LA Knight Surprises Fans After First Match On WWE SmackDown

LA Knight has no intention of being a fan favorite on the "WWE SmackDown" brand.

Shortly after his victory against Månsôör on this week's show, Knight grabbed the microphone and made it clear that he doesn't need "a bunch of swamp-dwelling incels" to cheer for him. He proceeded to warn the rest of the WWE roster that it was his time to shine.

"Right now, I'm putting all of y'all on notice," Knight said in his post-match promo. "But more importantly, I'm putting the entire WWE Superstars roster on notice. Right now, mark the date – every single one of you can get your ticket punched. Why? Because, whose game is it? It's LA Knight's game. Yeahhh!"

There was speculation of Knight portraying a babyface character after he turned his back on Maxxine, Månsôör and Ma.çé earlier this month. Subsequently, Knight said "This ain't for me anymore" as he explained his reasons for quitting Maximum Male Models, hinting strongly at being a full-time wrestler looking to earn his chops on WWE's main roster. This was implied when Knight accused MMM of being posers instead of focusing on improving their in-ring craft. 

This week's match was Knight's first-ever taste of in-ring action since he was called up to WWE's main roster in April. After finishing up his "NXT" run with a loss to GUNTHER at Stand & Deliver on April 2, Knight initially workshopped the "Knight Model Management" stable at WWE's dark shows and live events – with Mace and Mansoor as his first two clients – before introducing himself as the owner of a fashion agency called Maximum Male Models on the May 20 episode of "SmackDown." He would then turn into a full-time manager for the clients and never got physical in the ring at any point. Knight did wrestle a few matches on "WWE Main Event" back in January during his tryout for the main roster, but then quickly returned to the "NXT" roster as a babyface in his rivalry against Grayson Waller.