Tag: la knight

LA Knight details early frustrations after WWE call-up, bizarre Vince McMahon instructions

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

LA Knight recently reflected on his WWE main-roster call-up and conversation with Vince McMahon.

Despite being one of the most popular and over wrestlers on the WWE roster, Knight has not yet enjoyed a dominant main-roster run. In addition to his current lack of direction, Knight also had some early main-roster call-up frustrations.

In a recent interview with Chris Van Vliet on Insight, the former WWE United States Champion recalled his jump to the main roster and transition to Max Dupri from LA Knight.

“Vince [McMahon] told me before, ‘You gotta talk soft, I don’t want you to say or do any of the things that you used to do, none of that, whatever.’ If I’m honest, though, he wasn’t familiar with any of it. He didn’t know LA Knight. I think he was told a little bit,” Knight said.

The 43-year-old further said that while McMahon was impressed with his singles match against Roderick Strong, he hesitated because of his age. McMahon was allegedly not interested in pushing a 39-year-old Knight and instead wanted him as a manager.

“That first day of introducing the models, and we’re doing the little rehearsal thing, talk-through. And he comes down, and he’s like, ‘I need you to talk softer.’ And I’m like, okay, well, I’m thinking like, you had me talking soft in the backstage, but like now I’m doing a presentation. I need to be a little bigger, right? To present to the people. But it’s his show. Sure. And he goes, ‘Just read me a line from there as softly as you can.’ He’s like, ‘I don’t think you can be effeminate, but try and be effeminate without being effeminate.’ What?” he added.

What was the idea behind LA Knight’s Max Dupri character in WWE?

Further continuing the conversation, Knight recalled how he was initially given the impression that the Max Dupri character would take a trajectory similar to Roddy Piper.

“The bill of goods that was sold to me there was that I was going to be kind of a Roddy Piper. In the sense of when Roddy first came in, he was like a manager, a mouthpiece that then sometimes wrestled, and then eventually just became a full-time wrestler. That was kind of how it was painted to me.”

Paired with Maxxine Dupri on the main roster, the Max Dupri character never took off, and the former champion was slowly transitioned back into his LA Knight character.

Daily Update: Big E, LA Knight, Beyond Wrestling

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Daily Update

Latest News

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This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter

Among the topics covered:

  • The most detailed look at the sale of New Japan, what happened, the glory days that Bushiroad built and why it came down and what led to the sale.
  • Business realities of Japanese wrestling today.
  • The reason for the surprising low sale price.
  • The shareholders lawsuit against Vince McMahon and the WWE Board of Directors is getting near. Judge Travis Laster orders sanctions against Nick Khan and Vince McMahon for destruction of evidence. Laster makes a ruling, and we look at it in detail, on how this changes the trial and the exact details of the destruction of evidence including when McMahon and company knew not to do it and ignored their own lawyers. Also we look at problems with the case.
  • AEW Double of Nothing coverage. Business notes, historical biggest gates in U.S. pro wrestling, three-time world champions by 30, how the PPV did, poll results, Mick Foley and more.
  • Did Ronda Rousey set a viewing audience record for MMA, plus coverage of Rousey vs. Carano, how everything goes forward, can things be sustained, can she fight, will she fight, her thoughts on AEW.
  • Scott Coker returns to MMA with a new promotion.
  • Marcel Barthel (Ludwig Kaiser) arrested.
  • A look at the career of Jerry Grey.
  • The most detailed look at the ratings for all the TV shows over the past two weeks.
  • Mistico injury update.
  • How CMLL is doing this year compared to last year.
  • Natalia Jiminez and J Balvin appear and are part of CMLL shows.
  • Wrestlers vs. media soccer game.
  • Grande vs. Grande match looked at.
  • Major return to Stardom.
  • Champion Carnival finals.
  • NOAH tag team tournament.
  • New Japan Best of the Super Juniors tournament.
  • Hana Kimura tribute show.
  • Phil Hickerson passes away.
  • WCW announcer is the final anchor as CBS News Radio closes its doors after 99 years.
  • Death of the Laguna version of Piloto Suicida.
  • Junior Hodge Trophy winner.
  • Advance ticket sales for all major events in AEW, WWE, TNA and other indies.
  • Pro wrestler/fighter on the Rousey-Carano undercard.
  • WWE stars purchase promotion.
  • Tony Khan media appearances.
  • More thoughts on how Paramount/Skydance can affect AEW.
  • What can affect the time slot of Collision in 2027.
  • What’s next for AEW.
  • AEW star to return in the fall.
  • Latest Zuffa myths regarding Trump and UFC.
  • UFC fighter pay comes up again

