Who runs the game in the WWE Universe? Well, if you ask the man born Shaun Ricker, he'll tell you it's none other than LA Knight, the character he's been playing since making the leap to the WWE main roster, but does he? Does he really?
While fans would desperately like for that to be the case, as the “Megastar” is riding a wave of fan support the likes of which hasn't been seen since Daniel Bryan was yelling “Yes!” in the middle of the ring, so far that hasn't been the case, as he's lost every major match he's taken part in this year and may again come up short at SummerSlam if he's unable to overcome the field in the SummerSlam Battle Royal.
And yet, while momentum may not yet be on LA Knight's side, he is gaining more and more fan support with each passing day, with none other than Seth Rollins telling Ryan Gaydos for Fox News Digital that he's a massive fan of LA Knight and everything he brings to the table.
“It’s great, man. It’s fantastic. We just got so many talents right now that are just clearing everybody else. If there’s not 100 hot guys, there’s a bunch of new ones coming up. Everybody’s just hitting right at the right time,” Seth Rollins said.
“And the LA Knight thing, he’s got a call and response thing with the audience. He’s got that feeling that he’s being held down a little bit. He’s got that chip on his shoulder. And, in some ways, he’s just a throwback to the Attitude Era.
“I know he’s received a lot of comparisons to The Rock and ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, some people mocking him for that. But, I mean, those two are some of the most popular superstars in the history of our industry. I think any comparison you’re going to get to them, especially from a popularity standpoint, is a win.”
Will Rollins put in a good word for the “Megastar” the next time he's in gorilla position with Hunter Hurst Helmsley? Only time will tell, but it's safe to say the “Visionary” is a massive fan of his co-worker's schtick, and that can only lead to positive things for the former Million Dollar Champion.
“I think the sky’s the limit for him. I’m looking forward to seeing kind of where this renewed, invigorated passion for LA Knight kinda leads his character and leads him in the next year,” Rollins added. “It’s really going to be fascinating to watch.”
LA Knight reveals his big plans for SummerSlam.
Speaking of LA Knight's fans for SummerSlam, the “Megastar” stopped by the SmackDown LowDown with Kayla Braxton to discuss what's shaping up to be an incredibly important win at the start of April.
Asked how he feels about the tough road ahead by Braxton, Knight turned the question back on his interviewer before talking to her and the rest of the WWE Universe.
“How do you feel about this? That's what I'm curious about right now. You're excited for me? How about that? Let me talk to ya; here's the deal, man, you talk about big night, big week, right? Two nights, two big nights for me. Nah nah, here's the deal; you're looking at the fastest-rising star in WWE history right now. And who did it? Me, because I made it that way. And here's the thing, after that debacle of the United States Invitational, put it in the past, because now we march forward and next week, you're talking about me, you're talking about Sheamus and his pasty mush mouth. And after I put him down, after I drop him, then I walk right in to the SummerSlam Battle Royal, thank you, Slim Jim,” LA Knight said.
“Because now you give me the opportunity to take every single guy who's in there because now you give me the opportunity to take every single guy who's in there and toss him out, toss him out, toss this one out; everybody else walks in there, I'll toss them out too. You don't even need to be in there, I'll toss them out too. You don't even need to be in the match, and I will toss you over the top. Why? Because I can and because I made it that way. And everything you're gonna hear when you stand there in Detroit, Ford Field, Motor City, you're gonna hear everybody say, ‘L-A-Knight.' Yeah, because whose game is it? You already know. Yeah!”
When SmackDown rolls into Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on August 11th, will LA Knight be holding all of the cards with a guaranteed shot at the United States Championship in his back pocket? Or will he instead be scraping for whatever scraps are left when someone like Sheamus secures the title shot? Fans will have to tune in to SummerSlam to find out.