LA Knight really wants to become a top guy in the WWE Universe.
A late bloomer on the national stage who didn't sign his current contract with WWE until he was in his late 30s, the now-41-year-old SmackDown Superstar has laid the groundwork to become one of the faces of the promotion in 2024 but still hasn't become a “made man” at the game's highest level by being bestowed with a championship belt. Sure, he's wrestled for a few, including two title shots against Roman Reigns at Crown Jewel in 2023 and the Royal Rumble in 2024, but other than his time holding the Million Dollar Title in NXT, his run remains belt-less, which isn't the worst thing since he remains very over but has prevented him from breaking through the proverbial glass ceiling.
Discussing his desire to become a champion in WWE as part of an interview with In the Kliq, LA Knight opened up about not wanting to become a “background player,” with a World Title win allowing him to really shine as one of the top performers in the business.
“Look, for me, again, I never got into this to be a background player. I want to be the guy, and in order to do that, I need to be the champion. I need to be the WWE Champion, ‘THE guy,'” LA Knight shared via 411 Mania. “Right now, I feel like Roman Reigns is holding that role. Some could say it's Seth Rollins, but I look at that streak that Roman Reigns is on, and he's holding, and I want that.
Turning his attention to the other belts WWE has to offer, Knight noted that he'd be willing to challenge Logan Paul or Gunther if it served as a stepping stone to something greater, but frankly, his goal remains to headline the World Championship picture.
“Now, am I opposed to, on the way there, doing it the old way of [getting] that US Championship or Intercontinental Championship as a proving ground, as a stepping stone, to getting there? Look, man, I told everybody from day one, I'm coming in for gold. Nobody's gonna stop me from that. So if that means US Title on the way, Intercontinental Championship, on the way, or whatever, I mean, I'm game for it. At the end of the day, I'm looking for that top spot,” LA Knight declared.
“I'll tell you what, if [a United States Championship match with Logan Paul] presents itself and that's a thing, Yeah, maybe. I mean, look at WrestleMania at this point, as far as the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship, that's already been determined, right? It's not going to be me and Roman Reigns. Whether it's The Rock or Cody or whomever, whatever it's going to be, it looks like it's going to be Rock and Roman Reigns at this point, it's not me,” he lamented. “So with that being the case, and I open to another opportunity on the way to claming my throne at some point? Absolutely. So, we'll see. Will I cross paths with Logan Paul? I don't know. Will I cross paths with Gunther? I don't know. Will I cross paths with Seth Rollins? I don't know. At some point, one way or another, I'm coming out with gold, and again, I'm looking for that top spot because I can't be in any other spot.”
Would holding the United States Championship or the Intercontinental Championship really be that bad of an outcome for LA Knight? No, frankly, his character feels like a perfect United States Champion in the same vein as John Cena back in the day, but still, if he really wants to become a World Champion, it's good on him to keep striving towards that goal, as when you have a legitimate shot at being in that main event picture, “settling” for a mid-card belt might rightfully feel like a downgrade.
LA Knight doesn't care who wins the main event of WrestleMania 40.
Elsewhere on his pre-Elimination Chamber press tour, LA Knight stopped by Wes and Walker to discuss the drama surrounding who would main event Night 2 of WrestleMania 40.
Considering he won't fill the spot, as he didn't win the 2024 Royal Rumble, LA Knight announced that he doesn't particularly care who leaves Philadelphia with the belt, as he's gonna be gunning for whoever it is without prejudice.
“Doesn't really make a difference to me. Doesn't affect me. I'm not involved in it, I don't care. If any one of them ends up coming out as WWE Champion, then that's the guy I'm aiming for,” LA Knight explained via Fightful. “Is it always cool to have a guy like The Rock come in? Sure it is. Now you have a major movie star, a major star just in the world. A pop culture icon, you could say. To bring that in, you're bringing in brand name recognition to where it might bring in extra eyes from the outside who might not otherwise be there. If that's the case, okay, I'm not arguing against that. It means more eyes on me, more eyes on SmackDown, more eyes on everything. In that regard, it's not a bad thing. Some people are going to look down on it, some people aren't. It's not for everybody, but that's the beauty of what we do, there is a little something for everybody. At the end of the day, in my regard, it really doesn't make much difference to me. If Cody ends up being the champion, Roman Reigns is the champion, The Rock is champion, I'm still gunning for each and every one on them.”
On paper, LA Knight's plan is pretty rock solid, as other than some in-ring differences between the potential champions, it really doesn't matter who comes out of the event as the champion, as he'll be trying to challenge them all the same. When it comes to the pursuit of greatness, one really does have to put blinders on, with the hype surrounding a galavanting Rhodes or an undefeatable Reigns only serving as a potential distraction from the task at hand.
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