LA Knight Archives - NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage

Roman Reigns says his old Big Dog persona “moved more merch than LA Knight does”

Aaron Rift — Wed, 14 Oct 2026 21:20:35 +0000

While speaking to Sam Roberts, WWE world heavyweight champion Roman Reigns commented on people questioning his legacy in professional wrestling. Here is what Reigns had to say…

“We’re in a world now where views are currency, and when you’re speaking about wrestling, if you want to maximize your views, you use my name.

They’ll use your name to get attention, and it’s fine. That’s all built into this ecosystem of entertainment that we have. Everybody is extremely connected. Everybody’s opinion matters now, so go online and voice it, and that’s how we make these measurements. That’s part of the metric. That’s part of the analytics.

But to say, like, ‘Oh, they put you in a position’—no, the numbers back up the positioning, always.

The guy I just beat, LA Knight, is a hell of a talent and a hell of a merch mover. The Big Dog moved more merch than LA Knight does, you know what I’m saying? And that was, what’s that, eight years ago?

So the position has always been verified, but everybody’s going to have an opinion on it. They don’t always understand the metrics and what goes behind the business. That’s the difference between being a fan and being in a position of power that affects the industry and making those decisions for it.

So, yeah, it’s all built in. It’s all baked in.”

The post Roman Reigns says his old Big Dog persona “moved more merch than LA Knight does” appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Triple H says LA Knight left the Money in the Bank event “greater than he went in”

Aaron Rift — Sun, 11 Oct 2026 11:44:33 +0000

As seen during WWE Money in the Bank 2026, Roman Reigns defeated LA Knight to retain the world heavyweight title. After the event, Paul “Triple H” Levesque commented on the match…

“Roman is on a mission. He has been one of the most dominant champions in recent history, with the longest reign and all the accolades he so rightly deserves.

But there’s people like LA Knight that put an asterisk next to his name, that say he only did it because of The Bloodline, he only did it because of this, he only did it because of that. There is an asterisk next to his name when you want to put Roman Reigns on Mount Rushmore and say greatest of all time. That asterisk prevents him from getting that label.

Roman is on a mission. Before it is all said and done, he proved all those people wrong. Tonight was a major step in that direction.

LA Knight, to me, left this match greater than he went in. LA Knight proved he is a megastar. LA Knight proved he belongs in that title scene. LA Knight proved he is a top attraction in this business.”

The post Triple H says LA Knight left the Money in the Bank event “greater than he went in” appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

The Phantom Rant: WWE Money In The Bank 2026 hopes and thoughts

Joseph Davis — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 01:31:16 +0000

Greetings conversationalists all across the world wide web. It is I, the one and only “Phantom Lord” Joseph Davis and this is The Phantom Rant. I am coming to you as always from a New York City and it’s been a week since the tragic news of the death of PAC. I honestly was trying to write something about him, but I found it too emotional as his death hit me a bit harder than I thought it did. I mean he had a damn good match the night before with Andrade and the next day he’s gone. His death has brought back memories of when Eddie Guerrero died. Almost similar circumstances. But AEW put on a great tribute show last Wednesday and I have to commend everyone involved for getting through the show.

The biggest shock of the night was Bryan Danielson returning to the ring to tag with the Death Riders against The Don Callis family. With all the news in the past about his neck being pretty messed up so much so that flying on a plane brings him a lot of pain and discomfort…seeing Bryan be Bryan one more time was the cap on a perfect night for PAC. I can only hope PAC is at peace now his memory will live on forever. Vaya Con Dios PAC.

Moving along, the WWE’s Money In The Bank event is coming up this weekend and I think they need some serious shake ups with the show and going forward from it. With the Men’s MITB match, I think without question Penta needs to win this match. He’s red hot right now and he would benefit the most from winning the briefcase. The match is pretty loaded though with the aforementioned Penta along with Bron Breakker, Je’Von Evans, Trick Williams, CM Punk and Kevin Owens. I can’t see Evans winning. He’s just too young and not nearly high enough on the card to be believable as a World champion contender.

