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LA Knight Was Worried He Would Suffer From CM Punk And Randy Orton Returning To WWE

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI | By Jon Alba | Last updated Feb 24, 2025 12:22 PM ET

Former WWE United States Champion LA Knight was beginning to catch fire in the summer of 2023, establishing some major momentum toward becoming a main event talent in WWE. Then, circumstances out of his control developed.

CM Punk and Randy Orton both made their long-awaited returns at WWE at Survivor Series that year, adding major main event juice back on to WWE's roster.

The 42-year-old spoke with Metro this week, discussing his initial reaction to their appearances.

‘And I’m like, “Alright, well, now the perception is going to be, 'I got defeated, now these guys are here, so now I fade,'” he said. "And I think a lot of people [had] kind of taken that stance for a moment."

Even though Knight has never been one to waver in his swagger and confidence, he admitted he was worried he wouldn't be able to keep the faith in his progression with the fans.

‘I think for years and years of being on the independents and different companies and whatnot, you just get used to kind of looking over your shoulder and just thinking, 'Alright, at any point somebody’s gonna try and pull the carpet out from under me,'” he said.

"So, I mean, I’m always just kind of on edge in that certain way where it’s like, I got put in that position, and then I’m just like, 'Alright, well, now what?'”

Knight ended up staying popular with the audience, and received a United States Championship match at SummerSlam last year, beating Logan Paul to win the title.

This article first appeared on Wrestling on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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