“Do I belong here?..”: WWE US Champion LA Knight Opens Up About Self Doubts and the Main Event Clash with Roman Reigns

LA Knight recently reflected on the memorable night he squared off against Roman Reigns in the main event of a premium live event. As one of the fastest-rising stars in WWE, Knight’s journey to this showdown was marked by anticipation and emotion. Looking back, he shared his thoughts on what it meant to go head-to-head with the reigning champion under the bright lights of a major event.

Take a look at LA Knight’s journey from self-doubts to main event spotlight

In the fall of 2023, LA Knight was officially named the number one contender for Roman Reigns’ Undisputed Championship. While fans felt the opportunity was well-earned, the current United States Champion wasn’t entirely sure he was ready for the challenge. In an interview with Alex McCarthy for Mail Online, LA Knight confessed that despite the excitement of landing a major spot, he sometimes doubted whether he truly belonged in the main event at that moment.

“That’s a hell of a spot to be in, and definitely not one I expected to be in at that point because you’re talking about maybe a year from the time LA Knight reared his face on SmackDown. It was probably October 2022 when I showed up in that iteration, and by the very beginning of November 2023, I was in the WWE Championship match in Saudi Arabia, headlining the event. That’s a pretty crazy jump, a pretty crazy climb in a very short amount of time.”

“There were a lot of adjustments to be made. There were definitely some battling thoughts inside my head between, “Do I belong here?” and, “Hell yeah, you belong here.” It all happened so quickly that there was definitely an adjustment period.”

“But now, with the US Championship and walking into SummerSlam, you never know where that could lead. And when you’re talking about the WWE Championship, World Heavyweight Championship, this and that, this is a hell of a stepping-off point.” Picking up the US title, there’s not that question anymore of, “ah, it this my spot? Do I belong here?” For damn sure, I belong!” (via Inside the Ropes)


In 2023, The Megastar’s rapid ascent to SmackDown’s main event scene was nothing short of meteoric. Emerging as the standout fan favorite in July’s Money in the Bank match and drawing increasingly thunderous reactions each week, LA Knight became the people's choice. Fans were requesting for WWE to finally pull the trigger and grant him the title chance they believed he deserved.



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