WWE's LA Knight Opens Up About His Feud With The Miz

LA Knight has steadily climbed the WWE ranks since reverting from the Max Dupri persona to his "WWE NXT" gimmick in October 2022. Part of his rise to main-event status came thanks to a summer 2023 feud with The Miz. In September, Knight picked up the victory against the two-time WWE Champion at Payback, and later that month on an episode of "WWE Smackdown." 

On "Insight with Chris Van Vliet," the host highlighted the feud, feeling that the rivalry made Knight step up his already highly regarded promos. Knight said that several talents in the back remarked that the feud represented some of Miz's best mic work in some time. "Coincidentally, I thought it was some of the worst work I had done in a while," Knight told Van Vliet. Admitting he isn't much of a planner, Knight prefers a less scripted, more off-the-cuff promo approach based on crowd reactions. "Let it be real," he said. Knight noted that the more unrestrained promo style is accepted in most other promotions he'd worked for in the past. However, WWE's approach is much more controlled, with specific lines often scripted and promo times allotted a certain amount of TV time.

Rather than going against WWE protocol, Knight tried adapting from his preferred old-school style, resulting in work he didn't feel was his best. Despite his not-so-glowing self-assessment, Knight was positive about working with Miz, feeling the feud helped elevate both talents. In November, Miz offered similar praise for the feud, saying working with Knight was "a blast."