LA Knight has admitted that sacrifices needed to be made when he decided to join WWE.
Although Knight became a big name in the wrestling world in 2023, Impact Wrestling fans will remember The Megastar for his work as Eli Drake. Having a successful run in the promotion, Knight would capture the World and Tag Team Championships while a part of the promotion. Having done all he could for Impact, Knight wanted bigger things in the future.
In 2021, Knight made his return to WWE after a brief run with the company back in 2013 and 2014. Despite being a top star in Impact, Knight was first a part of NXT before eventually being called up to the main roster. While he was a part of the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, the pay did not reflect that.
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet, Knight was aware that he would be receiving less money if he left Impact for WWE. However, Knight was willing to make that sacrifice as he knew that there was a potential for a much higher salary in the long run.
”So finally, when I did make the jump over there, there was a little bit of not necessarily negotiation, but it was just kind of like, I knew I was going to have to take a pay cut coming in. But I was willing to take the pay cut on the bet that I could turn it into much more. Because I had hit the ceiling basically in IMPACT. And I had an awesome time (in) NWA for that little bit that we were able to do before the pandemic hit.”
Now one of the top stars on SmackDown, Knight, AJ Styles and Randy Orton will all challenge Roman Reigns for the Undisputed Championship at the Royal Rumble.
Having still not won a championship on the main roster, LA Knight is seeking major WWE validation in 2024.
LA Knight Discusses Disasterous WWE Debut
Known for his catchphrases and charismatic promo style, fans were stunned when they saw Knight’s first appearance on the main roster as Max Dupri. Not allowed to play to his strengths, The Megastar’s change in persona was viewed as a massive misfire. During the same interview, LA Knight discussed baffling instructions from the creative team regarding Max Dupri.
H/t to SEScoops.