Getty

US pro-wrestler and actor Shaun Edward Ricker aka LA Knight attends Netflix's "WWE Monday Night RAW" premiere.

This coming weekend, WWE Superstar LA Knight is set to compete alongside “The Usos,” Jey and Jimmy Uso. Together, the trio will face off against Logan Paul, Austin Theory, and IShowSpeed at WrestleMania 42, presented by Snickers.

Despite his busy schedule, LA Knight took time for an exclusive interview, where he shared his excitement about the future, including his recent involvement in WWE’s longstanding partnership with Snickers.

LA Knight Discusses WWE Partnership

Snickers has been a presenting sponsor of WrestleMania for over a decade, and this year’s event in Las Vegas continues that tradition. Recently, LA Knight filmed a commercial for the iconic chocolate brand, which is set to release soon.

He described the experience as surreal, while also showing gratitude for it all.

“Now this thing with Snickers. We just shot the commercial with Snickers a couple weeks ago, I wasn’t even thinking, looking, expecting to be doing anything with a brand like Snickers and here we are,” LA Knight said. “It’s crazy because its such a longstanding partnership between the WWE and Snickers. When you think about that, here’s an iconic brand in WWE, here’s an iconic brand in Snickers and here I am in the middle of all of it.”

When asked about hearing the crowd chant his name, Knight admitted the feeling never gets old.

“It’s pretty crazy,” he said. “Every night is unique, but your music’s going to hit, people are going to react the way that they do. I try to never take it for granted. I try to never assume it’s going to be there.”

He added that some reactions go beyond expectations.

“There are some times where that music hits, the people jump up, and you hear it, and then there are some times where it’s so much extra. That it just sends this feeling,” he said with a smile.

LA Knight went on to describe his connection with fans as a recycling of energy, an almost team effort.

“Connecting with the audience, they’ll let you know,” he said.

Reflecting on standout moments, he pointed to Money in the Bank 2023 in London as a defining experience.

“That was monstrous when the music hit and everything happened. The reactions and everything,” he recalled. “There is a lot of cases like that. You get some wild crowds out there and they just feed you.”

He also added that certain cities bring a unique intensity.

“There’s a certain handful of cities where I’m like ‘this is my city.’ Cleveland is one of those. New Orleans. All the cities are very good, but I can definitely tell there’s just a little something extra in some of them.”

When it comes to preparation, Knight keeps things straightforward.

“Well it depends,” he said with a smile. “Am I feeling like myself or not?” He said with a smile. “Because if I’m not feeling like myself, I’ll probably have myself a Snickers.”

Looking ahead to WrestleMania 42, Knight is ready to help set the tone.

“We set the stage. Set the whole show off on Saturday, the very first match,” he said. “The first hour of both nights is on regular television, ESPN, so we get to be in that first hour. That’s the hook.”

With WrestleMania 42 approaching, fans should also keep an eye out for LA Knight’s upcoming Snickers commercial.

LA Knight Gets Personal

Before wrestling, LA Knight had different ambitions.

“My original dream was to play basketball,” he revealed. “I wanted to be an NBA player.” However, his eventual path to WWE made sense for the star.

“I went to college aimlessly for about a year and a half,” he said. “Maybe about a year later, I ended up moving to Cincinnati, Ohio, and I started wrestling.”

While wrestling wasn’t initially seen as a realistic career path, it had always been part of his life.

“It wasn’t like a childhood thing,” he said. “It wasn’t a real option. I had been emulating the wrestling stuff since I was a little kid. I had all the figures, and the rings, and was doing wrestling moves on the kids in the neighborhood,” he said. “It was always something that was there, but it was never like ‘Oh yeah I’m going to do that when I grow up,’ because that just wasn’t an option.”

That perspective changed quickly.

“Once I realized, ‘Oh wow, I can actually go and do this thing,’ I was going to make that happen.”

From there, it became about persistence.

“It was a crazy long road,” he said. “It was a matter of just not stopping. Keep moving forward.”

Outside the ring, Knight enjoys a quieter pace of life. He spoke candidly about returning home to Orlando, Florida, where he spends time with his two dogs, a golden retriever named Herman and a mixed-breed named Reese.