Why This AEW Star Wants LA Knight, Not Cody Rhodes, To Take Roman Reigns' WWE Title

When Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns had an intense staredown on the October 13 episode of "WWE SmackDown," the obvious conclusion drawn by fans was that "The American Nightmare" was being prepped to win the Undisputed WWE Universal Title at WrestleMania 40. And while that could still be WWE's plan, AEW star Thunder Rosa has advised Paul Levesque and his team to pull the trigger on another candidate to dethrone Reigns — LA Knight.

"Who will be the next that can be over as hell that can take that title and take it to the next level? At this moment right now, on Friday, it's LA Knight," Rosa told "Busted Open" yesterday. "They didn't push him, they didn't shove him [down] our throats, it was natural." 

When faced with resistance from podcast co-host David LaGreca, Rosa doubled down on her take, urging WWE to shock fans by having the leader of the "Yeah Movement" prevail at next weekend's Crown Jewel. "The guy is hot with the fans," Rosa said of Knight. "Everybody's like, 'Yeah! Yeah!' and everywhere you go — that's the kind of thing that makes a superstar a superstar. He's a superstar."

As the discussion turned to WWE's plans for WrestleMania 40, a member of the panel suggested the idea of Reigns defending his title against both Knight and Rhodes across two nights. Rosa feels that such a plan will devalue Rhodes' pursuit of the title that has eluded his family. "I think they're taking too long with the "finish the story,'" Rosa added. "I was kinda upset that he didn't get the title [at WrestleMania 39] because he was hot at the time. I bet they were not expecting this, either, with LA Knight. They were not expecting him to get how hot he is at this point." 

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Busted Open" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.