LA Knight is without any doubt the most popular WWE superstar currently. He has been at the peak of popularity for several months now, and the fans love him. The popularity of the performer has only increased with the passage of time.
However, this was not always the case for the former Multi-Dollar Champion, as his initial journey on the main roster was a massive failure, to say the least. Despite having so much success in WWE NXT, he wasn’t given the kind of treatment he deserved. These past booking failures are the reason many believe that LA Knight was set up for failure by Vince McMahon.
After enjoying a great run on the Stamford-based promotion’s developmental territory, LA made his main roster debut in May 2022, but it was not under his NXT persona, as he debuted under the name Max Dupri, and it didn’t sit well with the WWE universe.
Later that year, in July, Max Dupri introduced a faction, Maximum Male Models, during a weekly SmackDown episode. The group originally consisted of Mansoor and Mace, with Knight serving as their leader. This faction turned out to be a complete disaster and only extended fans’ disappointment over LA’s booking.
Due to the backlash from the WWE universe, the promotion reversed their decision by putting LA back in his NXT character as he left the Maximum Male Models. This turned out to be the biggest moment in Knight’s main roster journey, as he went on to become the most loved superstar in Triple H’s company.
Even though the 40-year-old performer hasn’t yet won a championship, a title reign doesn’t seem too far away, due to his recent win at WWE SummerSlam.
3 top talents that were set up for failure by Vince McMahon
LA Knight’s run as Max Dupri was surely an obstacle in his path to success, but he’s not the only performer to go through such a situation due to Mr. McMahon’s booking. So, let’s take a look at three top talents that were set up for failure by Vince McMahon.
Jinder Mahal
Former WWE Champion Jinder Mahal suddenly reached the top of the charts when he won a six-pack challenge to become the Number one contender for the Stamford-based promotion’s top prize. While his win to become the challenger itself was a surprise, it was followed by one of the most shocking title changes in the modern era.
The Modern Day Maharaja went on to defend Randy Orton at Backlash 2017, thus becoming the World Champion. His shocking title win was probably the result of the company’s India tour, which was scheduled to be held in December 2017. It was possibly the reason why Vince McMahon pulled the trigger on the Indian-origin star and gave him the biggest push of his career.
Jinder’s title wasn’t that great, as his in-ring performances weren’t on par with the top competitors. Throughout his title reign, he wasn’t able to connect with the fans, and it eventually led to promotion taking away the title from him just a month before the India tour.
Although this was the correct decision, The Modern Day Maharaja wasn’t ever able to recover from this loss and never came back to reach the top of the main event scene. Looking at the way he was handled, it was obviously a case of Vince McMahon setting him up for failure.
Karrion Kross
Former NXT Champion Karrion Kross was expected to be the next big thing in WWE, but he hasn’t been able to capitalize on his past success. His initial days on the main roster were ruined by Vince McMahon’s booking decisions, as Kross was still the champion of the Stamford-based promotion development territory.
He didn’t have Scarlett by his side, and a loss in his debut match in 2021 made a joke of his reputation and also his NXT title.
Karrion Kross soon left the company as a result of layoffs but returned to the Stamford-based promotion in 2022. This run started pretty well for the performer, as he was immediately given screen time with top superstars like Roman Reigns. But, just like his previous run, this run also went downward with time.
There might be multiple reasons for his failure on the main roster, but the one thing that stands out of them all is how Vince booked him for his first stint. Kross is currently involved in an on-and-off feud with AJ Styles, but it’s not really going in a particular direction, and it doesn’t seem like Karrion has still managed to connect that well with the WWE universe.
Hit Row
The most recent name on the list of top talents that were set up for failure by Vince McMahon is none other than Hit Row. The stable was pretty entertaining and popular on WWE NXT, but they weren’t able to taste such success on the main roster. Their first run was on SmackDown, as they made their debut in October 2021, but it failed miserably.
Hit Row’s failure to connect well with the audience was the reason they were released from the Stamford-based promotion in late 2021. However, she made a surprising return to Triple H’s company in August 2022, under the rehiring of former performers by The Game.
It was expected that their second run on SmackDown would be a better one and that they’d finally make it big on the main roster, but nothing like this has happened over the last year.
The major reason for their failure is probably their booking and the lack of explanation about their characters. Another thing that fans believe has gone against the group is that they were called up to the main roster way too early. Many fans believe that if they had been given some more time to grow on NXT, the results could have been different.
Even after their return to SmackDown last year, the group hasn’t been given regular TV appearances. It remains to be seen whether Hit Row will get the opportunity to be on the receiving end of some decent bookings in the upcoming months or not.