This Week’s Back Issue

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Thursday Update

Big E WWE

WWE

  • Big E will be delivering a TEDx Talk in Davenport, Iowa on August 12:
    • Excited to announce that I’ll be delivering a @tedx_official talk in Davenport, IA, on August 12 at @thelastpichouse!
    • ‘How I Got Over’
    • Sharing my struggles with major depressive disorder and psychosis, and my eventual healing through medication, hospitalization, ECTs, talk therapy, and mindfulness/meditation.
  • On Insight with Chris Van Vliet, LA Knight shared that – during his brief time as Max Dupri – Vince McMahon would always tell him that he needed to speak softer:
    • Vince told me before, ‘You gotta talk soft, I don’t want you to say or do any of the things that you used to do, none of that, whatever.’ If I’m honest though, he wasn’t familiar with any of it. He didn’t know LA Knight. I think he was told a little bit…
    • That first day of introducing the Models and we’re doing the little rehearsal thing talk-through. And he comes down and he’s like, ‘I need you to talk softer.’ And I’m like, okay, well, I’m thinking like, you had me talking soft in the backstage, but like now I’m doing a presentation. I need to be a little bigger, right? To present to the people. But it’s his show. Sure. And he goes, ‘Just read me a line from there as softly as you can.’ He’s like, ‘I don’t think you can be effeminate, but try and be effeminate without being effeminate.’ What?
  • Knight said the initial impression he was given for the Dupri character was that he would take a similar trajectory to Roddy Piper in WWE, starting out as a manager before wrestling full time:
    • The bill of goods that was sold to me there was that I was going to be kind of a Roddy Piper. In the sense of when Roddy first came in, he was like a manager, a mouthpiece that then sometimes wrestled, and then eventually just became a full-time wrestler. That was kind of how it was painted to me.
    • There were some other details in there that made me think like, ‘Okay, this could be okay.’ Then it started going in directions where I was like, this is going to be awful. This is going to be pigeon-holed. We’re stuck. We’re never going to get above a certain trajectory.
  • Becky Lynch discussed her friendship with Je’Von Evans:
    • We’ve got Je’Von Evans who’s 21. He’s younger than my wrestling career. He calls me ‘mom,’ because I’m old enough to be his mom. But then I’m so proud of him. I’m like, ‘Oh son, look at you, look at you out there main eventing Elimination Chamber.’ And I just think he’s the coolest. I think he’s so awesome. Like the confidence that he has and the ability that he has and his promo, everything. I’m like, this kid’s a star.
  • Nattie praised Undertaker and Jeremy Borash for the work they’re doing behind the scenes in Lucha Libre AAA:
    • I will say that Taker and Jeremy Borash – Jeremy Borash, he works alongside Taker at AAA. A lot of people know JB as being somebody that puts together the most amazing video packages in WWE. He puts together, if you see some of the best video packages in the company, usually JB is behind a lot of them.
    • And so to see what Taker, who by the way – Taker is not known for being a luchador. When you see what Undertaker has built in just the last six months of booking at AAA alongside Jeremy Borash and, of course, the people that had been in place in Triple A that work with them. Taker is very, very collaborative.
    • I’m just blown away. Like, I think that Taker has really stepped into this new role and he is proving why his influence past the ring may be one of his greatest accomplishments.
  • WWE Hall of Famer Typhoon (Fred Ottman), who is still working through the rehab process after spending approximately a month in the hospital earlier this year when his gallbladder “exploded,” is getting ready to head back on the road for signings. His first booking is in North Carolina on July 25.
  • Sol Ruca was the guest on No-Contest Wrestling this week.
  • WWE Vault uploaded an Ultimate Warrior & Strikeforce vs. Demolition & Mr. Fuji match from the Boston Garden in 1988.