Bron Breakker is stuck in a holding pattern. He could be a wild card to win the match, but I don’t see it happening. Trick Williams is all ready US Champion so he doesn’t need the briefcase as well. Punk and Owens are too big to carry around the briefcase for who knows how long. Plus I’m enjoying Sami Zayn being all paranoid because he has so many potential challengers. Punk and Owens don’t need to win the MITB to make Sami paranoid.

That leaves Penta as my pick to win. Question is does he cash in that night on the winner of Roman Reigns vs. LA Knight or does he hold onto it and torment Sami a bit as champion?

Roman vs. LA Knight is an interesting match up. I really want to see LA Knight win the big one. He’s been so close yet so far away so many times. The WWE needs a shakeup and I think LA Knight winning the title would do just that. LA Knight as I said has been denied that moment so many times. Roman as champion has been done. It’s time for something new and improved. Of course LA Knight could win the title only for the Men’s MITB winner (I’m hoping for Penta) to come running down and cash in win the title. So LA Knight would be a World Champion…if only for a few minutes. That seems like something they would do to him. Serves him right for getting and keeping himself over.

The Women’s MITB match is a little less confusing. I’m almost certain that Roxanne Perez is going to win the MITB briefcase for the women. The match includes Sol Ruca, Lola Vice, Jacy Jayne, Tiffany Stratton and Lash Legend. Legend is apparently the odds on favorite to win for some reason according to insiders and stuff. But I’m going with The Prodigy. It makes more sense for her to hold the Women’s MITB briefcase over Lash Legend. They have been positioning Roxanne as the one in the Judgment Day who hasn’t held a title. So it would make sense for her to win so I’m hoping she does. I wouldn’t see her cashing in right away unlike a potential Men’s cash in later in the night. I just don’t see the potential in Lash Legend as a Women’s Champion…right now. Someday sure, but right now…no.

This MITB briefcases can make or break a superstar. So far as the WWE keeps noting, its a 100 percent cash in rate for the women. So whoever wins the match is almost certainly going to be either the WWE Women’s Champion on Smackdown or the Women’s World Champion over on RAW. That’s why I think Roxanne is more likely to win than Lash Legend. Roxy is primed to be a champion right now. I mean I like Liv Morgan, but it would be more fun Roxanne to be able to challenge for the championship while Liv stews over it.

I’m assuming Stephanie Vaquer will retain the Women’s championship at MITB in the triple threat against Becky Lynch and Liv Morgan. If somehow Liv wins back the title, her and Roxy would have an interesting dynamic kinda like the one they did with Nia Jax and Tiffany Stratton where everyone was waiting for Tiffy to cash in. But I hope Liv doesn’t win…especially if she’s only going to defend the title once every couple of months.

So to recap I am hoping for the following.

Penta wins the Men’s MITB Briefcase.

Roxanne Perez wins the Women’s MITB Briefcase.

LA Knight wins the World Heavyweight Championship.

These are three things that need to happen and would make me happy for once.

On that note I am done for this week. I am sorry for any delay as usual. Like I said, PAC’s death honestly threw me for a loop as I’m sure it did everyone else and I just didn’t know what to write. So until next time take care everyone.

As usual if you want to leave me feedback you can do so down below, over on Twitter or email me at phantomlordnyc@gmail.com

The post The Phantom Rant: WWE Money In The Bank 2026 hopes and thoughts appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Backstage news regarding the reaction to Roman Reigns’ promo with LA Knight on WWE RAW

Aaron Rift — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 16:34:38 +0000

During the October 5th 2026 edition of WWE RAW, Roman Reigns and LA Knight had an in-ring promo segment to build their upcoming match at Money in the Bank.

According to WrestleVotes Radio, the segment received considerable praise backstage. A source stated that several WWE officials and members of the production team were particularly impressed with Reigns’ back-and-forth with Knight, specifically noting the level of emotion Reigns displayed. The source noted that Reigns has sometimes been more reserved in that area.

The reaction was reportedly strong enough that there were discussions internally about how effective that version of Reigns could be used moving forward in the appropriate setting.

