WWE's LA Knight Thought Bray Wyatt Feud Was An 'Odd Fit' But It Worked

Following his mystical return to WWE at Extreme Rules 2022, Bray Wyatt continued his otherworldly theme through a feud with LA Knight, which initially began with Wyatt offering a friendship on "WWE SmackDown." Instead of accepting, Knight encouraged Wyatt to play with his Firefly Fun House puppets, prompting Wyatt to headbutt him to the floor.

During an interview with Esteban Ramirez, Knight looked back on their program in its entirety. "When I'm considering the idea that I'm dealing with this guy who does these supernatural things, I'm thinking that's an odd fit, something that maybe I wouldn't ordinarily think that I'm too keen on," Knight said. "But it really went together kind of like peanut butter and jelly in my mind where it was like I could take parts of him and expose them in certain ways. He could take parts of me and expose them in certain ways to where it worked so well."

Over the course of two months, Knight and Wyatt trade physical and verbal jabs, with Wyatt even promising to drag "The Megastar" into the darkness. At the 2023 Royal Rumble, Wyatt and Knight were then inserted into literal darkness as they competed in a Mountain Dew Pitch Black while wearing vibrant colors. Wyatt emerged victorious, courtesy of a Sister Abigail.

"Say what you want about the match, a little bit gimmicky and I know everybody's going to point that out, but I think the buildup that we had going into that match really was the cake," Knight said. "The match itself was kind of the icing, and whether you like the taste of that icing or not is another story, but I think the cake underneath it was delicious regardless."

Unfortunately for WWE fans and Wyatt, the Mountain Dew Pitch Black match would mark Wyatt's last televised in-ring appearance as he unexpectedly died in August 2023 at the age of 36.

In retrospect, Knight now considers that match and the aftermath weird things to think about. At the same time, Knight remains grateful for the "unique experience" of working with Wyatt in WWE.

"You've got the challenge of this very unique character, but then also it was my first real foray on the SmackDown television, on a WWE television on that main roster scale where it's like, okay, I'm gonna make my mark here while at the same time serving this return to Bray. It was a hell of an experience," he said. "I'd have to credit that with putting me on the map at this point."

In the weeks following their Royal Rumble spectacle, Knight and Wyatt extended their rivalry to WWE live events and untelevised matches after "SmackDown" broadcasts. This included a series of additional Pitch Black matches and Lights Out Street Fights. Eventually, both Wyatt and Knight began new programs heading into WrestleMania 39, though in Wyatt's case it was cut short due to his abrupt absence from television. Knight competed in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the "SmackDown" before the big event.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Esteban Ramirez with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.