American professional wrestler LA Knight is currently signed to WWE and performs in the company’s SmackDown brand. However, he has recently revealed that he once refused to join the company after he was released.
In 2013, LA Knight had a developmental contract with the company where he reported to the WWE Performance Centre. He was released from the promotion on 1st August, 2014. The wrestler himself has admitted that the reason for the termination of the contract was not a talent issue.
He was told that it was more related to professionalism and work ethics. The very next year, WWE offered a new contract to him but this time around, Knight refused to go back to his old promotion.
The reason which he cited in an interview with Sporting News is lesser pay. “The issue was I was making more money where I was now at the time than they [WWE] were offering me to come back. Now, there’s a game here to where I was [sic] was paying me great money, but I was close to the ceiling there. I was getting offered way less over here, but the ceiling is way higher on this one. – explained LA Knight.
But I wasn’t ready to take that bet yet because I’ve been broke for ten years, all through my 20s. Like, didn’t have a bank account for most of that time. Like, didn’t have a car for some of that time, was getting eviction notices for a lot of that time.” – added the SmackDown star.
However, he also accepted the fact that while WWE offered him less pay, he could achieve more there, career growth wise.
Kevin Nash calls LA Knight a ‘rip-off’ of The Rock
WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash on his Kliq This: The Kevin Nash Podcast recently expressed that he thinks of LA Knight as a copy of The Rock.
The veteran professional wrestler went on to say that there were several similarities between the two.
He further added that there was nothing original about the 40-year old SmackDown star. “Am I the only one that sees, like, an absolute rip off of The Rock to the point when he cut the promo on fu**ing Logan Paul or whatever the fu** his name is. The only thing he didn’t do is turn the motherfu**er sideways. Jesus Christ, does everybody have amnesia? There’s nothing original.” (Via WrestlingNews.co)
The viewers had kind of mixed reactions on these comments made by Kevin Nash. Some thought that he was completely off with this argument of his. Others were of the opinion that after joining SmackDown in 2021, LA Knight had become sort of a fan favorite just like ‘The Rock’ but in his own way.