In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, LA Knight talked about a few topics including his return to WWE, along with the concerns backstage that led to his role as a manager upon his arrival to SmackDown.
Knight had previously been in NXT under a developmental deal as Slate Randall until May 2014, and in talking about his return to WWE he discussed the three years of talks that didn’t pan out:
“For three years in a row, we talked. It didn’t work out, 2019, we were just kind of like ships passing in the night. We never really got in touch. In 2020, I thought with the pandemic there was no way, everything is shut down, my career is probably over, so I’m just gonna make whatever little bit of money I can with these smaller companies. At some point, it was, ‘Well, let’s make one more run for it.’ I got in touch with Triple H and his team and we put things together and finally made it happen.”
Knight would also talk about how he found himself looking to stand out from others in NXT upon his return, before his main roster debut as Max Dupri seemed to bring much of that to a halt. In discussing the origins of Dupri, Knight said:
“I look a certain way where obviously I’ve got somebody’s attention. But that number came up and it was like ‘well ok, maybe we make him a manager.'”
Knight went on to call it a “testament to [Triple H’s] trust” and his own abilities to turn the corner, when finding a way to bring LA Knight back in proper form.
LA Knight will be a part of the upcoming Premium Live Event WWE Money in the Bank, as part of the titular ladder match with a guaranteed title opportunity on the line, on Saturday, July 1 from the O2 Arena in London, England.