The post Backstage news regarding the reaction to Roman Reigns’ promo with LA Knight on WWE RAW appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

AJ Styles: “I’ve never seen anybody more ready to be a champion right now than LA Knight”

Aaron Rift — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 13:44:40 +0000

While speaking on his podcast, WWE Hall of Famer AJ Styles discussed LA Knight’s ongoing storyline with world heavyweight champion Roman Reigns. Here is what Styles had to say about Knight…

“I’ve never seen anybody more ready to be a champion right now than LA Knight. I know I keep harping on this, but I can’t be the only one that thinks this way.

He’s got all the tools. Give him the opportunity. He knows what comes with being a champion. He’s got it. And I’m not just talking about holding the heavyweight championship around your waist. When it comes to interviews and what you got to do to represent the WWE, he has those tools to be able to get it done, and I think he’d do it flawlessly.”

Reigns vs. Knight is rumored for the 2026 Money in the Bank PLE.

The post AJ Styles: “I’ve never seen anybody more ready to be a champion right now than LA Knight” appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

LA Knight addresses his WWE crowd reactions not being as loud as they once were

Aaron Rift — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:33:04 +0000

While speaking to Chris Van Vliet, LA Knight commented on the crowd reactions he has received in WWE since his main roster debut in 2022, including how they grew louder over time before eventually declining…

“In March of 2023 was the first time I noticed, but noticing it continue to pick up and continuing to progress would have been just all through that spring and summer.

But the crazy thing is, I think there were a lot of people leaning on the idea that that was going to be a fad. There were a lot of people leaning on the idea that was going to be a flavor of the month, that that was going to be a passing thing, and here we are, 2026, I walk in the ring last night. Now, you could argue, yeah, maybe the reactions aren’t quite as big as they were at that time. I’m gonna tell you why that is in a second, but if you notice last night, I still circle around, I get the thing, and I stand there, and they still chant the name. Now, you could say that’s programming, you could say that’s passion, you could say it’s whatever it is. Bottom line is, it’s still there.

However, the reason it’s not as big as it was is because right now I’m just kind of a man without a country, so to speak. I don’t have a set trajectory at this moment. If you look at last year, last summer, when I started, all of a sudden me and Seth were going for the title, and it’s me and The Vision. There it was renewed again.

So it’s a matter of just making sure that I’ve got direction, I’ve got somewhere to go, and I’ve got somewhere that people care about, and something that people can sink their teeth into that then takes it up from an 8 up to a 10 and beyond.

So I think that’s really just the key to the whole thing, and it’s kind of crazy that it’s kept on this long when I don’t think a lot of people are counting on that being the case.”

(Thanks to ChrisVanVliet.com for the quote.)

The post LA Knight addresses his WWE crowd reactions not being as loud as they once were appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

LA Knight: “I’ve always felt underappreciated in the wrestling business”

Aaron Rift — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 11:09:17 +0000

During an interview with Chris Van Vliet, WWE star LA Knight was asked if he has plans to wrestle into his 50s. Here was Knight’s response…

“No! f*ck no. Would I like to be able to come in and maybe do an occasional appearance? Yeah, sure, maybe. But I don’t think I’ve been built up to the point where I can do like an Undertaker-type thing or an Austin thing or something like that. So I don’t think that’s in my future either.

So it’s pretty much gonna be at some point when I decide to call it I’m gonna disappear in the sunset, and you’ll just never see me again. I’m not even joking, I’m being dead ass serious.

If they decide at some point they get crazy enough to go, we’re gonna put him in the Hall of Fame, sure, I’ll come back do that. But I got a feeling that probably ain’t gonna happen either. But maybe that’s my own feeling of just like never being… No matter where I’ve gone, I’ve always felt underappreciated in the wrestling business, but I don’t know.” (quotes courtesy of ChrisVanVliet.com)

The post LA Knight: “I’ve always felt underappreciated in the wrestling business” appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

Report on LA Knight’s status with WWE following his absence from the May 4th 2026 edition of RAW

Aaron Rift — Tue, 05 May 2026 12:15:50 +0000

LA Knight did not appear on the May 4th 2026 edition of WWE RAW. In regards to his status with WWE, BodySlam+ noted that Knight was originally slated for a brief program with Gunther before WWE changed plans and moved Gunther to SmackDown for a feud with Cody Rhodes.

