#max dupri

[thewebspinner]

[whosgameisit]

[sympathyyy--is-a-knight]

the brainrot is badddd i love this man too much

[kurtisdefender]

LA Knight from last week's RAW. His promo was amazing . It looks like we will wait until he returns since they attacked him after the match. He looks amazing and cool as usual, that big handsome hero. ❤️

[letmetalktoya]

happy birthday la knight!! no matter how many years go by, you will always be loved by thousands of adoring wwe fans! YEAH!!!

[blowflyfag]

Pro Wrestling Illustrated: March 2024

THE LOCKUP

BY BRIAN R. SOLOMON

WHEN YOU’VE BEEN following this great sport as long as I have, you start to get a real sense for when something just works … when someone has something special, and is destined to make it big. Sometimes, it might take a very long time. And it might even seem like it’s never going to happen. But for some, it just takes longer, and, if they have the right combination of determination, skill, and luck, it happens.

LA Knight is one of those people. I’ve known it for years, but it’s nice to see the rest of the business finally catch up.

The year 2023 was a watershed moment in the 20-year career of WWE’s newest phenomenon. This marked the time when Knight finally broke through and did something that is so refreshing to see, but is so rarely allowed to happen in today’s industry: He got over organically. The fans made him into a superstar; not the office. He’s not a corporate product.

Quite the opposite! LA Knight is someone the office didn’t necessarily see all that much in, but the people felt otherwise. He won them over, and now it’s paying dividends, as WWE has a new main-event fan favorite on its hands. 

Yes, I’ve heard all the knocks. As this magazine goes to press, LA Knight just turned 41 years old. Guess what? That’s the same age as Asuka, Finn Balor, and Damien Priest. Cody Rhodes, who’s arguably made himself into WWE’s hottest fan favorite main-eventer in the past couple of years, is just three years younger than LA Knight. So are Sami Zayn, Charlotte Flair, and none other than Roman Reigns himself. Sure, Knight has a finite number of years ahead of him as a major, viable wrestling superstar. But you can rest assured he’s primed to make the most of those years. The idea that he’s somehow “too old” for the position he’s in is ludicrous.

[While some critics deride LA Knight for his similarities to Steve Austin and Dwayne Johnson, Brian R. Solomon suggests the rising superstar doesn’t get enough credit for making those influences his own.

PHOTO BY JERRY VILAGRANA]

It’s funny how one of Knight’s greatest strengths–his ability to tap into the best aspects of what made the stars of the Attitude Era get over–has also been called out by some as a negative. From when I first came to be acquainted with his work years ago, I enjoyed how he seemed to be a hybrid of the best elements of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and The Rock. If that makes him derivative, then he’s no more derivative than Ric Flair emulating Buddy Rogers, Hulk Hogan emulating “Superstar” Billy Graham, or Dusty Rhodes taking from Thunderbolt Patterson.

In other words, nothing exists in a bubble. The greats of today build themselves on the templates created by the stars of the past. That’s nothing new. And in 2023, a wrestler with the swagger and charisma of the Attitude Era actually stands out from the pack.

Most importantly of all, LA Knight believes himself to be a star, and that belief has spread to the people. He’s willed it for himself, because he knows he’s earned it. That’s what happens when you’ve been scratching and scraping for 20 years to achieve something that means the world to you.

[Eli Drake poses for a photo backstage at a taping of David Marquez’ UWN Primetime Live in September 2020. By that time, WWE brass certainly already had their eyes on the man who would go on to main event against Roman Reigns.

PHOTO BY JUSTIN COTTERELL/UNITED WRESTLING NETWORK]

Since the days of WWE’s Ruthless Aggression–back when TNA and Ring of Honor were in their respective infancies–the man known to his parents as Shaun Ricker has been making his way in the business, and he’s been learning every step of the way. He got his start in the 200s at Ohio’s Heartland Wrestling Association under the watchful eye of legendary trainer Les Thatcher. At the time, HWA served as a developmental system for WWE. Ricker actually made his WWE debut on an episode of Heat in 2006, teaming with another young unknown, Jon Moxley, in a handicap match against The Big Show.

In what would be the start of a pattern, he wasn’t quite able to break through. And when WWE ended its relationship with HWA in 2009, Ricker moved on, hitting the West Coast and becoming a standout of the California independent scene. 

Part of that campaign meant becoming a regular at David Marquez’ Championship Wrestling from Hollywood, then a flagship member of the NWA. This TV exposure started to show what he could do, and earned him a tryout with NXT in 2013. But his first run there would turn out pretty uneventful, consisting of half a year of house shows and dark matches. It just wasn’t his time yet. 

In 2015, the future LA Knight got his first big break in TNA/IMPACT, where he also took on the name many fans first knew him under: Eli Drake. He spent the next four years there, honing his skills against some of the best in the business, and even holding the IMPACT World championship for five months. For most performers with his age and experience, that might have been the peak. For him,it was just the precursor.

After leaving IMPACT in 2019, Drake reached a whole new audience as one of the cornerstone stars of Billy Corgan’s new incarnation of the NWA, where he held the NWA World tag team title with James Storm. But the pandemic put a crimp in things and halted much of the NWA’s production in 2020. By the time it started back up again, Eli Drake had been snatched up by WWE, sent to NEXT, and given a whole new name.

