How Shawn Michaels Helped Keep LA Knight in the Company

Shawn Michaels expressed his excitement and support for LA Knight’s popularity on the main roster during an interview with Busted Open Radio. He praised Knight’s unique character and passion for the business, stating that he was not surprised by his success.

According to Michaels, when Knight was in NXT, they could see that he was connecting with the audience, and there was a plan to move him in a certain direction. Knight was initially worried about not having a strong heel run before moving up to the main roster. However, Michaels encouraged him to embrace his popularity as a babyface and assured him that it would create even more heat when he eventually turned heel.

“I can remember when he started, we could see that, ‘They like you. We’re going to start moving you in that direction’, and of course, he was very worried because, ‘I haven’t had a good heel run yet.’ I was trying to explain to him, ‘Buddy, they like you. I don’t think that’s a good idea for us to go ahead and fight that. Let’s just go ahead and roll with it. One’s as good as the other and if you sort of get over as a babyface, heck, when you turn, it’ll be that much more heat.’ I am not surprised by it.”

Michaels also shared that he believed Knight was a perfect fit for the main roster during his time in NXT. He recalled having to go to bat for some talents, including Knight, to ensure they were not overlooked or lost in the shuffle. He expressed his gratitude that WWE kept Knight around, as he is now enjoying success on the main roster and becoming a favorite among the WWE Universe.

“He’s somebody that when he was here, I will say this. I enjoyed him. I liked him. He’s a grown man. I thought he was going to be a perfect fit for the main roster. There were times when we were having difficulty down here when it wasn’t always maybe my call on some things, that I had to go to bat for some people and really had to make sure that, you know, I impressed on them, like, ‘My goodness, you don’t want to sleep on these people. You don’t want to lose these people. Let’s keep them around. Trust me on this’ I’m very thankful that they did because again, LA Knight is a guy that is enjoying that right now, and again, I think the WWE Universe is enjoying LA Knight right now. He’s somebody that I think’s got a great future. I’m excited for him and I’m happy for him.”

Regarding differences in views between Michaels and Triple H on talent going to the main roster, Michaels mentioned that they are almost always aligned in their opinions, with just minor differences at times. He noted that Triple H tends to lean more towards seriousness and old-school wrestling, while Michaels enjoys adding some levity and entertainment to certain situations. However, these differences are small, and overall, they are usually in agreement on talent decisions.

“It’s challenging for me to answer because we are almost aligned all the time, 99.9% of the time. I don’t think there’s anything where we are just completely different. There are just times where he’s going to be a lot more serious on things. I’m a little bit more levity sometimes. I like a mix of some humor and some entertainment where he’s a bit more legitimizing and wanting more seriousness and a bit more old school. So those are I think the only areas we will sometimes differentiate. That’s why the game was very serious and the only time he could kind of lighten up is when he was DX with me. I feel like that’s the only area and those are usually just, you know, small times here and there where I’ll say maybe let’s go for an entertaining laugh and he’ll want to keep it serious. Those are the only areas, but other than that, I don’t think we’ve ever been on two diametrically opposed positions, at least not yet anyway.”

Overall, Shawn Michaels spoke highly of LA Knight and is thrilled to see him succeeding on the main roster. The WWE Universe is enjoying Knight’s performances, and Michaels believes he has a bright future ahead.

What are your thoughts on LA Knight’s success on the main roster, and do you agree with Shawn Michaels’ assessment of his popularity? Leave a comment.