It has been just over a month since the man born Shaun Ricker ditched the Maximum Male Models to officially become the man he was always meant to be in the WWE Universe, LA Knight, once more. Since then, he's wrestled three matches, a win over Mansoor, a win over Ricochet, and a loss to Braun Strowman at Tribute to the Troops, and gotten up to some of the typical shenanigans that made him such a fan favorite down in NXT but for the most part, Knight hadn't settled into a right-proper feud the likes of which WWE usually opts to find for its superstars.

The keyword in that statement? Hadn't, as after seemingly lucking into a segment with Bray Wyatt in the backstage area, it looks like LA's finest is riding headfirst into a feud – in the ring or otherwise – with the former proprietor of the Firefly Funhouse. What's that old saying Taz saying from ECW, “Beat Me If You Can, Survive if I Let You?” Unfortunately for Knight, he might find out soon enough, as Wyatt isn't the kind of guy one messes with and comes out of the ring feeling the same way they entered it.

LA Knight may have released a monster on the WWE Universe.

After being advertised for the SmackDown show, Wyatt made his way into the WWE ring as the show passed from Hour 1 to Hour 2 with his typical gusto and bravado. What he had to say in on the microphone, however, was far less expected.

“My name is Bray Wyatt,” Wyatt said. “And lately, I've started to realize that I have been conditioned my entire life to be a certain way. And when you're conditioned to be a certain way for that long, you start to feel like changing… is impossible. I was conditioned to be strong, I was conditioned to take. I was taught that fear is respect. But lately, I'm starting to look at the path behind me, and when I look at it, it is covered in ashes and blood. And I start to think, ‘why do I do the things that I do?' and ‘can I actually change?' You know, if I was LA Knight, I know exactly how I would handle this situation, and that makes me sad, man. Look, I wanted to come out here to do this, and I feel real strongly about it. I wanted to apologize to LA Knight for what I did to him. I had a moment of weakness, and I strayed from my path.”

Before Wyatt could continue, who would emerge from the back but the “Beetlejuice of Dummies,” LA Knight, who couldn't wait to hear his name uttered a third time before making his grand debut and approaching the ring.

“Let me talk to ya,” Knight said, as he usually does. “For seven days, I've run it over and over again. The cheap shot heard 'round the world. Your head connecting with my chin. And each time, it gets me a little bit hotter than the last. But now you're out here, and you're apologizing? If I'm honest, it's got me a little conflicted, and I'll tell you why; because you just talked about fear, you just talked about respect, and I'm looking in your eyes right now, I don't know what it is, but as I look in your eyes, there's something that tells me that last week, the fact that I didn't fear you maybe garnered me some respect. Because when I think about it, the rarest commodity around here is respect; it's more valuable than a dollar, it's something I've always wanted. You say you understand me, you say you get me; nobody has ever understood me, nobody has ever gotten me.”

Knight stepped into the ring and extended a hand to Wyatt.

“Now, I'm not sure what to make of your apology, but as I look into your eyes, I do think you respect me,” Knight said. “And so for that, I just want to-”

Before he could finish his sentence, Knight slapped Wyatt right in the face before sliding under the ropes and onto the edge of the ring apron.

“Now we're even, apology accepted,” Knight said off camera. “Apology accepted, okay? That's it, we're done; I go my way, and you go yours.”

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Matt Hardy with a text bubble reading "Okay, here's the deal" next to Uncle Howdy with the WWE logo as the background.

Matty Breisch ¡

Cody Rhodes with a text bubble reading " Well Rock, you don't have to look very far" next to The Rock with the WrestleMania 40 logo as the background.

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LA Knight looking at AJ Styles with a versus symbol between them and the WrestleMania 40 logo as the background.

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Wyatt shook his head.

“Alright, we're even, alright, even,” Wyatt said to Knight. “Look, man, there's a lot I want to do to you right now, and I'm not going to, okay? I'm going to fight all of these urges, my brother, but listen, the decision you're about to make right now is going to change the rest of your life, you understand me? We're even?”

Wyatt extended his hand to Knight but was met with another slap to the face instead. This single, solitary slap caused Wyatt to collapse to his knees, for Uncle Howdy to flicker onto the Titantron behind Knight, and for the already unstable psyche of the man formerly known as “Husky Harris” to all but surely shatter. Folks, if you had LA Knight as the first in-ring opponent of Wyatt during his return to WWE, it looks like you could be in the money. Unfortunately, Knight may need some money of his own for hospital bills, as WWE performers are independent contractors, and if how officials found him immediately following his interaction with Wyatt is of any indication, it certainly looks like things aren't going to end particularly well for the former NXT standout.