LA Knight recently lost in the King of the Ring tournament quarterfinals. (Credit: Michael Marques/WWE via Getty Images)

WWE via Getty Images

LA Knight, no matter how close he gets to the top of WWE, always seems to fall just a little bit short.

“The Megastar” is a classic case of “always the bridesmaid, never the bride.” Or is it “always the best man, never the groom?” He’s entered the Money in the Bank match as a clear favorite multiple times only to never win it. He’s won the United States Championship twice and competed for a world title on more than one occasion but has never held onto world championship gold.

That’s why, for years, fans of Knight have labeled the man WWE once debuted as a manager named “Max Dupri” as one of WWE’s most underrated and unsung stars. In fact, even Knight himself recently told Insight with Chris Van Vliet (h/t What Culture) that he’s been “unappreciated” in pro wrestling: “No matter where I’ve gone, I've always felt under-appreciated in the wrestling business.”

The spot Knight has found himself in over the past few years in WWE isn’t exactly a bad one. He’s a fringe main eventer who’s almost always featured in a high-profile feud and consistently remains on TV. Yet, still it rarely feels like it’s enough. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that Knight was clearly one of WWE’s hottest stars.

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Knight was WWE’s No. 8 merchandise seller for all of 2024, ahead of names like Randy Orton. At arguably his peak in the summer of 2023, he was the top merchandise mover in the entire company. Even into the fall of 2023, he was the No. 1 merchandise mover in WWE yet again.

But despite Knight’s undeniably strong merchandise sales and his incredible crowd reactions, WWE always seemed to get cold feet whenever it felt like the time was right to go all in on his push. Critics of Knight have pointed to his average in-ring skills, though that can be debated, or WWE’s crowded roster as possible explanations for his lack of a true world title push.

Knight has said a WrestleMania world title match is long “overdue,” but analysts and critics alike are suggesting that he will never actually win one. At 43 years old, Knight’s chances of winning one are not zero, but they’re not very good either. His crowd reactions, though still very good, aren’t quite what they used to be, as Knight has noted that his creative “trajectory," or lackthereof, is to blame.

As WWE Raw and SmackDown have recently seen an influx of new top-tier talent like Trick Williams, Bron Breakker and Oba Femi, Knight’s attempts to break through that proverbial glass ceiling will only prove to be more difficult. Just last week, WWE showed that the writing was on the wall with Knight’s singles push when he lost a Fatal 4-Way match in the quarterfinals that was ultimately won by, of all people, fellow controversial wrestler Jey Uso.

The Knight-Uso connection isn’t just happening on WWE TV as of late. It’s sparked debate in the Internet Wrestling Community after a misreported quote indicated that WWE thought Uso was a better in-ring worker than Knight. Though that was not reported as fact and was simply one wrestling reporter’s opinion, it’s actually a fair comparison.

Knight and Uso are similar in that they’re wildly popular characters but certainly a notch below WWE’s top in-ring performers like Seth Rollins, CM Punk and other former World champions. Yet, Uso won the 2025 WWE Royal Rumble and would go on to capture the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 41 while Knight is still seeking his first world title.

It’s worth wondering: why? Well, Uso has the major benefit of being a consistent presence in WWE’s longest-running storyline, The Bloodline family saga. With that comes more TV and a stronger push, something Knight hasn’t always gotten. Yet, despite consistently staying near the main event picture, Knight remains the closest thing a WWE star can be to a world champion without actually being one.

Outside of, say, Sami Zayn, there really isn’t another star like him on WWE’s roster, a wrestler who’s proven year after year how good he is only to fall just short of world title glory. After Knight’s latest big loss in the King of the Ring tournament, one that appeared to be set up for him to win, the question remains whether Knight will ever capture a world title.

Right now, WWE title gold appears unlikely for Knight, though his presence should continue to be felt near the top of the card. Just not at the very top.