Other Wrestling

  • Rebel thanked The Young Bucks – and Matt Jackson’s wife Dana Massie – for donating their YouTube live stream proceeds from last night to her ALS fundraiser:
    • BIG thank you to you guys and Dana. My heart is filled and I am truly grateful for your prayers
  • On the stream, Matt Jackson responded to someone who said they’d like to see The Good Brothers (Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows) back in AEW:
    • I would love to do that, trust me. I may have tried to do that recently. They’re killing it right now. They’re so busy on the indies
  • Though MJF is unable to appear due to injury, Wheeler Yuta and Lio Rush have been added to Beyond Wrestling’s show in Cranston, Rhode Island this Friday night.
  • Indie promotion F1RST Wrestling will hold its annual Mall of America event on July 31 in Bloomington, Minnesota.
  • Uncrowned FIlms put together a 13-minute video on Brodie Lee Jr.’s debut at Spring Break.
  • Jonathan Gresham shared his thoughts ahead of competing in GCW’s Tournament of Survival this weekend:
    • If you had told me years ago that I’d willingly enter a deathmatch tournament, I probably would have laughed. But after returning to the ring, something changed. I felt blessed simply to be here again. Blessed to compete. Blessed to learn. Blessed to experience this life through professional wrestling.
    • That feeling opened a door in my mind.
    • I no longer want to see only one side of this art form—I want to experience all of it. Every style. Every challenge. Every lesson hidden behind a different set of ropes. Professional wrestling is a vast world, and I want to walk every path it offers.
    • So this is my next step.
    • Deathmatch wrestling.
    • I look forward to testing myself, embracing the unknown, and carrying the spirit of pure wrestling and MAG with me into an environment where it rarely exists. Different roads. Different philosophies. Same pursuit of growth.
    • As always, I am a student of the game.
    • And this weekend, the classroom just happens to be a tournament of survival.
    • With the fire and spirit of the originals, I am the foundation.

LA Knight reveals Brock Lesnar’s WWE Royal Rumble elimination did not go as planned

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

LA Knight disclosed that Brock Lesnar’s WWE Royal Rumble elimination did not unfold as it was supposed to. 

While not revealing the story in entirety, Knight told Chris Van Vliet on the latest episode of the Insight Podcast the elimination did not go as planned. 

“I did (eliminate Brock Lesnar). And man, I’ll tell that story someday, but it feels too new and fresh to me. But I’ll just say things went differently than they were supposed to.” 

During the WWE spectacle match in January, Cody Rhodes and Knight threw Lesnar over the top rope in a surprising move. However, footage from the match appeared to show Lesnar instructing Rhodes and Knight to attack him before sending him over the top rope. Roman Reigns eventually won the classic battle royal and challenged CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania. 

Knight participated in a six-man tag team match at WrestleMania against The Vision. Barely a couple of years ago fans were rallying behind him to win the Money in the Bank briefcase which could contribute to his re-focused pursuit this year, 

LA Knight opens up about lack of WWE direction

Posted on by Joseph Currier

LA Knight is still receiving good crowd reactions, but he thinks they’d be even bigger if his character have more of a direction.

On a new episode of Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Knight described himself as being “kind of a man without a country” due to not having a set trajectory in WWE at the moment. He is proud of the staying power he’s had and described his crowd reactions as still being an 8/10. If he had a storyline fans could invest in, he believes the reactions would be a 10/10 once again.

“I think there were a lot of people leaning on the idea that that was going to be a fad. There were a lot of people leaning on the idea that was going to be a flavor of the month, that that was going to be a passing thing,” Knight said. “Here we are in 2026. I walked in the ring last night — now you could argue, yeah, maybe the reactions aren’t quite as big as they were at that time. I’m going to tell you why that is in a second. But if you noticed last night, I still circle around, I get the thing, and I stand there and they still chant the name.

“Now you could say that’s programming, you could say that’s passion, you could say it’s whatever it is. Bottom line is: it’s still there. However, the reason it’s not as big as it was is because right now I’m just kind of a man without a country so to speak. I’m not really doing, I don’t have a set trajectory at this moment. If you look at last year, last summer when I started all of a sudden, me and Seth [Rollins] were going at it for the title and it’s me and The Vision, there it was renewed again.

“So it’s a matter of just making sure that I’ve got direction, I’ve got somewhere to go and I’ve got somewhere that people care about, something that people can sink their teeth into, that then takes it up from an 8 up to a 10 and beyond. And so I think that’s really just the key to the whole thing. And it’s kind of crazy that it’s kept on this long when I don’t think a lot of people were counting on that being the case.”

Though he has his frustrations with the business, Knight is grateful that pro wrestling has finally rewarded him after he spent much of his career as a journeyman. He’s earned the trust of WWE and no longer has promos scripted for him, instead just having an overall point that he needs to cover. He’ll sometimes receive instructions like making sure to say “King & Queen of the Ring” instead of just “King of the Ring” for branding purposes.

Knight competed at WrestleMania 42 in a six-man tag match where he and The Usos defeated Logan Paul, Austin Theory & IShowSpeed. And while Knight doesn’t feel like his character has much of a direction right now, his WWE schedule remains busy. He noted that an injury to someone else led to him being booked for WWE’s full three-week summer 2026 European tour instead of only working the TV dates he was originally set for.

