WWE almost fired popular star in 2022 before Triple H intervened
Triple H has made lots of important decisions since replacing Vince McMahon as WWE's creative figurehead in July 2022. In a recent interview, LA Knight recalled how he was "pretty sure" the company was going to fire him before The Game changed his character.
Knight joined WWE's main roster in May 2022 as Maximum Male Models' manager Max Dupri. The 40-year-old gained popularity in NXT wrestling as LA Knight. However, due to concerns about his age, WWE's decision-makers wanted him to transition into a managerial role with a new name.
On Chris Van Vliet's Insight podcast, Knight explained what happened when Triple H allowed him to revert back to his NXT gimmick:
"Well, let me just go ahead and say this, I'm pretty sure I was fired. And it just hadn't officially happened yet. Without getting into too many details, some things happened. I don't remember what it was, but some things happened. And then I had gotten a FaceTime. 'Hey, you know, we want to keep you around. We want to do this, this, that whatever.' And, okay, cool. Good."
LA Knight reveals WWE's concern about his age led to Max Dupri gimmick. https://t.co/queIewSUn5
Knight has been outspoken about his dislike of the Max Dupri character. He felt that the persona change was a "step backward" considering how fans gravitated towards him in NXT.
LA Knight says he was almost "thrown off the cliff" in WWE
In recent months, LA Knight has become one of WWE's most well-liked superstars, even though he still portrays a bad guy on television. He will compete in the 2023 Men's Money in the Bank ladder match in London, England, on Saturday.
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Reflecting on his rollercoaster last 13 months, Knight added that everything turned out positively in the end:
"So somehow I had been saved from being thrown off the cliff. At least this is my interpretation of it. Maybe I'm incorrect, I don't know. And so eventually, just things kind of worked out."
The former Million Dollar Champion went on to explain that his LA Knight gimmick is a heightened version of his real-life personality. He said Knight is essentially a cross between himself at parties and himself in an argument.
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