At this time, Knight’s creative direction in WWE remains unclear. However, BodySlam stated that he is still with the company.

According to a Q&A from WrestleVotes, nothing has been heard to suggest Knight has a negative relationship with Paul “Triple H” Levesque. It’s believed that if Triple H genuinely had an issue with Knight personally, Knight likely would not have remained a regularly featured part of WWE programming throughout Triple H’s run overseeing creative.

The post Report on LA Knight’s status with WWE following his absence from the May 4th 2026 edition of RAW appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

The X-Factor: Predictions for WrestleMania 42

Victor Mariscal — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:17:45 +0000

It’s WrestleMania. As a kid we went bonkers for this. Our best memories came from here.

Let’s get to it.

Unsanctioned Match

Drew McIntyre vs. Jacob Fatu

For the life of me, why do they use the word ‘unsanctioned’? “No Holds Barred or “Street Fight”. That simple.

It does have the potential to upstage the card on night 1, which they might need if the main event doesn’t tickle the fans fancy. It does make for a good story, Drew’s gotta do Highlander, and Jacob is a main eventer in waiting. The Scotsman got the title before as a compensation of sorts, and maybe he won’t be a heel when he returns.

Winner: Jacob Fatu

The Vision and IShowSpeed vs. The Usos and LA Knight

The celebrity match. It’s bound to be pretty solid. Not a show stealer exactly, but it’ll get fans warmed up for the rest of the night. Plus with Logan Paul in there, high spots!

Winners: The Usos and LA Knight

Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar

Ah yes, is Suplex City about to get demolished, or at least get wrecked good? I recall 11 years ago the beating Roman Reigns took, who kept coming back for more. Now this doesn’t need to be a repeat of Goldberg destroying him, but Lesnar should take the ‘L’ since he’s been built up as a force who can take this one.

Winner: Oba Femi

Finn Balor vs. Dominik Mysterio

Three years ago, we saw the Demon last. Edge insisted on giving Balor the ‘W’ but Vinnie Mac wasn’t having it.

We likely won’t, but shouldn’t we get a moment involving Balor, Priest, and Ripley? Maybe Balor gets Dominik’s betrayal rubbed in his face only for him to remind them they turned the prodigal son into a bastard. I wish Rey Mysterio would – just once – confront one of them.

Whoever wins, the Demon needs to look like a force.

Winner: Finn Balor

Women’s Intercontinental Championship

Becky Lynch vs AJ Lee (C)

They took Bayley off the card last year for her benefit. Becky needs to be the one to lose. Also, you might’ve heard the rumors on a certain pale looking British lady about to make a comeback. How fitting would it be if AJ lost her title to Paige.

I’d say this will be a solid one, and AJ needs a big win in Vegas. Also, Becky could use a change in character.

Winner: AJ Lee

Women’s Tag Team Championships

Fatal Four Way match

The Bellas (maybe) vs. Bayley and Lyra Valkyria vs. Charlotte and Alexa Bliss vs. The Irresistible Forces (C)

Perhaps they should’ve made a Gauntlet match to squeeze a few more women on the card, but hey, I’m not running this show.

Their plan with Charlotte and Alexa must be a feud, which might have happened sooner if they didn’t catch on as a team. With her having missed last year for Becky’s benefit, it’s Bayley’s time.

Will they ever sign Izzy?

Winner: Bayley and Lyra

Intercontinental Championship

Ladder Match

Je’Von Evans vs. Dragon Lee vs. JD McDonagh vs. Rusev vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Penta (C)

Gee, six guys and some ladders, I’m sure this won’t be too exciting.