LA Knight on his wrestling future —

At 43 years old, Knight’s in-ring career is much closer to the end than the beginning. He told Insight that he feels like he could physically keep going for a while but mentally wants to be home spending time with his dogs. It tortures him inside knowing that his puppies might only have 10-15 years left.

“The funny thing is, physically, I could do this for a long time. I’m really good physically,” Knight said. “Mentally, I’m just like, I want to snuggle puppies.”

Van Vliet asked Knight if he would like to wrestle into his 50s.

“No, f*** no. No. Are you nuts? No,” he responded. “But would I like to be able to come in and maybe like do an occasional appearance or do some, yeah, sure, maybe. But I don’t think I’ve been built up to the point where I can do like an Undertaker-type thing or an Austin thing or something like that. So I don’t think that’s in my future either.

“So it’s pretty much going to be at some point when I decide to call it, I’m going to disappear into the sunset and you’ll just never see me again. I’m not even joking. I’m being dead-ass serious. If they decide at some point and they get crazy enough to go, ‘We’re going to put him in the Hall of Fame,’ sure, I’ll come back and I’ll do that, but I got a feeling that probably ain’t going to happen either. But maybe that’s my own feeling of just never being — no matter where I’ve gone, I’ve always felt underappreciated in the wrestling business.”

Roman Reigns issues statement for LA Knight and others following WWE Clash in Italy

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Roman Reigns is aware of the WWE environment following his Clash in Italy win over Jacob Fatu, and had a message for the roster post the Premium Live Event. 

Following his Tribal Combat match win, Reigns was asked about his next move. He acknowledged the chatter in the air about potential challengers in LA Knight and Royce Keys among others. And proceeded to trash talk the roster with The Bloodline regaining supremacy again. 

“I don’t think it really matters what it means for me. What’s it mean for everybody else? I can hear the chattering – LA Knight, Royce Keys, and this goes for any of you chumps back there. You want to run your mouth about The Tribal Chief, you want to run your mouth about my family, you’re terrified about this Bloodline ain’t you? You already seen what’s happening behind me. I’m been the general, I’m been had an army. I’m trying to do it the right way. I’m trying to shine a light on my legacy in a positive manner but you’ll are forcing my hand. Keep on trying me. I’ll run it all forever.”  

Knight was one of the many eager challengers who stepped up to face Reigns during his lengthy Universal Title reign. They squared off at Crown Jewel 2023. It was during this time, main roster audiences started advocating for his push to win the Money in the Bank and the World Heavyweight Championship. However, in the last three years, Knight has ended up on the fringe of the main event scene.

Knight is aware of his positioning in the company and has addressed the frustrations. He has been involved in key storylines over the past few years and has been barely inches away from high-profile wins on multiple occasions. His last match was a six-man tag team bout with The Usos against The Vision at WrestleMania 42. Since then, Knight has yet to enter a marquee program. 

Three matches that must be added to WWE Clash in Italy | Column 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

WWE seems to be pulling out all the stops for next weekend’s Clash in Italy on May 31, marking their debut PLE in Turin.

Three matches are already confirmed: Cody Rhodes vs. Gunther for the undisputed WWE Championship, Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu for the World Heavyweight title under Tribal Combat rules, and Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi in a rematch no one saw coming.

With tonight’s WWE SmackDown and just over a week to go before the show, here’s a few bouts worth adding to the card in the next few days.

LA Knight vs. Seth Rollins

Knight returned to Raw recently for the first time after WrestleMania and questioned The Usos’ actions with they and Roman Reigns going back to their former Bloodline antics. He talked about their united front against The Vision last month which seems to bear no consequences now. 

He later met Rollins backstage and expressed no pity for his situation with The Vision, joining The Street Profits who made their intentions clear following their comeback to target Logan Paul and Austin Theory, informing Rollins it had nothing to do with him, but instead their focus was on the World Tag Team Titles. 

Bron Breakker and Rollins’ rivalry is still alive, but a rematch at this point would be repetitive.

Rollins and Knight clashed in the second half of 2025 which ultimately led to their SNME bout in July where Rollins pretended to sustain a knee injury, later revealed to be a ruse to get back at CM Punk in a big way.

Since their rivalry never reached a conclusive ending, a match at Clash in Italy would put Knight as a potential upper card threat on the roster. 

Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair for the WWE Women’s Championship

They were forced to set aside their differences on SmackDown to deal with a common enemy in Fatal Influence. Alexa Bliss, Flair and Ripley will also team up against Jade Cargill, B-Fab and Michin at SNME this weekend. 

