WWE Was Initially Hesitant About Producing LA Knight Merchandise

WWE saw a few stars really step up in 2023, but LA Knight stands above the rest. His ascent in WWE in 2023 was unmatched in many ways, especially when it comes to the amount of merchandise that he has been able to move.

There were critics of LA Knight at first who called him out for ripping off people like “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock. Kevin Nash, who was one of LA Knight’s biggest critics, has gone on to apologize and acknowledge how successful LA Knight has become.

LA Knight’s rise up WWE’s merchandise charts also allegedly caused some backstage heat on him. At this point, LA Knight’s popularity is impossible to ignore. There was apparently a time when WWE wasn’t too eager to slap LA Knight’s catchphrases on t-shirts and push them out into the masses for consumption.

While speaking with Chris Van Vliet, LA Knight revealed that WWE was hesitant at first about putting out merchandise for him. It is a process, and there was some concern that he might be just a “flavor of the month” kind of situation.

“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 try not to 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.”

LA Knight has a big match ahead of him for the Royal Rumble. That fatal four-way match on January 27th will see him battle Randy Orton and AJ Styles for Roman Reigns’ Undisputed Universal Title. He is obviously thrilled to have that opportunity in Tropicana Field.

LA Knight has also been able to prove that he is anything but a flavor of the month. WWE is also likely very glad that they followed through with LA Knight’s merchandise, because he has become a top seller for the company since breaking out on the main roster with his many bankable catchphrases.

What’s your take on this situation with WWE being hesitant about releasing LA Knight merchandise? Are you glad that they gave him a big push and continue featuring him on television? Let us know what you think in the comments section!