'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
One of the biggest talking points of WWE SmackDown this week was the former Max Dupri shedding his gimmick to become LA Knight again. Legendary journalist Bill Apter hopes to see him climb to the top of the blue brand's roster.
Known as Eli Drake during his IMPACT Wrestling run and as LA Knight on NXT, many comparisons have been made between this unique star and The Rock. Unfortunately, he was thrust into a strange role ever since he got called up to the main roster as the leader of the Maximum Male Models faction. Leading up to this week on WWE SmackDown, Dupri kept teasing a return to his former persona.
Trending
Hall of Fame journalist Bill Apter applauded LA Knight's decision to drop his former gimmick on WWE SmackDown this week. In an exclusive statement provided to Sportskeeda Wrestling, Apter said that his managerial role with Maximum Male Models never felt like a good fit.
"It was great to see that LA Knight could be himself again. His male model manager role never felt like a good fit. He's really a good competitor and I hope we see him climb to the top on the smackdown roster," Apter said.
The former IMPACT World Champion now starts with a clean slate and has the opportunity to etch his name in the history books. It remains to be seen if Triple H will go all the way with him.
Where does LA Knight fit in the current WWE SmackDown roster?
Clearly, the main objective will be to re-establish his persona and repair the damage done by the previous gimmick. Once that is done, Knight, who is now a babyface, could introduce the way to his unique style of speaking. Yeah!
For the time being, Knight will battle with the other members of the Maximum Male Models before moving on to bigger and better things. He is scheduled to face Mansoor on SmackDown next week.
Also, it will be interesting to see whether Mansoor retains the same campy persona when he returns home to Saudi Arabia in November.
What do you make of Max Dupri reverting to his LA Knight persona? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please backlink to this article if you carry the quote in your publication. Yeah!