Ripley and Flair’s history dates back to 2020. Flair won the Royal Rumble that year and challenged for Ripley’s NXT Women’s Championship at WrestleMania. They have crossed paths in the ring multiple times since then.

Meanwhile, Ripley transitioned from the face of NXT to the main roster as a fan favorite. She was destined to be a top star in the women’s division which clashed with Flair’s standing. At WWE Survivor Series: WarGames last year, Flair was reluctant to trust Ripley and fight alongside her. 

Reviving their feud one more time for Clash in Italy would set the tone for Flair’s return to singles competition and a desire to regain the WWE Women’s Championship. After all, Ripley and Flair’s feud evolved and segued into other storylines. Ultimately, circling back to collide for an International PLE could reinforce their positioning as top stars. 

Carmelo Hayes vs. Trick Williams for the United States title

Sami Zayn has run out of opportunities to win back the United States Championship, and his short-lived reign before WrestleMania is already forgettable.

Fans have been rallying behind Hayes during his main roster stint and more so when he was US Champion. Williams is thriving on the SmackDown roster, carrying the charisma and crowd connection with every appearance.

Williams and Hayes had a chaotic and enriched history on NXT filled with friendship and betrayal, long before they became noteworthy contenders on the main roster. Running back their rivalry at Clash in Italy would make sense and could boost the United States title scene, strengthening it to more than just a title for open challenges and short title reigns. 

Five absent WWE stars who need big comeback storylines | Opinion

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

WWE’s uncertain atmosphere amid recent talent releases and prominent absences has led to questions on their wrestling future. 

WrestleMania 42 took place nearly a month ago and Backlash has already come and gone. Still, many talents have still not resurfaced on WWE TV. 

Here’s a few noticeably absent WWE stars whose returns must outshine their last matches and appearances on TV. 

Randy Orton 

He was heavily anticipated to defeat Cody Rhodes and win his 15th WWE World title at WrestleMania 42. Despite Pat McAfee’s involvement, that didn’t happen. Since then, Orton has not made any televised or public appearances, raising the question on what’s next for the WWE veteran. 

Prior to WrestleMania, Dave Meltzer had reported that Orton was hurting, dealing with undisclosed physical health issues. McAfee’s involvement was to also set up a tag team match with Orton against Rhodes and Jelly Roll at Backlash that never came to be.

There is no update or confirmation on Orton’s return timeline, but whenever it does happen, WWE needs to ensure he accomplishes his long-term goal of a World title.

Drew McIntyre 

Jacob Fatu has already moved on from Drew McIntyre after their WrestleMania collision to focusing on the bigger picture and Roman Reigns’ World Heavyweight title.

Reports indicate that McIntyre’s WWE TV absence is to wrap up filming Highlander, a reboot of the1986 movie, also featuring Henry Cavill. 

McIntyre could continue his callous attitude, unfazed by WWE authority on his return. Pitting him against Rhodes for the WWE Championship again would be monotonous as he needs to assert territorial dominance and could ideally challenge relatively new talent on the SmackDown roster like Trick Williams or another heavy hitter like Ilja Dragunov.

LA Knight

Knight has had a complex WWE run over the past couple of years.

He competed in a six-man tag team match at WrestleMania. Prior to the event, he addressed a bursa flare up that was keeping him away from in-ring action of any kind. While this might explain his ongoing absence, there is always going to be concerns about his WWE future given the current environment.

Knight’s return to WWE should be fueled to win the World Heavyweight Title or Money in the Bank which didn’t happen last year. Either way, he needs a defining run to remind fans and WWE management why he is one of the company’s most organically popular stars today. 

Bayley & Lyra Valkyria

The tag team squared off against Judgment Day on the Raw after Mania but have not made any appearances since.

Bayley’s unfortunate luck in capturing the Women’s Tag Team Titles has been looming since WrestleMania last year, but her partnership with Valkyria still has much potential. 

WWE must ensure their alliance is intact while also keeping both women relevant in the women’s division. This would help their positioning as a babyface tag team and possibly develop Valkyria as a singles competitor under Bayley’s mentorship.

Report: WWE’s original scrapped plans for LA Knight 

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

WWE’s plans for LA Knight post WrestleMania 42 reportedly disclosed.

According to Bodyslam.net, Knight was reportedly set to have a short program with Gunther before the plans were altered for him to target Cody Rhodes and the Undisputed WWE Championship. There is no status on WWE’s current creative direction for Knight. 

