NWA President Billy Corgan revealed that Impact Wrestling refused to push WWE Superstar LA Knight due to his size.
Corgan, former TNA, now Impact Wrestling, President, recently expressed his admiration for LA Knight, formerly known as Eli Drake, when he appeared on Chris Van Vliet’s podcast Insight and his desire to propel the talented wrestler to greater heights within the organisation.
Corgan, who served in TNA’s booking office, revealed his ardent support for Knight during his tenure. Corgan stated:
I was certainly one of his biggest fans. I pushed hard to get him more time. One of the great promos of all time, and that’s not to take away anything from his wrestling. He is a main event-level ability in the ring.
Despite Knight’s undeniable skills, Corgan acknowledged a hurdle Impact management faced with the wrestler, which centred around his size. Corgan explained:
I think one thing that I think people would point to, from a booking point of view again this was not my perspective, I heard it in the office there was size.
However, Corgan firmly believes that Knight possesses the charisma, promo skills, and in-ring ability necessary to become a star in the industry.
Corgan also highlighted the traditional approach of WWE, stating that the company has historically been cautious in immediately pushing wrestlers who have garnered significant crowd support. Instead, WWE tends to gradually elevate such talents. Elsewhere on his podcast appearance Billy Corgan discussed how he wanted LA Knight to be NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion while he was still with the company.
What Did LA Knight Do After Impact Wrestling?
Notably, Knight achieved a significant milestone in 2017 when he captured the World Championship during his time in Impact Wrestling. Knight was let go from the company in April 2019, after which he returned to the NWA where he remained until 2021 when he signed with WWE.
H/t to WrestlingInc.com