LA Knight Reveals Why WWE Didn’t Want Him Wrestling On Main Roster
LA Knight has exploded in popularity on SmackDown in recent months but his role on WWE’s main roster wasn’t always so assured as he reflects on his time as Max Dupri.
Knight found success in NXT but when it was time to come to the main roster of WWE, changes were made. No longer going to be an in-ring competitor, Knight was repackaged as Max Dupri, the manager of the Maximum Male Models.
Needless to say, plenty of fans were confused by the move which just so happened to be abandoned following Vince McMahon’s retirement in July 2022. LA Knight was back and on the main roster of WWE as an active competitor while reports have suggested that his former Model team could be in line for a re-package of their own.
Speaking to Alex McCarthy for the Daily Mail, LA Knight revealed that his age played a huge part in being sidelined from the ring in his new role as Dupri:
“Oh, boy! Hahaha. I’m killing it in NXT. It’s crazy, like, just the reactions, the way I had turned from big time heel in the summertime to big time babyface by the winter. It’s not piped in and it’s not prefabbed reactions. It was organic, real stuff happening. I come up for a dark match, I get the attention of the right people; ‘Hey, who is this guy?’ but then the age thing comes up – [whispers] “Oh no, he’s 40, danger.’
“But I’m not the average 40-year-old. I haven’t gone through the wringer. I haven’t had a bunch of surgeries or injuries, knock on that wood. I’ve lived a good, youthful life in a certain sense and I’ve taken care of myself in a way I would say most don’t.
“And also, 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.” So Some things happened there. It was not my cup of tea and definitely, I don’t think it was for me. But somehow, there I was. Some things happened that we don’t need to go into and then eventually LA Knight was back.’”
[sided-debate-embed debate-id=”27586″]
LA Knight will be a part of the men’s Money In The Bank ladder match in London, England on July 1st as he looks to win the briefcase and the chance to become WWE World Heavyweight or Universal Champion.