Hours before SmackDown, WWE hyped the final Fatal 4-Way match in the opening round of the King of the Ring tournament featuring LA Knight, Jey Uso, Royce Keys, and Finn Bálor.
In its post on social media, WWE included a promotional image of the four superstars. As the saying goes, if a picture is worth a thousand words, the vacant stare in Knight’s eyes and resigned look on his face said, “Yeah, I’m losing this one, too.”
Sure enough, that’s what happened. Knight not only lost, but he was the man who took the fall as Uso advanced. And just like that, the window on “The Megastar’s” chances of ever winning a world title closed for good.
Why?
Because WWE’s booking has shown time and again that it simply doesn’t see him as world champion material.
Perhaps it’s because Knight, who originally was cast as a manager of a modeling agency upon coming up from NXT to the main roster, broke the first commandment: Thou shalt not get over without the machine.
Ask Matt Cardona, who got over as Zack Ryder only to be pushed down the card, what happens when you do. He left, rebuilt himself on the indies, returned under his real name, and still seems to be paying for it.
Maybe it’s because Knight flubs his lines or misses his mark in the ring from time to time.
Looking at it from an employer or boss’s perspective, it could be that Knight thinks too highly of himself or just rubs people the wrong way.
Listening to him air his grievances or allude to unhappiness about his position, I don’t know whether it’s part of his act — approved by WWE — or if he’s going into business for himself. If it’s the latter, I can see why the company would frown on that. You don’t air dirty laundry.
Ever.
I think of Kevin Nash, who tore Knight down as he was on the rise in 2023, calling him a ripoff of The Rock. I’m reminded of his words last year when he questioned Knight’s commitment to conditioning in the midst of a losing streak that was so bad, it even caught the attention of ESPN, home of WWE’s premium live events.
Were these the words of a learned critic, or was Nash speaking on behalf of his buddy, Chief Content Officer Paul Levesque?
I don’t know, and ultimately it doesn’t matter because the result is the same.
What I do know is that Knight will be one of the few stars of the modern era whose charisma and popularity didn’t yield even a token reign as world champion. Instead, he’ll join “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Ted DiBiase on the list of “bridesmaids but never the brides.”
On the bright side, at least Knight’s in good company.
