Following his mystical return to WWE at Extreme Rules 2022, Bray Wyatt continued his otherworldly theme through a feud with LA Knight, which initially began with Wyatt offering a friendship on “WWE SmackDown.” As an alternative of accepting, Knight encouraged Wyatt to play along with his Firefly Fun House puppets, prompting Wyatt to headbutt him to the ground.
During an interview with Esteban Ramirez, Knight looked back on their program in its entirety. “Once I’m considering the concept that I’m coping with this guy who does these supernatural things, I’m considering that is an odd fit, something that perhaps I would not ordinarily think that I’m too keen on,” Knight said. “However it really went together form of like peanut butter and jelly in my mind where it was like I could take parts of him and expose them in certain ways. He could take parts of me and expose them in certain ways to where it worked so well.”
Over the course of two months, Knight and Wyatt trade physical and verbal jabs, with Wyatt even promising to tug “The Megastar” into the darkness. On the 2023 Royal Rumble, Wyatt and Knight were then inserted into literal darkness as they competed in a Mountain Dew Pitch Black while wearing vibrant colours. Wyatt emerged victorious, courtesy of a Sister Abigail.
“Say what you wish concerning the match, a bit bit gimmicky and I do know everybody’s going to point that out, but I feel the buildup that we had going into that match really was the cake,” Knight said. “The match itself was form of the icing, and whether you just like the taste of that icing or not is one other story, but I feel the cake underneath it was delicious regardless.”
Knight Calls Working With Wyatt A ‘Unique Experience’
Unfortunately for WWE fans and Wyatt, the Mountain Dew Pitch Black match would mark Wyatt’s last televised in-ring appearance as he unexpectedly died in August 2023 on the age of 36.
On reflection, Knight now considers that match and the aftermath weird things to take into consideration. At the identical time, Knight stays grateful for the “unique experience” of working with Wyatt in WWE.
“You’ve got got the challenge of this very unique character, but then also it was my first real foray on the SmackDown television, on a WWE television on that important roster scale where it’s like, okay, I’m gonna make my mark here while at the identical time serving this return to Bray. It was a hell of an experience,” he said. “I’d should credit that with putting me on the map at this point.”
Within the weeks following their Royal Rumble spectacle, Knight and Wyatt prolonged their rivalry to WWE live events and untelevised matches after “SmackDown” broadcasts. This included a series of additional Pitch Black matches and Lights Out Street Fights. Eventually, each Wyatt and Knight began recent programs heading into WrestleMania 39, though in Wyatt’s case it was cut short because of his abrupt absence from television. Knight competed within the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal on the “SmackDown” before the large event.
In the event you use any of the quotes in this text, please credit Esteban Ramirez with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.