LA Knight Debuts On 5/20 WWE SmackDown, Gets New Name
Yet another NXT call-up
May 21, 2022
The man formerly known as LA Knight made his formal main roster WWE debut on Friday night's SmackDown.
The former Knight appeared in Adam Pearce's office for a backstage segment, introducing himself as Max Dupri, the CEO of an agency called Maximum Male Models. Dupri said that he will introduce the world to a generation of stars that can headline both Paris Fashion Week and WrestleMania.
A former World champion at Impact Wrestling (as Eli Drake), Dupri re-signed with WWE in February of 2021, after having previously worked in developmental a decade earlier. At that month's Vengeance Day event, he debuted under the LA Knight name.
During his time in NXT, Knight aligned himself with Ted Dibiase, and feuded with Cameron Grimes. During the feud, Knight briefly reigned as Million Dollar champion.
Knight last wrestled at Stand and Deliver last month, losing to Gunther. Weeks later (still under the Knight name), he began managing Mansoor and Mace in dark matches on the SmackDown brand, while heading up what was then known as Knight Model Management.
