\n<\/p>\n
LA Knight built his career on disappointment. For a long time, it worked. He used anger to break through every door that professional wrestling shut in his face.<\/p>\n
“Unfortunately, I think I’ve worked from a point of frustration in my career for a long time,” Knight told CBS Sports, while discussing WWE’s partnership with Snickers ahead of WrestleMania 42. “Way too long. It’s been the thing that’s driven me — wanting to keep moving to another level.”<\/p>\n
That edge helped him survive the climb, but at a cost. The line between passion and obsession is nearly invisible, but balancing it can be the difference between boom and bust.<\/p>\n
“Sometimes it can be good, and sometimes it can be bad,” Knight said. “Sometimes you get in that car after having everything happening out in the ring and the microphone. Then it’s just you and the quiet car. It’s you back in the hotel by yourself. You start ruminating on everything.<\/p>\n
“You’re re-running everything. ‘Oh, I could have done this.’ It sometimes takes the fun out of it.”<\/p>\n
For a performer with Knight’s charisma, who often gets one of the loudest reactions in any building, there’s a clear disconnect. The crowd has treated him like a main eventer, yet the booking hasn’t always followed suit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His ascension is sometimes teased, but they’re only ever close calls. He’s challenged for world titles and Money in the Bank briefcases, and fallen short each time. In the past, that has fed the cycle that he’s trying to break.<\/p>\n
“I’ve had to reset myself in different ways cause I get very passionate,” Knight said. “My passion shows via anger a lot of times. So instead of being angry and miserable all the time, I’m trying to find ways to turn myself in different directions.”<\/p>\n
It’s not about lowering expectations; it’s about changing how he perceives them. His pessimistic fixation on proving people wrong is replaced by optimism for his hard work.<\/p>\n
“A mantra I’ve had lately is ‘we don’t get done, we get up,'” Knight said. “Whatever’s happening, this is a great scenario regardless of whether it’s optimal or best.<\/p>\n
“That way, I can attempt to have more fun at what I’m doing and not be so pissed off and in such a bad mood all the time because I have a habit of showing up in a bad mood.” <\/p>\n
That perspective might have been tested heading into WrestleMania 42<\/a><\/span>. Initially, there were rumors that Knight was in the running to face Brock Lesnar at the big showcase. Lesnar is a 10-time world champion in the WWE and one of the company’s biggest draws.\u00a0<\/p>\n