How much more abuse can Rey take? There’s enough talent in the ring to send the fans home happy, and the chance for a Mexican Destroyer to end them all, well…

Winner: Je’Von Evans

United States Championship

Trick Williams vs. Sami Zayn (C)

Do we smell a double turn? You might call bulls***, but they knew what they were doing having Sami win. Trick Williams is headed for a turn, and Zayn needs a refresh bad.

Winner: Trick Williams

Women’s World Championship

Liv Morgan vs. Stephanie Vaquer (C)

Balor being kicked out means the Judgment Day’s golden age members are almost gone. Is Liv next? With how pitched this rivalry has been, it could steal the show. Plus, if Liv takes the ‘L’, it’ll likely be to botched interference from Raquel and/or Roxanne.

As much as Morgan deserves the win, they’ve been pushing Stephanie hard. Coin flip.

Winner: Liv Morgan

WWE Women’s Championship

Rhea Ripley vs. Jade Cargill (C)

I don’t wanna be “that guy”, but as much as Jade should lose it, Ripley winning it might not be a good move. She’s been pushed hard, and if they’re not careful, the fans will turn on her because, well they would.

Winner: Rhea Ripley

WWE Championship

Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes (C)

We’re here now.

Is it really WCW in 2000 bad? Well, maybe, but in time history will be the judge.

The build towards Night 1’s main event, yeah, it’s been mostly a miss, but I can’t help but feel the haters wouldn’t be so down on it if it happened say, in ‘23 or ‘24. Yes, it was a case of creative not reading the room and needlessly turning Randy Orton heel. The less said about Pat McAfee, the better.

There is the Jelly Roll question. If he’s around, how will it go down?

Cody finished the story two years ago. The haters now couldn’t care less.

Winner: Randy Orton

World Heavyweight Championship

Roman Reigns vs. CM Punk (C)

The match that will close Night 2, will it be a 5 star classic? Maybe. Both of these guys can deliver, but if Reigns wins, what then?

Roman keeps “returning” so much. He’s gotta be on TV enough to make the gold mean something, assuming they’re leaning towards Oba Femi or maybe Gunther dethroning him at SummerSlam. Either way, we’re looking at a potential classic.

Winner: Roman Reigns

Here’s some final thoughts.

All these calls for Vince McMahon to return and save the business, where was this sentiment four years ago? When boneheaded mistakes like the 2019 Hell in a Cell main event were still lingering in our heads? What about the torn up scripts? Aborted plots? Just before he resigned the first time a Smackdown only had 13 MINUTES of wrestling on a 2 hour show.

TKO don’t care much about the fans, but neither did Vince.

The IWC can’t see past the high ticket prices and the ESPN deal, but of course, let’s bring Vince back, and forget he only put women’s wrestling in the spotlight because Triple H made him. Vince says the ring is sacred, but he clearly didn’t think his marriage is, or that one shouldn’t pass women around like they’re candy.

I won’t even talk about NXT.

Order some pizzas and enjoy it. It only comes around once a year.

Don’t mess with the X.

The post The X-Factor: Predictions for WrestleMania 42 appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.

LA Knight addresses internet speculation that he got backstage heat for holding up a fan’s “We want LA Knight, not Jey Uso” sign

Aaron Rift — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:43:40 +0000

While speaking to CBSSports.com, LA Knight addressed internet speculation that he got backstage heat for holding up a fan’s “We want LA Knight, not Jey Uso” sign on WWE RAW in late 2025…

“No, nothing whatsoever. If there was, I surely was not aware of it. Nobody said a word or anything. I literally just saw something about, ‘We want LA Knight.’ I have found it humorous to see everybody speculating.”

Knight also commented on why one of his WWE promos was cut short…

“It was a communication thing. There’s a set amount of time for those little scenarios. I was told that we have a little wiggle room. I saw the time was counting down, but I heard, ‘We have wiggle room.’ Apparently, ‘wiggle room’ was not wiggle room. I was a little hot about it first. But somebody just obviously communicated wrong to me… Maybe we should have just played off of it.”

The post LA Knight addresses internet speculation that he got backstage heat for holding up a fan’s “We want LA Knight, not Jey Uso” sign appeared first on NoDQ.com: WWE and AEW Coverage.