10 Wrestlers Who Overdelivered In 2023
2. L.A. Knight
Perhaps not since Rocky Maivia has a gimmick been refreshed so completely and so effectively. Even leaving aside the dark days of Max Dupree, at the start of 2023 L.A. Knight was going nowhere. The Bray Wyatt feud was a show of faith to some extent, but he was essentially fodder for the returning Eater of Worlds to plough through, at the behest of Mountain Dew.
It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where it all changed but essentially: people started listening. Knight’s mic work is unparallelled in WWE. His Attitude Era throwback qualities are much discussed, but he’s way more than a catchphrase machine. His pacing and delivery are perfect, and you never get the impression he’s just getting himself over at the cost of the angle.
Through bluster and bravado, Knight yakked his way to a main event against Roman Reigns, and while the outcome was academic, he didn’t look a bit out of place (he also proved himself universally beloved, a fan favourite from London to Riyadh).
The fact Knight is still in and around the Bloodline story suggests there’s more to come, and while he’s not going to be the one to knock Roman off, you can expect big things in 2024 - otherwise, they’ll have a riot on their hands.