LA Knight is riding a huge wave of momentum at 41-years-old. He is anything but a flash in the pan, although WWE was originally cautious about dropping a lot of merchandise for him due to that concern. Now, he can look back and see what he had to go through, and he has quite a story to tell.

LA Knight’s Road To WWE

LA Knight inked a developmental contract with WWE back in 2013, but his time there didn’t pan out, as he was released in August 2014. Naturally, this turn of events didn’t bring him any joy, but it didn’t kill his determination to make it to the top of the pro wrestling world.

Knight gained popularity as Eli Drake in Impact Wrestling, establishing himself as a major star due to his impressive promo skills and in-ring abilities. He later went to the NWA, where that Namer of Dummies character went with him. These factors paved the way for his eventual return to WWE a few years later.

While speaking to Chris Van Vliet of Insight, LA Knight disclosed that upon his return to WWE, he accepted a pay cut. This was a decision he was fully aware of. He willingly took the cut, confident that he could bet on himself to eventually earn more money.

”So finally, when I did make the jump over there, there was a little bit of not necessarily negotiation, but it was just kind of like, I knew I was going to have to take a pay cut coming in. But I was willing to take the pay cut on the bet that I could turn it into much more. Because I had hit the ceiling basically in IMPACT. And I had an awesome time (in) NWA for that little bit that we were able to do before the pandemic hit.”

LA Knight Was Miserable Working With Vince McMahon’s Creative

After making his way from NXT to the WWE main roster, Vince McMahon changed LA Knight’s name to Max Dupri. That creative shift did not result in much success.

The former Eli Drake went on to open up about how this time as a male modeling agent made his miserable with creative. That was Vince McMahon’s vision, and he was calling the shots.

“(Vince McMahon) had a vision for this thing that put such a microscope on it and I didn’t know what the hell it was… and it just wasn’t going well. I was very unhappy, and I’m sure he probably was, and then at some point it was just like all of a sudden I’m not on TV, and I’m like, well, I’m pretty sure I’m fired. I’m pretty sure this whole ride is over.”

What’s Next For LA Knight in WWE?

LA Knight has a much different position in WWE now. He is 1/4 of the Undisputed Universal Title match at the Royal Rumble on January 27th. He will battle with AJ Styles, Randy Orton, and Triple H with the biggest title on SmackDown on the line. That match at Tropicana Field may turn out to be a massive notch in his belt, as LA Knight has gone through a lot to get him to this point. 

LA Knight has proven to be a hit on WWE’s main roster, but only after ditching the name Max Dupri.

Knight joined WWE in early 2021 after previous stints in TNA/Impact Wrestling and the NWA as Eli Drake, and is a former Impact World Champion.

The 40-year-old wrestler made an impact (pardon the pun) upon his arrival to NXT, where he held the Million Dollar Championship.

Dupri No More

In May 2022, Knight was reintroduced to the WWE Universe as Max Dupri, the head of the Maximum Male Models.

After his sister Maxine Dupri was introduced later that month, Dupri would split from the group, and revert to his LA Knight persona.

Speaking to ComicBook.com, Knight explained why his tenure as Max Dupri was short-lived.

“How honest do you want me to be? I’ll just say this, at the end of the day I can make anything work. But at the end of the day, I’ve got a real tough time not being [me]. I’ll tell you this, it wasn’t me. So when things came to pass and LA Knight started to shine through, it was the right place to go and not a moment too soon.”

LA Knight.

At WWE Royal Rumble 2023, Knight lost to Bray Wyatt in the Mountain Dew Pitch Black match, which marked Wyatt’s first televised match since returning to WWE.

What’s in a Name?

Whether it’s as LA Knight, Max Dupri, or Eli Drake, the SmackDown Superstar (real name Shaun Ricker) has made a name himself, but these aren’t his only names.

Knight previously worked for WWE from 2013-2014 as Slate Randall but was primarily used as an enhancement talent.

In 2011, Knight was an unnamed security guard during the infamous text message promo between Kevin Nash and CM Punk, when the latter joked that people thought Nash died years ago.

Gamers may recognize Knight (or at least his voice) as “Paragon Jay Pierce” in WWE 2K22’s MyRise mode.

Another WWE Superstar is gearing up for a character refresh. In this case, it will be an old persona returning.

As seen on last week’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Max Dupri abandoned the Maximum Male Models faction, leaving many to wonder what’s next for the former NXT star. Some have suggested we’ll see him bring back his previous gimmick, LA Knight and they are correct. LA Knight is already listed as such on the company’s internal roster, according to a report at PWInsider.

To the fans of Maximum Male Models, don’t worry. Maxine, Mace and Mansoor will continue in their current roles.

LA Knight in WWE

Prior to his time in the big leagues, LA Knight wrestled as Eli Drake for Impact Wrestling (2015-2019) and later the National Wrestling Alliance (2019-2021).

He signed with WWE in 2021 and joined the NXT roster, where he spent nearly a year. The highlight of his NXT run saw him winning Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Championship.

