LA Knight's US Title reign is doomed to fail with latest move, WWE legend says

Years of hard work finally paid off for LA Knight at SummerSlam 2024 when he defeated Logan Paul to become the new United States Champion. However, he has only had weak challengers since then, according to the legendary wrestling veteran Jim Cornette.

Since August, Knight has feuded against Legado Del Fantasma, Andrade, and Carmelo Hayes. His sole title defense at a premium live event happened at Crown Jewel earlier this month against El Idolo and Hayes in a Triple Threat Match. Last Friday, Shinsuke Nakamura returned after many months, unannounced, and attacked the United States Champion, kickstarting a storyline.

On the latest episode of his podcast, Jim Cornette Experience, Cornette addressed the lack of formidable foes for The Megastar that matched his star value. The veteran believes Knight's latest challenger, Shinsuke Nakamura, was no different and that the 42-year-old's title reign was doomed to be underwhelming.

"This is what I'm talking about. LA Knight finally wins with the BFT [against LDF's Berto] and he's celebrating in the ring. Suddenly, he gets leveled by a guy in a black leather raincoat, and it's shaky [Shinsuke] Nakamura! I had forgotten that he existed, charitably enough. They keep giving him people 'who gives a sh**' and here comes, 'who gives a sh**,'" Jim Cornette said. [From 1:54 to 2:34]

You can check out his comments in the video below:

Shinsuke Nakamura again blindsided LA Knight this past Friday after the latter retained his title against LDF's Santos Escobar. Unlike Jim Cornette, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T is a fan of the feud WWE has just kickstarted.

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LA Knight reveals untold story about his WrestleMania debut

On April 7, 2024, inside Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, LA Knight made his WrestleMania debut, one year after his surge in popularity. He defeated former WWE Champion AJ Styles. It was the beginning of the 42-year-old's slow-burn ascend on SmackDown to a title win. For Knight, it was business as usual. However, his mother became a huge fan of the sports entertainment medium.

In an interview with 105.1 The Bounce, LA Knight disclosed that many members of his family and close friends were in attendance at The Show of Shows, and it was a special moment for him because there were some converts.

"So it's a big experience, and it was eye-opening, not just for me, but I think even in my friends and family circle, there were new fans made. My mom, for instance, not historically a big wrestling or WWE fan, but after going to WrestleMania now, she's like, 'Oh my God! It's all I can think about. It was so fun,' and this person showed up, and Snoop Dogg showed up, and all this stuff and everything. So, like, new fans were made that night. For me, yeah, like you said, first time out to shoot. Yeah, it was a great night. But like I said, another night at the office," he said.

Shinsuke Nakamura has targeted Knight since returning to SmackDown last week. Veteran Dutch Mantell touched upon this, noting that there is room for growth if the company truly gets behind The Artist.

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If you use any of the quotes, please credit the original source and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.