LA Knight Has Become The Shining Star Of Bray Wyatt's First Feud In His WWE Return
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After Bray Wyatt made his highly anticipated return to WWE late in 2022, fans were excited to see what the future had in store for the former WWE Champion, and were optimistic about his time away spelling a change of fortunes for him.
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For too long, the booking around Bray had felt somewhat underwhelming, and the notion was that, having spent over a year away from the company, his return would bring a new, exciting version of him that would ultimately see him earn much more success than his previous runs.
It started off impressively as well, weeks of intriguing vignettes, teases and riddles led to a triumphant return at the end of Extreme Rules in October. Fans came unglued as he made his first appearance in WWE for over 12 months, and it seemed things would be different, but less than four months later, Bray's return has disappointed, and his first real feud since his return has actually helped make a star out of his opponent, LA Knight, as opposed to himself.
Bray's spooky gimmick can often fall flat for audiences, but Knight's involvement in the rivalry has seen his popularity skyrocket. Fans have really taken to him, and it has come at the expense of Wyatt himself.
LA Knight Originally Struggled On The Main Roster
For anyone who watched Knight in TNA or NXT, it was pretty clear that WWE had a surefire main eventer on their hands when he arrived on the main roster in the spring of 2022, but things didn't get off to the best of starts when he was immediately repackaged as Max Dupri and positioned as a manager for Mace and Mansoor.
It became apparent that Vince McMahon didn't know what to do with the 40-year-old, and while his mic skills are easily his brightest talent, relegating him to the role of a manager felt like a huge slap in the face of the impressive in-ring career he had endured up until that point. The gimmick really didn't take off either, but after McMahon departed and Triple H took control of the booking, things improved as Knight reverted to his original character and was once again utilized as an in-ring talent.
A brief feud with Ricochet followed, and Knight showed he was good enough to stand on his own as a villainous act on the SmackDown brand, but it wasn't until Wyatt returned, and the two embarked on a feud, that the former Impact World Champion showed he had the ability to become a WWE main event level talent.
LA Knight Has Beaten Bray Wyatt In Promos
Wyatt's bread and butter is his promo work. It's what he has become known for during his pro wrestling career, and there aren't many figures in the business that can go toe-to-toe with him on the microphone, let alone actually best him in that department. LA Knight has done just that.
While Wyatt has continued to cut, spooky, mysterious promos, Knight has come across much more authentic. His brash and cocky attitude has really caught on with fans. He's even coined his own catchphrase, obnoxiously yelling 'yeah' which fans in the audience have no qualms about repeating in unison.
A criticism aimed at Wyatt in the past, is that his promos can often feel a little nonsensical, and hard to follow. That certainly isn't the case with Knight, who has continued to cut straight to the point, and offer a sense of realism in a feud that would otherwise struggle to find some.
LA Knight Has A Natural Charisma Like Few Others
One thing a wrestler cannot be taught or learn is charisma. You either have it or you don't, and a lack of the stuff has held a number of incredible in-ring talents back in the past, with Shelton Benjamin a great example of a WWE wrestler whose in-ring skills were more than good enough to main event PPVs, but his lack of charisma and entertaining personality denied him the chance.
There's no disputing that Knight has it in spades, though, and it's clear for all to see every single time he appears on WWE television. He had it in TNA, and it played a huge role in his ascension to the top of the promotion, and there's no reason to believe it won't help him reach a similar position in WWE somewhere down the line.
RELATED: So Far, Bray Wyatt's Uncle Howdy Storyline Is Another Goofy Misfire In WWE
At 40 years old, Knight doesn't have a long in-ring career ahead of him, but his feud with Wyatt has shown that he has more than enough to spend what limited time he does have firmly entrenched in the main event scene.
