LA Knight: WWE business has been good with or without The Rock

LA Knight thinks WWE started to become cool again months before The Rock returned to the company.

During his current run as a heel, The Rock has taken credit for making professional wrestling cool again. Rock turned heel for the first time in two decades after fan backlash to the idea of him taking the main event of WrestleMania 40 away from Cody Rhodes. After that backlash, it was made official that Reigns vs. Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship will headline night two of WrestleMania.

Knight appeared on Wednesday’s edition of Busted Open Radio and was asked what he thinks about having a returning legend like The Rock around. Knight said The Rock can add to things, but WWE business has been good both with and without The Rock:

In this regard, I think you could look at it both ways. Because like you said, you’re looking at one of the most recognizable faces in the world as far as television, movies, media in general. So there is something to be added there. I guess at the same time, you do have to look at your audience and say, ‘Hey, look, we’re moving in this direction. The audience wants this [Reigns vs. Rhodes]. And now to do this [Reigns vs. The Rock], is really going to be – it’s going to look self-serving. It’s gonna probably peeve a lot of people.’ So there’s a lot of different ways to look at it.

My personal opinion, without going too deep into it, is that there is some merit to having him there. And at the same time, as you said, we were doing very well selling out and all that stuff even without him. So he can only add to it – or I guess some people could say he could only take away from it, you never know. But as far as business is concerned, business is good. It was good with him. It’s good without him. It’s been good either way. I hear him say wrestling is cool again and he’s right, but I just want to make sure that everybody knows that it started getting cool again, I’m gonna say about six, seven months before he got there.

I’m not saying that he can’t add to that cool factor – and I’m not saying that he won’t. I’m just saying, wrestling is cool again, and wrestling was cool again before he even came back. So I just don’t want it to seem like all of a sudden it happened because of him. Nah nah.

The Rock is returning to the ring for a tag match at night one of WrestleMania 40. It will be Rock & Reigns vs. Rhodes & Seth Rollins. If Rhodes & Rollins win, The Bloodline will be barred from ringside for Reigns vs. Rhodes on night two. If Rock & Reigns win, Reigns vs. Rhodes will be a Bloodline Rules (anything goes) match.

Knight will be facing AJ Styles at WrestleMania. WWE hasn’t confirmed which night that match will be taking place on.

Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia is hosting WrestleMania 40 on Saturday, April 6 and Sunday, April 7.