Wrestling world reacts to WWE changing LA Knight's name on SmackDown

It seems like LA Knight wasn't safe regarding WWE's recent barrage of name changes.

During his time in the indie, he went by Eli Drake, even using his real name Shaun Ricker at some point in his career. Following his signing with WWE in 2021, that was changed to LA Knight.

During this week's episode of SmackDown, Knight appeared during a backstage segment. However, he now bears the new name 'Max Dupri' as the CEO of Maximum Male Models.

Following the segment and announcement of his new name, fans started reacting on social media. Check out some of the tweets here:

This isn't the first time WWE has arranged a name change for their talents. Some examples are Butch (FKA Pete Dunne), Gunther (WALTER), Ludwig Kaiser (Marcel Barthel), among others. Most recently, Austin Theory and Tommaso Ciampa dropped their first names only to be known as Theory and Ciampa.

What was LA Knight up to before becoming Max Dupri?

Though the former IMPACT star debuted on NXT in February 2021 as a heel, Dupri initially appeared in WWE back in 2013 but was released in the following year.

His second coming in NXT has proven to be more fruitful. Max found himself in a feud with the likes of Cameron Grimes, Joe Gacy, Drake Maverick, Johnny Gargano, and Dolph Ziggler. He also challenged for the NXT North American Championship but was lost.

Dupri's efforts haven't gone to waste since he captured the Million Dollar Championship in a ladder match during NXT Takeover: In Your House. His last match in the developmental brand was against Gunther in March 2022.

His first introduction to the main roster was in a backstage segment, where he appeared with Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode as a member of The Dirty Dawgs. Dupri then made his official debut on SmackDown in a dark segment as a villainous manager for Knight Model Management.

With the changed name and persona, it will be interesting to see how LA Knight's new character will go forth in the show.

About the author

Hazel is a WWE features writer for Sportskeeda Wrestling. Currently a BS Psychology student in her third year, she ensures that multiple accurate and reliable sources back every piece of information in her articles. She phrases even mundane information in her own words, especially when using single sources like books or social media posts, to add a hint of personal touch.

Hazel has had a penchant for writing since high school. Apart from pursuing Humanities and Social Sciences for her senior year, she attended classes about creative and nonfiction writing. In 2019, Hazel started working as a ghostwriter, and three years later, she began working for Sportskeeda. In 2023, she became a published author under 8letters Books Publishing House. Even today, when she is not studying as a pre-med student or writing for Sportskeeda, she enjoys reading and writing novels.

Her favorite wrestlers are Edge and Randy Orton. She recalls watching John Cena vs Big Show vs Edge in WrestleMania 25 in her first wrestling match. Hazel enjoyed the entrances, and what got her hooked was how cool and ruthless Edge was and how John Cena never backed down from his challenges.

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