Knight’s last televised appearance was at WrestleMania Night One where he teamed up with The Usos against The Vision and IShowSpeed. Prior to the Premium Live Event, Knight was suspected to have suffered an injury which he later addressed as it sparked concern among fans. Knight was adamant that the bursa flare up would not disrupt his WrestleMania match. 

After battling Seth Rollins at the event, Gunther’s next move was to target the WWE Championship. On the May 1 edition of SmackDown, he attacked Cody Rhodes after his match against Ricky Saints. He put him in his signature sleeper hold before releasing him and picking up the WWE Title. 

Four matches to make for WWE Backlash | Opinion

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

With WWE Backlash less than two weeks away, just three matches have been made: Roman Reigns vs. Jacob Fatu, Asuka vs. IYO SKY, and Seth Rollins vs. Bron Breakker.

Beyond those, several rivalries also deserve a spot on the Backlash match card, some emerging from the WrestleMania 42 fallout, and others gaining new momentum. 

Here’s a few matches I hope are added to WWE Backlash over the next week.

The Vision vs. The Street Profits for the WWE World Tag Team Titles

Angelo Dawkins and Montez Ford made their WWE return on the Raw after Mania, taking out The Vision who were attacking Seth Rollins. 

This week, Joe Hendry kicked off his Raw debut with a concert, encouraging fans to sing “Can we fire Logan Paul?” The Vision interrupted his performance and Paul went on a rant, leading to the Street Profits intervening once again.

Backstage, Rollins approached Dawkins and Ford to extend his appreciation for their support the previous week. To his surprise, Ford cut him off midway, citing their focus is to win the World Tag Team Titles and are in no way interested to be friends. 

That journey should begin next weekend.

Carmelo Hayes vs. Trick Williams for the WWE United States Title

Their storied rivalry dates back to their NXT days. From allies to rivals, Hayes and Williams battled it out on numerous occasions.

Hayes has established himself as a key member of the SmackDown roster with his United States Championship reign — the same reign that came to an end in March when Sami Zayn defeated him for the title and then lost it to Williams at WrestleMania 42. 

With Williams also recently saying Hayes deserved a spot on the WrestleMania card, Hayes could step up and demand a match for the title at Backlash.

Jordynne Grace vs. Tiffany Stratton for the WWE Women’s United States Title

Stratton ended Giulia’s second U.S. Title reign last Friday. Instead of doing a rematch, WWE should pit Jordynne Grace to challenge Stratton. After all, Strattong did pin Grace to become the top contender for the title. It would lay the foundation for a potential long term feud as well, and re-position Grace as the next big star on SmackDown.

LA Knight vs. Jey Uso

On Monday’s Raw, Knight questioned the Usos on their reunion with Roman Reigns. He proceeded to define Jey’s singles run and accomplishments when he exited The Bloodline. Knight is no stranger to their affairs as he challenged Reigns for the Universal title at Crown Jewel in 2023.

Jey told Knight to stay in his lane before Jimmy took over the conversation, saying that it’s family business. 

In the second half of 2025, The Usos and Knight seemed to be united against The Vision. However on an edition of Raw in September, Jey snapped and speared Knight. A week later, he retaliated and the tension was deflected with their individual storylines diverging on different routes, but it was never resolved.

At Backlash, the two could finally settle their score in the ring and bring closure to their unfinished business.

Roman Reigns has plenty of challengers post-WWE WrestleMania 42  | Opinion

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

Roman Reigns did what he set out to do at WWE WrestleMania 42 Sunday — to both beat CM Punk in his first ever Mania main event and take away his World Heavyweight Championship in the process.

Following the win, there is plenty of talk on who could be next for Reigns including WWE’s interest in pitting him against Gunther after his big win on Saturday over Seth Rollins.

Two years after a dominant 1316-day reign as Universal Champion, the WWE roster has undergone an shakeup with new names and new challengers since that run.

While Jacob Fatu appears to be up first, here’s a few other contenders who could challenge Reigns for the title this year.

Oba Femi

In the WrestleMania post-show, Femi called out the new champion fresh off his own win over former Reigns rival Brock Lesnar. When Reigns made his appearance on the panel later, fans started chanting for Femi and ‘Oba’s gonna kill you’ (in addition to an anti-TKO chant). Reigns acknowledged them, claiming that Femi did a big thing at WrestleMania 42 with his performance but he had already accomplished that multiple times. 

After checking Lesnar off from his list of dominated opponents, it seems inevitable that he will challenge Reigns for the title at some point. However, WWE needs to let the feud develop gradually as a rushed match between the two, especially a premature title match, could do more harm than good.

