WWE must consider major loophole with popular SmackDown star following Night One of the 2024 Draft
The 2024 WWE Draft got underway on SmackDown and there were some surprises as the WWE roster was freshened up. Bron Breakker headed to RAW while Carmelo Hayes was called up from NXT to the blue brand. LA Knight was also drafted on the night and the fastest-rising megastar in WWE remained on Friday Nights.
That decision is somewhat of a letdown given LA Knight has spent the majority of his main roster spell on the blue brand. WWE must use a loophole to allow the hugely popular superstar to become a WWE RAW Superstar.
LA Knight should be re-drafted similar to John Cena during the 2011 Draft. The 16-time world champion was shockingly drafted to SmackDown at the start of the draft but was then the last pick and rejoined RAW.
LA is running out of storylines on the blue brand and the draft picks thus far don't throw much in his direction. He beat AJ Styles at WrestleMania XL to end their feud and is unlikely to challenge fellow babyface Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Championship.
This is why it's time for Paul Levesque to shake things up again and send The Megastar to RAW. He makes a viable contender for Damian Priest's World Heavyweight Championship and that brand looks more like a land of opportunity for Knight.
LA Knight could still be an option to switch from SmackDown to RAW to spice the 2024 WWE Draft up
The Draft has become somewhat repetitive over the years and was perhaps more of a thrill ride using its old formula. Superstars were randomly drafted which led to more shocks than WWE Hall of Famers calling out names.
This year, SmackDown GM Nick Aldis and RAW GM Adam Pearce sat in opposite rooms drafting their desired superstars. It makes sense but doesn't allow such blockbuster names to make groundbreaking moves that nobody saw coming.
However, WWE could pull off a big shock by re-drafting LA Knight and sending him to Monday Nights. The babyface picture on WWE RAW is strong but the Californian could eclipse his peers with his promo skills and overwhelming connection with fans.
SmackDown's LA Knight could be the one to dethrone Damian Priest
RAW's world title picture is an intriguing one. It looks as though superstars who have yet to be given proper main event runs will be given opportunities.
Damian Priest won the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XL. The Judgment Day superstar will defend the title against Jey Uso at Backlash: France. It will be intriguing to see who comes out on top during that match.
If LA Knight is going to become a world champion this year, then moving to the red brand gives him a real chance. He's highly unlikely to take the company's new poster boy Cody Rhodes' Undisputed WWE Championship on SmackDown easily.
However, it's easy to envision Knight beating Damian Priest for the World Heavyweight Championship. The 41-year-old isn't getting any younger and now is the time to strap a rocket to him and make him world champion.
LA Knight should be at the forefront of RAW's move to Netflix
WWE RAW will have a new home in January 2025 as it will head to the streaming service, Netflix. It's a bold and unprecedented move from the Stamford-based company and they'll need all the star power they can get behind the move.
LA Knight's character and promo skills resonate with fans and could attract non-wrestling fans to the product. His persona holds similarities with Attitude Era Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson who helped place a ton of eyes on the promotion during the late 1990s to early 2000s.
The former NWA World Tag Team Champion has been a key figure in WWE's recent upturn in popularity. He intriguingly hit back at The Rock's claims that The Final Boss had 'made wrestling cool again':
“I hear him say wrestling is cool again, and he’s right, but I want to make sure everybody knows it started getting cool again six or seven months before he got there." [H/T - WrestleTalk].
LA Knight is on the cusp of reaching megastar level and a move to RAW would majorly help. SmackDown already has Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton, and Kevin Owens who are massive babyface names to contend with.