LA Knight has been on a collision course with The Rock for over a decade, however he’ll must accept his ‘cousin’ at WrestleMania 41.
The 42-year-old will defend his United States Championship on the Present of Reveals in opposition to Jacob Fatu, who belongs to the identical well-known wrestling Anoa’i household as Dwayne Johnson.
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Knight is certainly one of WWE’s most charismatic characters among the many present crop of stars and exudes star energy on the microphone.
His expertise have drawn heavy comparisons to The Rock from followers on-line, a hyperlink he will not be too keen on contemplating their historical past collectively.
Throughout an unique interview with talkSPORT that happened in 2023, Knight mentioned the hyperlinks between himself, the Folks’s Champion, and Stone Chilly Steve Austin.
He stated: “I’ve heard each of these – I do not care.
“If anyone desires to place my identify in with these guys, that is cool as a result of that is a hell of an elevation proper there.
“However past that, my motives are to maneuver above and past each of these guys.
“So with all of the respect on the planet to each of them, I’m influenced by each of them, these are the blokes that I minimize my enamel on in a sure sense after I was in highschool, and people had been the blokes.
“Additionally heavy influences you are taking a look at [Roddy] Piper, [Hulk] Hogan, [Ric] Aptitude, Jake the Snake [Roberts], all these guys and different popular culture influences… actors, musical artists, all these sorts of issues are influenced in right here – you’ve got by no means as soon as heard me steal any individual’s phrases, gown like any individual.
“Though some folks go, ‘Ah, he is acquired the Austin vest’, by the best way, for those who take a look at that vest that I put on, it is really modelled after Brad Pillman.”
Knight – actual identify Shaun Ricker – suffered an extended highway to affix the ranks of WWE’s elite with a prolonged stint on the impartial scene.
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Throughout this time, he additionally boosted his coffers with quite a few roles throughout media and tv, from adverts for Aldi to the fourth season of GLOW, which sarcastically was later scrapped by Netflix, the place WWE presently calls residence.
Most memorably, Knight starred alongside Terry Crews as bodybuilder Mario in a season two episode of Brooklyn 9-9.
Since reverting to his WWE character, LA Knight, from Most Male Mannequin’s expertise agent Max Dupri in 2022, he has excelled.
He captured his first singles title at SummerSlam final 12 months after beating Logan Paul and is now in a high-profile match at Mania 41.
Knight informed us in 2023 on being WWE’s ‘Michael Jordan’: “It is at a loopy fever pitch after I stroll on the market, however look man, there’s one thing completely different the place this is not presupposed to be taking place.
“I used to be by no means the man who was presupposed to be in that place, and folks discuss, ‘he wants the push, he wants the rocket strapped to him’ – I strapped the rocket to myself!
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“I’ve given myself the push at this level, so it does not make a distinction to me, I’ll go on the market and do my factor, and all people all all over the world appears to be getting on the gravy practice.”
Knight’s showdown with Fatu at WrestleMania has been billed as his greatest take a look at but, and positively is step one on a doable journey that might find yourself with gatecrashing the main-event scene.
That may put him on a path with Rock, who has been pulling the strings on the prime utilizing one other of his ‘cousins’, Roman Reigns.
It might act as the proper fruits for Knight, having as soon as been a contestant in Rocky’s short-lived 2013 actuality TV present, The Hero.
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The previous Million Greenback Champion, showing below his actual identify, gained $35,000 however solely lasted two episodes of the aggressive motion collection that was cancelled after a single season.
His most haunting second on the present noticed him fall sufferer to Rock’s ‘It Does not Matter’ catchphrase – one thing Knight hadn’t forgotten about over a decade later.
Requested by talkSPORT in 2023 whether or not he’d relish the prospect to go toe-to-toe with The Rock on the microphone, Knight replied: “If that occurs, then we gotta do one thing bodily proper?
“I do not thoughts dropping the Rock on his head!
“I owe him one from about ten years in the past when he hit me with ‘It Does not Matter’ ten years in the past, so I owe him somewhat one thing.”