Seth Rollins

When The Vision turned on Rollins in October, he was forced to relinquish the very title Reigns just won. Since Rollins never actually lost the title in a match, it’s a natural that he gets his shot back at some point. But, that opportunity might take a while especially after Bron Breakker’s return at WrestleMania where he cost Rollins his match against Gunther. 

Even if Rollins challenges Reigns for the title later in the year, their long and complex history ensures plenty of unfinished business. The last time they stood opposite each other in the ring in a singles match was at the Royal Rumble in 2022 and at WrestleMania 40, Rollins sided with Cody Rhodes to take on Reigns and The Rock. 

A key takeaway from their last singles match is that Rollins defeated Reigns via DQ. Rollins’ mind games – making his entrance to The Shield’s theme song, wearing the disbanded group’s signature gear and taunting their gesture of bumping fists during the bout led to Reigns snapping.

LA Knight

Knight was one of the many stars who stood up to Reigns in 2023 and challenged him for the then-Universal Title, squaring off at Crown Jewel that year.

In the buildup of their feud, Knight was unfazed by Reigns’ status with one memorable instance being Knight interrupting Reigns’ entrance for their contract signing. 

Since then, Knight has received mixed reactions from the WWE fans. While some still root for him to get his main event spotlight, a few remain hesitant on whether he should be there.

The possibility of Knight facing off against Reigns again this year carries major implications. He made it clear to Gunther on Monday’s Raw that is where he is looking.

Bron Breakker

In the aftermath of WrestleMania last year, Rollins’ new alliance with Paul Heyman led to The Vision’s origin. They were joined by Bron Breakker and a couple of months later, Bronson Reed joined the fold. 

By July 2025, during the budding rivalry between Jey Uso and Reigns against Rollins, Breakker and Reed, Reigns warned them about confiding in Rollins which Breakker took issue with and called him the “old dog” in the yard, mocking his relevancy dating back five years ago. At SummerSlam last year, Uso and Reigns defeated The Vision.

Breakker has already announced his thirst for winning a World title. Challenging Reigns for the title would capitalize on his momentum and give him a chance to prove himself against an established, dominant competitor. Win or lose, Breakker squaring off against Reigns would signal him as a top tier talent on the WWE roster. He just needs to get past Rollins first.

Six-man match official for WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Bryan Rose

A six-man tag match is official for WrestleMania 42.

After iShowSpeed inadvertently got himself involved again during a match between LA Knight and Austin Theory on Monday, Adam Pearce came out and made it official that Knight and The Usos would team up to take on iShowSpeed and The Vision in a six-man tag team match at WrestleMania.

Raw saw the massively popular streamer attempt to get uncursed by Danhausen, but found himself out of luck. Pearce suggested he go home, but The Vision convinced him otherwise and brought him out for Theory’s match against Knight. The finish had Paul shove Speed into Knight on the outside, causing Knight to get upset. Speed attempted to flee but was met by The Usos. Speed leaped over Knight and fled back to the ring, there Knight attempted to grab Speed. Knight took out Paul on the apron but the distraction was enough for Theory to roll up Knight for the win.

Ever since being cursed by Danhausen, Speed has found himself knee deep in the problems between The Vision, The Usos, and LA Knight. After attacking Knight by accident and inadvertently costing The Usos the World Tag Team titles on last week’s Raw, Knight retaliated during the week by attacking Speed during one of his livestreams.

Here is the updated card for WrestleMania:

  • World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk defends against Roman Reigns
  • Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes defends against Randy Orton
  • Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer defends against Liv Morgan
  • WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill defends against Rhea Ripley
  • Brock Lesnar vs. Oba Femi
  • Seth Rollins vs. Gunther
  • Unsanctioned match: Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu
  • Women’s Intercontinental Champion AJ Lee defends against Becky Lynch
  • United States Champion Sami Zayn defends against Trick Williams
  • Ladder match: Intercontinental Champion Penta defends against Rey Mysterio, Je’Von Evans, Dragon Lee, Rusev, JD McDonagh
  • Women’s Tag Team Champions Nia Jax & Lash Legend defend against Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss, The Bella Twins, and Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
  • Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio
  • The Vision & iShowSpeed vs. LA Knight & The Usos

LA Knight crashes IShowSpeed stream after WWE Raw angle

Posted on by Joseph Currier

The WWE WrestleMania 42 build continued on Thursday — not in the ring but on an IShowSpeed live stream.

On Raw earlier this week, an angle took place where Speed — one of social media’s biggest personalities — accidentally laid out LA Knight with a brass knuckles shot. They followed up on that today with Knight crashing Speed’s stream. Speed apologized to Knight and claimed that he did not want to get involved. But Knight gave him a receipt by throwing him into his streaming equipment.

