SmackDown Star Possibly Returning To NXT Gimmick

Eyebrows were raised on SmackDown on Friday night as a current star on the brand teased a return to their previous gimmick last seen on NXT.

WWE has been going through a lot of changes in recent weeks as Chief Content Officer Triple H looks to make his mark as the new man in charge since replacing Vince McMahon as the company’s creative figurehead.

The likes of Karrion Kross, Scarlett, Dakota Kai, Hit Row, Johnny Gargano, Dexter Lumis, and Braun Strowman have all returned to the company under Triple H’s leadership. In addition, some stars have found themselves with first names again such as Matt Riddle, Tommaso Ciampa, and Austin Theory, and some have geared towards previous gimmicks such as the likes of Butch, who has reverted to wearing the singlet that is best associated with his former moniker of Pete Dunne.

Max Dupri was one star that had his gimmick changed upon graduating to the WWE main roster under the leadership of Vince McMahon. Dupri had previously been known as LA Knight on NXT but his wrestling role changed to a managerial one upon joining SmackDown as the head of Maximum Male Models.

Dupri was soon joined by Mansoor and Mace, as well as his sisted Maxxine Dupri, in the group but they have had limited success in the ring. After their most recent loss on SmackDown, Max Dupri attempted to rally his troops as he told them “you have to go through the day to get to the night, yeah.”

The “yeah” part of the sentence pricked some fans’ ears that were familiar with Dupri as LA Knight or as Eli Drake in IMPACT Wrestling or the NWA where that was a common part of his promos. Whether this will lead to further changes in his character remains to be seen.