LA Knight on butting heads with Vince McMahon over the Max Dupri character, not winning Money in the Bank, his merchandise being delayed,

By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)

Insight With Chris Van Vliet with guest LA Knight
Host: Chris Van Vliet
Podcast available via Podcasts.Apple.com

On LA Knight merch being delayed: “It’s a process, getting all that stuff done. Because I have ideas for things and it’s like so you might try and run it through somebody. Okay, well, yeah, we might do that. And I think there was also just skepticism at first, like is this really a thing? Is this just gonna be a flash in the pan? Is this just gonna be a flavor of the month? And that was kind of even a thing that we had talked about and was even talked about with me. It was like, Well, we don’t want to give it to him too soon, because then they might get over it. And it’s like, look, fine. If that’s the case and I’m not good enough to carry that, cool. Let’s go with that. But I understand the idea of also wanting to protect me at some point as well. But I have the belief in myself that I can pivot and move and adapt to whatever the situation is. So if the thought is, well, if we give it to him too soon, you don’t wanna give it to him too soon. But if you just don’t give it to him at all, come on, man. I feel like I’m better than that. I don’t mean that in like a boisterous way, but just, I’m confident in what I do. I’m confident in my skills. And at the same time, I want to be able to fail. Because when I fail I get better.”

Not winning Money in the Bank in 2023: “And it’s funny because I just joked, story my career. But at the same time, I always hesitate to say this stuff because I feel like it sounds like I’m like being self-congratulatory, but I can’t help but state the fact that I willed this shit into existence. I couldn’t stop, I couldn’t just be like, Well, I’m just here, I’m just going to be happy with that, and that’s cool. I wrote an email to one of the writers when I first came back as LA Knight and I just said, Hey look, I’d like to do this and this and this and at some point, I’m going to ask for the ball. And he was probably just kind of brushing me off. I don’t know, I can’t speak for him.

“But I’m sure at the time it was probably just like, his response was I appreciate the ambition. I’m sure at the same time, he’s just thinking who is this guy, whatever. But I meant that and I meant that in the realest possible way to where I want the damn ball and I’m going to make that happen. And so, as many times I’ve been told no, as many times, maybe I’ve shot myself in my own foot or slipped on a banana peel, or whatever it is, I need to will this thing into existence. So far 2023 has been a hell of a climb and making that happen. And so my goal is to just continue on in 2024 and 2025 and who knows from there. And you know, people want to look at the age number, but my God, I’m in some damn good shape.”

Believing he would be released in 2022 while portraying Max Dupri: “Well, the problem is you look around the wrestling landscape. And I even think to my past, and I’m like, Man, I had so much freedom to kind of be me and do my thing. And now I’m doing whatever this stupid model thing is. I don’t know who this is or what this is but all right. I got a nice raise out of it. So at least I try and make this thing work. And so I’m sitting there and I’m trying to do it. And all praise to Mace and Mansoor because, I mean, I even heard them kind of sharing the stories about how Vince [McMahon] was just, it was really weird. Because I was told not to talk like I did, nothing. Don’t say any of the things you said [before], don’t talk the way you did. And I’m like, Okay, I mean, what brought me to the dance is getting completely stripped from me, but alright. I mean, at the same time, I kind of looked at it as a challenge. I’m frustrated by it but I’m also kind of like, okay, well, let’s see how we can do this.

“And then he and I kind of felt like we were butting heads, but it was just like, he had a vision for this thing that puts such a microscope on it. I didn’t know what the hell it was, but I was trying to figure it out, it just was not going well. And I was very unhappy. I’m sure he probably was. Then at some point, it was just like, all of a sudden, I’m not on TV and I’m like, Well, I’m pretty sure I’m fired. Pretty sure this whole ride is over. And at that point, I’m kind of looking at other options and what I can do and where I can go to just keep my whole thing rolling. And, lo and behold, circumstances prevailed that kind of put me in the right spot where I could at least come back in a wrestling capacity, and do my thing. And again, like I said, I don’t think there were great expectations thrust upon me, it was just, hey, here’s a guy who can handle himself. He’s a professional. He knows how to do his thing in the ring. And we can work with some guys, he can have some good programs. Well, surprise, surprise on your eyes, because things just got a little crazy after that.”