Longtime fans of LA Knight will feel vindicated by the 40-year-old's recent success in WWE. Matt Hardy recently opened up about Knight's upcoming Crown Jewel match and said his placement on the card suggests Vince McMahon is no longer in control of the booking.
Despite stepping away from the creative team, rumors of Vince McMahon's involvement have been discussed since his return to the company in 2023. The latest update revealed that McMahon was now out of the writing process, with Triple H solely spearheading the most important department in WWE.
Before LA Knight began his ascent up the card, he was in danger of losing his job and allegedly out of favor with Vince McMahon, who just saw the former Max Dupri as a manager. However, Knight has turned things around for himself and is days away from facing Roman Reigns for the undisputed championship.
While speaking on his podcast, AEW's Matt Hardy addressed LA Knight's WWE position and how it's a telling sign of Vince McMahon's current status:
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"That's a hell of a question and a hell of a scenario. Just imagine if someone said to you a year ago, just go two years. Well, LA Knight could be a threat to Roman Reigns. What was his name before? Max Dupri. And just the fact, very happy for him because he is a very hard worker, and I was a big fan of his, as we'd discussed on the podcast before. But the fact Vince didn't see that and kind of missed what could have been is very wild, and that's very telling of the thing that Vince isn't necessarily in creative now." [From 40: 29 onwards]
LA Knight has all the momentum on his side heading into WWE Crown Jewel
The former TNA star could not have asked for a better reward after organically getting over with the crowd! Wrestling WWE's biggest draw in Saudi Arabia for the world championship will enhance LA Knight's reputation, and the company is making sure he looks like a worthy challenger to Roman Reigns.
Knight engaged in a direct verbal battle with the Tribal Chief on SmackDown in a contract-signing segment, and there were many instances where it looked like the babyface got the better of the heel.
Knight also picked up a huge victory in the show's main event against Jimmy Uso, but that wasn't the only blow he dealt to The Bloodline. Before the episode went off the air, LA rocked Roman with his finishing move and proved that nobody should underestimate him and the possibility of a title change at Crown Jewel.
Do you think it happens? A WWE legend felt Knight winning the title wouldn't be good for business, and you can read more here.