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This morning, I sat down to speak with WWENXT's new Million Dollar Champion LA Knight.
In discussing winning the title, Knight commented:
"Well, it's just crazy to think about. I mean, the very first time I saw the belt, the first question was, "That's the real thing? That's not a replica? That's the real deal." No, no. Oh geez, this is the only one that exists. It's the real one. We get the name of the jeweler up in Connecticut that made it. And that blew my mind. You start to hear different stories. As a kid, I was there watching when it first popped up on the scene, when the thing actual happened and with Ted and he's going into the jewelers in Connecticut and he's getting it made. He's checking on it and all that stuff and he brought it in and hit a home run with it. When I was a kid, I had the figure where he was wearing the green suit and it came with the Million Dollar Championship. So, that's insanity to me to then walk in the door in NXT just four months ago, not even knowing that something like this was an option. You look at the NXT Championship and North American Championship, and those are things I'm gunning for, but then all of a sudden, wait a minute. Ted DiBiase? Million Dollar Championship? Hell yes, because you're talking about just...I hate when people get too hung up on it's a childhood dream and stuff like that, but you cannot deny the fact that this is on some level...it's something that, if I wasn't lying, a little bit overdue for myself. It's been a long, storied road."
When asked what advice he would give to talents who are trying to find their way back to WWE after their initial run in developmental or NXT did click as much as they may have hoped, Knight said:
"Man, it really comes down to, if you know you've got something awesome, you've got to keep moving forward. There's just nothing else you can do, because I know a lot of times, guys get disheartened. They'll just get turned off of the business. And then, if one thing doesn't work out, then they just go and disappear, and it's like... I get that to a degree, but at the same time, I don't really do anything else. This is what I do. So, I got to keep moving within this universe so to speak, to coin a term. Also, man, if you're talking about guys who were just coming up, know what you want and know how to ask for it, because that was the biggest thing for me for the longest time is me just hoping somebody would just pluck me out of obscurity and bring me in until finally I figured out, "Oh, you got to actually be assertive and ask for what you want and take what you want instead of just waiting for somebody to bring it to you." On top of that, also at the same time, just... Man, I'm so an island unto myself. I stayed on myself. I'll get around and say hello, whatever. But for the most part, I stayed to myself. Another big detriment. People see that and they're like, "Oh, look at this guy. Who does he think he is?" So, my thing would just be, make yourself available. All that kind of stuff. Here has been your LA Knight career expo advice. So, this is one hell of a culmination to this point."
The interview is currently available for PWInsider Elite subscribers.
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