Backstage News On How LA Knight Is Viewed In WWE, Whether He's In Line For A Push

The WWE Universe has quickly gravitated towards L.A. Knight and WWE management has reportedly taken notice.

According to PWInsider, Knight is viewed very highly by WWE higher-ups, with his natural connection with the audience cited as a big positive for the former Impact World Champion. Knight is not only getting massive reactions on television but also in non-televised dark matches, as well as live events. The report also says that many view Knight's time leading Maximum Male Models as Max Dupri as a time that lit an extra fire under him to "over excel" in his role, with sources comparing it to Steve Austin's time as "The Ringmaster" before he adopted his iconic "Stone Cold" character.

WWE reportedly has tentative plans for Knight but wants to make sure that the timing is right when they pull the trigger on his push. As it stands, the company is trying to use Knight in ways that won't "waste" his appearances on WWE programming. Knight is also reportedly selling a lot of merchandise, which also caught the eye of management.

Knight is set to compete in the SummerSlam Battle Royal on Saturday at Detroit, Michigan's Ford Field, along with Sheamus, Alpha Academy's Chad Gable and Otis, Shinsuke Nakamura, Tommaso Ciampa, and likely others. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins called Knight a "throwback" to the Attitude Era of the late 1990s, with Knight drawing comparisons to The Rock and Austin in his energetic promos, and also saying Knight has a chip on his shoulder.