Knight was called up to WWE’s main roster back in April. He left LA Knight behind, dubbed himself Max Dupri and introduced the world to Maximum Male Models. That group will live on, but Knight appears to have had enough after last week’s episode.

Triple H has wasted no time shaking things up as WWE’s new head of creative and talent relations. Dupri reverting to LA Knight is just the latest change under the new regime.

It will be interesting to see how soon we see the LA Knight character back on TV, with the likelihood being this week. In case you’re unfamiliar with Knight, here was his introduction to the WWE Universe:

H/T: PWInsider

Max and Maxxiine Dupri’s Maximum Male Models (Mansoor & Mace) teamed up with Los Lotharios to battle Hit Row and Street Profits this week on SmackDown.

Hit Row and Street Profits picked up the victory and Max Dupri gave his faction a pep talk during a WWE Digital Exclusive following the show. Mace and Mansoor were despondent after the loss and Max searched for the words to say.

After a dramatic pause, the 39-year-old changed his tune and appeared to hint at a return to his LA Knight gimmick in NXT.

“Gentlemen, you have to pick those chins up. Lift those chiseled chins, I’ve been here before, unfortunately too many times. In that process, I have learned that you have to go through the day to get to the night”.

Max performed as LA Knight in NXT and captured the Million Dollar Championship from Cameron Grimes at NXT TakeOver: In Your House. He lost his final match in NXT to Intercontinental Champion Gunther at Stand & Deliver.

He made his debut on the main roster on the May 20th edition of SmackDown as Max Dupri. Maximum Male Models later added Max’s storyline sister, Maxxiine Dupri to the faction. Maxxine Dupri performed as Sofia Cromwell in NXT.

Maximum Male Models debuted while Vince McMahon was still the CEO of WWE. It will be interesting to see what The Game has planned for the group and Max Dupri moving forward. Triple H has already given Riddle and Theory their first names back and brought back several stars that were released under the previous regime.

We have not seen the last of Max-Doo-PREE!

Much has been made about Max Dupri’s status with Maximum Male Models. It was reported that Dupri was replaced by Maxxine Dupri as the mouthpiece of the faction.

Dupri reportedly rubbed some people the wrong way as he questioned the material of his scripts. The last word from Wrestling Observer is that Vince McMahon pulled him from the group as he wasn’t a fan of his delivery during promos.

Now that Vince is gone, Max Dupri isn’t going anywhere.

During the July 29 episode of WWE SmackDown, the Maximum Male Models unveiled the 2022 Beachwear Collection.

At the end of the segment, Max Dupri appeared to the surprise of fans inside the State Farm Arena and color commentator Pat McAfee.

Max Dupri’s future in WWE remains unclear after he was removed from the Maximum Male Models but we do have an update. 

Max Dupri Removed From Maximum Male Models

Last week on SmackDown, Max Dupri was replaced by the Maxxine Dupri character played by former NXT wrestler Sofia Cromwell.

It was previously reported, that Dupri was said to have rubbed some people the wrong way and was unbooked at the last minute. Although Mace and Mansoor were on board with the storyline, Dupri had some reservations about things, and scripts were changed.

This was a storyline that Vince McMahon came up with and was fully behind. McMahon had worked with Dupri on his promo and how he should sound because McMahon did not want him to sound like his LA Knight character in NXT.

An Update On Max Dupri

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer reported that Dupri being removed was a Vince call made “after one of the early segments of the deal when Vince blamed the segment being bad on his delivery of the lines, and apparently, he also spoke up about some of the scripting.”

With McMahon resigning and Triple H now in charge of creative, Dupri may show up on TV again. However, as of right now, he is out of the group.

This Friday’s SmackDown saw an abrupt change in the Maximum Male Models storyline. NXT star Sofia Cromwell debuted as Maxxine Dupri, with reports suggesting that Max Dupri was done with the group.

We have an update on the situation and the future of the character played by the former LA Knight.

Per Fightful, the whole angle was Vince McMahon’s idea and he had taken a particular interest in the storyline. The boss even came down to the ring to produce the Maximum Male Models debut segment which doesn’t happen often.

The former WWE chairman had a distinct vision for how Max Dupri would sound. McMahon worked with Max quite a bit on it. He said that he wanted the character to sound nothing like Knight.

Both Mace and Mansoor were on board with the angle, but LA Knight had some reservations. He said to have ‘ruffled some feathers with a couple of scripts’ and challenged what the writers had come up with.

Though despite the report that the decision was made a couple of weeks ago, Max Dupri was unbooked on last minute. Other people involved in the segment weren’t given any concrete information on his status.

A source said that Vince McMahon retiring from WWE is the best thing that could have happened to Knight. He still has supporters in WWE that enjoy his work, and the door isn’t closed for the decision to be reversed.

A WWE NXT star has made her main roster debut.