Speed was doing a bit where he would not end the stream until someone was able to make him laugh or cry. The video went off the air with Speed crying after being attacked by Knight.

Prior to the attack, Knight said he’s arranged for Speed to come to Raw in Houston next Monday (April 6) to fix things.

A six-man tag match with Speed, Logan Paul & Austin Theory vs. Knight & The Usos is scheduled to be added to the WrestleMania 42 card, though it could end up being a two-on-two tag match with Knight and Speed in the respective corners if Speed is not prepared to wrestle in time. His only WWE match so far was an appearance in the 2025 Royal Rumble.

Speed also appeared on the March 23 episode of Raw and was cursed by Danhausen in a backstage segment. Since then, Speed has played up the storyline with him having bad luck in WWE and his daily life.

On YouTube, Speed has more than 50 million subscribers. He also has 50 million followers on TikTok and 46 million on Instagram.

WWE NXT’s Eli Knight gets new in-ring name

Posted on by Rosanne Raphael

The identity behind WWE’s trademark filed for “EK Prosper” has been made official. 

WWE has officially renamed Eli Knight to EK Prosper on the website. A report from Wrestlevotes Radio on Fightful Select cited that the name change was to avoid clashes with LA Knight, who before signing with WWE competed as Eli Drake on TNA. 

Prosper was announced as WWE’s ID prospect in October 2025. He actively competed on Evolve before signing a WWE contract earlier this year and made his NXT debut shortly after.

He will compete in the 10-person mixed tag team match at NXT Stand & Deliver this weekend. The event will take place at The Factory at the District, St. Louis, Missouri on April 4. 

The match card also features Myles Borne defending the North American Title against Johnny Gargano, who won the Gauntlet Eliminator Match on the March 24 edition of NXT. Sol Ruca and Zaria step in the ring and face each other in the aftermath of their split as a tag team. In addition, Joe Hendry puts the NXT Title on the line in a Fatal 4-Way Match against Ricky Saints, Ethan Page and Tony D’ Angelo. 

LA Knight shares injury update before WWE WrestleMania 42

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

LA Knight has addressed and shared an update on his elbow injury after WWE RAW.

Knight is supposedly dealing with a minor elbow injury after this week’s action on RAW. After RAW aired, fans noticed an inflammation on Knight’s elbow.

The post became a talking point on social media with fans sharing their concerns over Knight’s injury. As worries began to grow regarding Knight’s WrestleMania status, he himself shared an update on it.

“Being on the backend of a bursa flare up won’t keep me from the road to [WrestleMania],” wrote Knight while suffering through a bursitis, also known as a bursa flare up.

The former United States Champion has not wrestled since competing at the Elimination Chamber PLE on February 28. Despite not wrestling, he has remained active on WWE television, attacking The Vision (Paul Heyman, Austin Theory, & Logan Paul) and aligning with The Usos (Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso).

As of now, Knight is not yet booked to compete at WWE WrestleMania 42 on April 18-19th, 2026.

WWE Unreal prompted LA Knight to make big backstage change

Posted on by Shounak Chakrabarti

LA Knight has finally revealed the backstage changes he made following WWE Unreal Season 2’s release.

In one of the episodes of the second season, fans caught Knight absorbing the heat following the finish to the 2025 Money in the Bank ladder match. The Netflix show displayed how WWE producer Chris Park explained the original finish to Knight, after which he sat through a discussion with Triple H.

While Triple H reprimanded Knight for deviating from the original finish, the former United States Champion sat in silence.

Recently, during an interview with the Bootleg Kev Podcast, Knight revealed how that moment on Unreal led him to change a few things. Knight revealed that he no longer waits in the gorilla position after his matches and instead goes backstage directly.

“I have definitely shifted the way I do some things, because you had mentioned my appearance on Unreal there. I was majorly holding my tongue in that scenario, if you could tell,” Knight stated. “Because I had my own frustrations about that situation, that partially had to do with the finish, but more so it had to do with an overarching theme that I don’t need to get into the weeds about here.”

He further opened up and shared how he was not aware of being recorded during that specific moment with Triple H.

“I had no idea that I was on a microphone at that point in time. And so with that being the case, I don’t even stop there in Gorilla anymore. When my match is over, my segment is over, I go straight through and I go to the locker room,” Knight continued. “If they want to talk to me about my match or whatever happened out there, sure, let’s talk about it when there’s not a microphone or camera around. Because that’s how it’s always been. And with that being the case, I’m not going to stop in there and leave myself susceptible to that.”