When LA Knight debuted on SmackDown as LA Knight last fall, waving goodbye to Max Dupri and all of the juices he titillated, fans wondered what to expect from the fast-talking, kavorka-exuding, “Yeah!” saying WWE Superstar.

Sure, to fans of the promotion who also dabble in the indie product – or at least NXT – there wasn't too much concern regarding the LA Knight/Eli Drake gimmick translating to the main roster, as the man born Shaun Ricker has mastered the character after 20 years of work, but would WWE appreciate all of that effort? They certainly didn't love Knight enough to keep him “whole” when he jumped from NXT to SmackDown, so who's to say they would get it right the second time?

Well, whether Paul “Triple H” Levesque believed in LA Knight or not, he certainly threw him off the deep end either way, as he was thrust into Bray Wyatt's first feud on the main roster since returning at Extreme Rules in October of 2022 and was effectively told to “sink or swim” in a match sponsored by Mtn Dew.

Discuss what it was like to step into the spooky world of Wyatt's wonderland by the Daily Mail, LA Knight explained that, while it was a challenge, he was ultimately able to get himself over due to his sheer power of will.

“For me it was a surprise and came out of nowhere with the spooky and supernatural stuff, which is not usually up my alley. But in a strange way that added to the challenge and especially for that being the first real program for me, it was a cool spot to be in,” LA Knight told the Daily Mail.

“I had the challenge of not just being me in that scenario but pushing up against whatever the h*ll this is and figuring out a way to make it work to where everybody comes out good in the end, but at the same time, let's be honest, in this business you have to look out for number one because nobody else is. So with that in mind there is a bit of a selfish notion where it's like, how am I going to make myself look good in this, but at the same time I don't want to step on the other guy, but it's my business so in that sense it's how can I make it work for me and secondarily how can I make this work for everyone?

“I think we found a way to do that on both ends. As long as both guys are thinking that way, if you're in there trying to make things work for you and then also secondarily trying to make things work for everybody, you really can't lose I don't think.”

Did LA Knight and Wyatt both get over from their Royal Rumble-culminating feud? Objectively speaking, no, not really; Wyatt hasn't wrestled a televised match since that fateful day in January, and many worried that Knight was going to be buried after he was… exploded(?) by Uncle Howdy after the match. Though only time will tell what the future holds for Wyatt, it's clear LA Knight's arrow pointed straight up because of his undeniable allure to the WWE Universe.

LA Knight finally addressed not being at WrestleMania 39 in Los Angeles.

Elsewhere on his media tour following a Slim Jim Battle Royal victory at SummerSlam, LA Knight was asked about his absence from WrestleMania 39, which took place in his namesake city of Inglewood Los Angeles.

To some, opting against an LA Knight appearance on the card, especially when Shane McMahon and George Kittle were surprise guests, was an unforgivable oversight, but what did the “Megastar” think about the situation? Well, he finally expressed that opinion Inside the Ropes, and his response was fascinating.

“There's a couple different ways to look at this, and I'm sure there's a lot of people who are probably just like, ‘Well, you were only active on the roster since October, and WrestleMania is in April. So there's probably a lot of people who were in that same spot who wouldn't have been at WrestleMania.' But there was a big difference there, and not to toot my own horn, but yeah, there was a whole fever that was starting to pick up around that time,” LA Knight said via TJR.

“I'd say it was probably early March in that lead-up to WrestleMania. So to hear that and to be aware of that. Then at the last minute [to be told] that there wasn't going to be anything for me on there, you know, big letdown. At the same time. What can I do? Gotta keep moving. Gotta keep doing my thing.”

“And at the same time, I guess I can also understand the thought might be, ‘Well, this could just be fluke reactions. Maybe this isn't gonna last. What it's been three weeks, four weeks, or whatever since these reactions have been starting to pick up… Maybe it's just a flash in the pan, flavor of the month. It's gonna go away,' And here we are, months and months later. More than a half year later, and it's only picked up and pitched.”

While one could argue whether any of that rationale is worth legitimate consideration – *spoiler alert* it's not – in the end, it's safe to say LA Knight has made himself an undeniable requirement on any Premium Live event show moving forward, which, in the end, is all that matters.