather, it was a "standard story beat" that will be revisited upon his return to television.
At this point, though, fans have little reason to be optimistic that any of this will ultimately amount to Knight being in a better spot than where he finds himself currently: in the upper-midcard, struggling to reach that next level because of how he's booked.
It could be worse for the former United States champion, who remains a massive fan favorite in spite of it all, but it seems his immense popularity doesn't match his push—and never will.
It isn't entirely out of the question for him to win a world championship eventually, but if it was going to happen, surely it would have by now.
This is the unfortunate reality of LA Knight in WWE.
Having a History of Not Getting Beyond a Certain Level
1 of 5Knight getting a second lease on life after originally being repackaged as manager Max Dupri—a gimmick that was doomed to fail from the start—when he was moved to the main roster in 2022 was a miracle in itself.
Triple H, ironically, was responsible for keeping Knight employed by the company and affording him the opportunity to be the beloved loudmouth he had been for years in NXT, TNA and NWA.
Fans forget that although Knight got over with the audience almost immediately in his new role, he largely floundered following his feud with Bray Wyatt. He was left off the WrestleMania 39 card despite it emanating from his hometown of Los Angeles and wasn't involved in anything of note in the spring of 2023 until WWE was finally forced to do something significant with him because of the raucous reactions he was receiving in various cities around the world.
The closest he came to becoming a perennial main event player was when he was rushed into a program with Roman Reigns over the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship that fall. He more than held his own on the mic with The Tribal Chief and had a solid showing against him at Crown Jewel, but he was never pushed quite as aggressively afterward.
He unsuccessfully challenged for SmackDown's top title once more in a Fatal 4-Way at Royal Rumble 2024, but he's been relegated to the midcard scene ever since.
He Rarely Wins When It Matters Most
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When asked why Knight didn't win the men's Money in the Bank briefcase in 2023 during the event's post-show press conference, Triple H's justification was that "great things come to those who wait."
The Megastar did enjoy a brief run in the world title picture a little later on, but the lack of long-term plan for him beyond that was painfully apparent.
Knight did unseat Logan Paul for the United States Championship at SummerSlam 2024, though it took WWE longer to get there than it should have. He had a strong reign as champ and was booked to defend the title regularly, but he lost it to Shinsuke Nakamura at Survivor Series in a move that never made much sense.
The Megastar then had to chase Nakamura to get the belt back, regaining it in March only to drop it to Jacob Fatu a little over a month later at WrestleMania 41. He was stuck in the Bloodline vortex on SmackDown for some time after that.
Moving to Raw should have been a difference-maker for him, and it did see him headline several shows with The Vision from the get-go. Unfortunately, almost of all of them resulted in him coming up short, with the exception of the one time he beat an "injured" Seth Rollins at Saturday Night's Main Event in July.
Rarely winning when it matters most has been the story of Knight's 2025, yet it hasn't affected his standing with the fans in the slightest.
He's Somehow Managed to Maintain His Popularity
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It's been nearly two-and-a-half years since Knight's initial ascent to singles stardom in WWE, and he's practically as popular now as he was then, even after all of the obstacles and bad booking he's endured.
He still generates a great reaction whenever his entrance music hits. In that moment, viewers are momentarily convinced he is a main event player, only for it to slowly sink in that he's never been consistently positioned as such and the powers that be don't view him at that level.
At a time when it seems a significant portion of WWE's active roster isn't over or at least not as over as they should be, it's puzzling why the company wouldn't want to capitalize on his popularity and push him further up the card, especially with this regime being so focused on monetary gain and Knight being a proven merchandise mover.
Eventually, there will come a point when fans stop believing in Knight and the reactions won't be as loud. If he's booked to look like a failure more often than not, then the audience will have little reason to get behind him.
WWE is rapidly approaching that dangerous territory with Knight, a concerning sign for his future.
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Settling Into a Spot to Elevate Others
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It couldn't be more obvious that Knight is viewed as the ultimate "good hand" who can help get others over by working with and losing to them but not be elevated himself.
That was clearly the case for his feuds with The MFTs and The Vision in 2025. He lost to members of The MFTs at various points and even dropped the United States Championship to Jacob Fatu at WrestleMania 41 in a moment designed to solidify Fatu as a singles star.
The same can be said for his never-ending rivalry with The Vision. He has eaten defeat at the hands of Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed on countless occasions since the summer, not because he'll one day avenge those losses but because they were meant to lend more credibility to the faction.
If Triple H truly had an issue with Knight, he either wouldn't be on television at all or would be a lot lower on the card. Management does see value in him, but strictly to enhance others it does have more meaningful plans for and not as the actual attraction.
Instead of burying him outright, it's easier to instill false hope in fans and give them the impression that these attack angles and losses are leading somewhere when they're really not.
A World Championship Win Isn't Impossible, But Also Not Likely
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When Knight was destroyed by The Vision on Raw recently, some fans did theorize that him returning and winning the 2026 men's Royal Rumble match could be the endgame. Additionally, Bron Breakker winning the World Heavyweight Championship before then on the first Raw of the new year could make it more likely.
While not impossible, there are several other outcomes for the men's Rumble this coming year that are far more likely. Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Gunther and Breakker all have higher chances of coming out on top than Knight and being slotted in a marquee match for either of the world titles at WrestleMania 42.
Knight vs. Breakker isn't a 'Mania-worthy main event, though WWE teasing Punk vs. Knight earlier in the fall and not delivering on it was worth noting.
WWE pulled off a shocker by having Jey Uso win the Rumble on February 1. He was in a similar situation where he had been so popular for so long that fans assumed he wouldn't ever hold world title gold, yet he finished that story by beating Gunther for the prestigious prize at WrestleMania.
However, Uso was always involved in something toward the top of the card prior to that point, whereas The Megastar has been bounced around with little direction.
Knight is 43. Several Superstars have won their first world title even later in their careers than that, so it's not super unrealistic to think it could happen someday, but that window is quickly closing and WWE is wasting his prime years by not booking it to happen sooner, if ever.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, has specialized in sports and entertainment writing since 2010. Visit his website, WrestleRant, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more wrestling-related content.
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