The July 22 episode of WWE SmackDown was held inside the TD Garden in Boston, MA. Dominating the headlines going into the show was the fact that Vince McMahon retired earlier in the afternoon.

While the show was rewritten due to Brock Lesnar leaving the arena amid the Vince news, some plans will be going ahead as scheduled.

That much is clear from the newest character serving as a mouthpiece for Maximum Male Models.

Maxxine Dupri has arrived.

Who is Maxxine Dupri?

There was a lot of speculation on which NXT star would don the Maxxine Dupri character. The real answer was revealed on Friday night.

In a backstage segment, NXT 2.0 star Sofia Cromwell was revealed as Maxxine Dupri. Her character is the sister of Max Dupri, who wasn’t seen during tonight’s episode.

The planned 2022 beachwear collection showcase for Maximum Male Models has been pushed back to the July 29 edition of SmackDown.

Max Dupri Character Scrapped

Maxxine Dupri is now leading Maximum Male Models, so what about the group’s original figurehead, Max Dupri?

According Pro Wrestling Torch, one of Vince McMahon’s final duties as the head of WWE creative was to scrap the Max Dupri character, portrayed by the man formerly known as L.A. Knight.

The decision was made after Max Dupri was “rubbing people the wrong way” behind the scenes. Sofia Cromwell’s debut as Maxxine Dupri was WWE’s way of writing Max Dupri out of storylines.

A brand new character will be seen on the July 22 episode of SmackDown.

In the world of wrestling, new gimmicks are seen all the time. This is especially true in WWE, where characters of all kinds are found.

One new faction has been formed on the blue brand and it has been quite polarizing, to say the least. While some find the group to be quirky, others believe it’s dead in the water.

Regardless, the Maximum Male Models will stick around for now.

Introducing Maxxine Dupri

During the recent episode of WWE SmackDown, it was announced that Max Dupri, ma.çé, and mån.sôör will be debuting the new 2022 beachwear collection next week.

The group will be joined by a special guest.

WWE is advertising that Max Dupri’s sister, Maxxine, will be present for the reveal of the beachwear collection.

There is no word on the identity of the person donning this new character but we’ll be sure to update you once more details surface.

Until then, brace yourself for the ultimate titillation.

Join us as we run down The Good, The Bad and What The Heck?! moments from this week’s SmackDown.

Plus, we’ll name the show’s MVE (Most Valuable Entertainer).

Subscribe to the SEScoops YouTube Channel and comment below to let us know what you think!

A WWE SmackDown faction has new members.

Stables in the world of wrestling are nothing new. The biggest group in WWE today is The Bloodline. Roman Reigns and The Usos have dominated the SmackDown brand but there’s another heel faction looking to make a splash.

The newest members have been introduced.

ma.çé and mån.sôör join Maximum Male Models

Several weeks ago, Max Dupri, the leader of Maximum Male Models, promised he would introduce new members of his faction.

That didn’t end up happening as WWE used the storyline excuse that Dupri had travel issues. Dupri continued to stall on the reveal, claiming authority figure Adam Pearce wasn’t properly prepared for the big reveal.

Dupri finally delivered on the July 1 episode of WWE SmackDown.

The new members of Maximum Male Models are Mace, who is now known as “ma.çé” and Mansoor, who will be referred to as “mån.sôör” going forward.

ma.çé and mån.sôör had been tested as group members with Dupri during dark matches. It looks like they impressed WWE officials enough to be used on TV going forward.

Have you been titillated?

WWE will be straying away from its initial test run with a WWE faction.

The company has been dipping its toes in the water with a new stable. Fans took notice of this during dark segments.

The faction in question is being led by Max Dupri, formerly known as LA Knight. Dupri made his main roster debut on the May 20 episode of SmackDown.

During the segment, Dupri revealed he’s the CEO of “Maximum Male Models.” The group had been called “Knight Model Management” in dark segments.

That isn’t the only change, however.

Change of Plans

WrestlingNews.co is reporting that WWE will be ditching plans to have former Retribution member Mace and Mansoor be a part of the faction.

It’s been said that Vince McMahon ultimately made the call. The original plan was for Mace and Mansoor to be reintroduced as heels on the SmackDown brand.

It’ll be interesting to see who ultimately ends up in Max Dupri’s group.

WWE isn’t letting up in its name-changing spree.

Ahead of the May 20 episode of WWE SmackDown, PWInsider had reported that former NXT 2.0 star L.A. Knight was backstage.

While Knight was inside the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, MI, it hadn’t been known if he’d show up on TV.

The WWE Universe quickly had an answer.

Who is Max Dupri?

During SmackDown, Knight walked into Adam Pearce’s office to introduce himself as Max Dupri. He claims to be the CEO of “Maximum Male Models.”

Dupri had been making several dark match appearances as a manager. At the time, he kept the L.A. Knight name and was building a faction dubbed, “Knight Model Management.”

During the dark segments, Dupri enlisted former Retribution member Mace, and Mansoor. Time will tell if they will be joining him on WWE TV going forward.