LA Knight Reveals He Accepted a Pay Cut Upon His WWE Return

LA Knight is one of the top stars in WWE right now but it wasn’t without a lot of hurdles. Knight’s current run is his second stint in WWE after a failed run a decade ago. In fact, Knight actually took a pay cut when he returned to the company back in 2021.

In case you weren’t aware, LA Knight signed a developmental contract with WWE in 2013 and spent about a year in the Performance Center before being released from his contract in August 2014. Obviously, this wasn’t something that he wasn’t happy about at all.

Knight then made a name for himself as Eli Drake in Impact Wrestling, where he became a massive star thanks to his excellent promo skills and in-ring work. All of this ensured he’d return to WWE a few years later.

While speaking to Chris Van Vliet of Insight, LA Knight revealed that he took a pay cut when he returned to WWE, something that he was aware of. Knight willingly took the cut because he bet on himself to eventually make more money.

”So finally, when I did make the jump over there, there was a little bit of not necessarily negotiation, but it was just kind of like, I knew I was going to have to take a pay cut coming in. But I was willing to take the pay cut on the bet that I could turn it into much more. Because I had hit the ceiling basically in IMPACT. And I had an awesome time (in) NWA for that little bit that we were able to do before the pandemic hit.”

WWE was also worried that LA Knight would be flash in the pan. LA Knight is set to face Roman Reigns, AJ Styles, and Randy Orton for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble Premium Live Event on January 27th. It remains to be seen if Knight will end up winning the match this month.

What’s your view on what LA Knight said? Are you glad WWE is finally pushing him properly? Sound off in the comments section below!