Even then, success was far from a sure thing, as fans know all too well. Saddled with the unfortunate Max Dupri persona–and even shoehorned into the role of manager by Vince McMahon, who just didn’t see him as a top player–the man rose above it all, proving that even Vince can be wrong sometimes.

Thankfully, Paul Levesque believed in LA Knight and, gradually, Knight took the reins. A feud with Bray Wyatt, in which Knight was positioned as nothing more than a stepping stone, instead proved the catalyst for his dramatic transformation into a superstar on the rise.

Tired of getting so close but falling short of where he knew he belonged, LA Knight took control of his own destiny. After all these years, the taste of success is that much sweeter. Now, everyone is saying his name, and likely will be for some time to come. 

[sydsaint]

LA Knight is back baby!!!

Summary: The reader is an ex-lover of Knight's from NXT that lost contact with him after the move to Smackdown. After Knight goes back to his old ways and drops his Max Dupri gimmick, he looks to get he reader back as well.

It's another busy night for the Smackdown roster. And you are busy working with the backstage crew, as always. You are having a conversation with one of the camera crew for the ramp when Triple H taps you on the shoulder.

"Sorry, I need to steal Y/N for a moment." He chuckles lightheartedly.

The crew member nods and you turn around to meet your bosses gaze. "Hunter, what can I do for you?" You ask him with a polite smile.

Usually you hate being interrupted when you're working backstage so close to the show. But Hunter is one of the few exceptions.

"Sorry to bother you while you're back here working, Y/N." Hunter quickly apologizes for the inconvenience. "I just figured that I'd give you a heads up."

"Heads up?" You reply. "About what?" You ask him.

Hunter hands you what looks like an official roster notice from his hand. An apologetic look plays on his face as he hands it over.

You gloss over the document briefly, lip curling up into a sneer. "So he finally decided to stop acting like an idiot then?" You hand the document back to Hunter with a blank face. "Good for him."

"Y/N..." Hunter replies. "He'll want to talk to you. You know that right?" He reminds you.

You nod, still keeping a composed look on your face. "Oh, I'm sure he will." You chuckle to yourself. "Don't worry about me, Hunter. I handled him in NXT, and I can handle him now." You assure him.

"Alright." Hunter nods, trusting your ability to handle yourself. "I'll let you get back to work then,"

You nod and Hunter walks off to take care of some more stuff before Smackdown goes live. You finish your conversation with the camera man and head backstage to check on a couple of more things.

Smackdown goes Live and you hang around backstage to make sure everything runs smoothly. Hunter gets caught up in a meeting with Rey Mysterio from RAW, so he leaves things to you while he's gone.

"Make sure that the camera's cut to a wide angle when Sami and Jey go out there later." You make a comment to the on-hand production crew. "Who's up next in the ring?" You glance down at the schedule sitting on the table next to you.

You read the name on the list and roll your eyes at it. LA Knight. 'Great.' You think to yourself. 'This egomaniac.'

You turn towards the live monitors that the crew are using and can hear Knight's music playing through the arena speakers. You watch him march out to the ring in his old red NXT gear, which happens to also be your favorite. Once upon a time, anyway.

That usual smug smirk is plastered on his handsome face as he walks out to the ring. 'Y/N, no!' You scold yourself when a couple of unsavory thoughts cross your mind. 'He's been ignoring you! It's his fault.' You remind yourself.

"God I hate him." You grit your teeth when after the match Knight does his little wink at the camera that he used to do just for you. Or so he claimed. "I'll be back in a moment."

You try and excuse yourself from the backstage area as Knight makes his way up the ramp. But he comes through the curtain and locks onto you instantly.

"Y/N, sweetheart! You ain't trying to sneak out on me, are you darlin'?" He calls out to you.

Reluctantly you come to a stop and turn back around to face your ex-lover. "I see that you got your old name back." You comment, setting a hand on your hip and a no-nonsense look onn your face.

"Awe, come on now, Y/N." Knight purrs at you with a sly grin. "We ain't gotta do all that. I know that you missed me."

You roll your eyes with a hearty scoff. "Pfft. Miss you? Not a chance." You claim. "You've been working Smackdown for what? Four months now? And I haven't heard a peep from you until tonight." You remind him.

Knight nods, silently admitting his transgressions towards you. "Yeah, but that don't mean that you haven't been on my mind though, sweetheart." He tilts his head to the side and steps towards you. "And I can only imagine all of the dirty thoughts that have been swimming around in that pretty little mind of yours."

You struggle to keep your face neutral as Knight twirls a strand of your hair in his hand. That irresistible and smug smirk is on his face as his hands snake down to your hips to pull you in.

"Come on doll, why don't you come on back to the locker room with me? For old times sake?" He suggests. "Let ol' LA Knight remind you why he's so great?" He stares down at you for a brief moment before winking at you.

"God, you are such an ass." You groan.

Knight chuckles, knowing that he's got you hooked again. "Yeah, but damn do you love it." He teases you..

"Fine!" You give in to your old desires. "But I am so done being nothing more than your late night booty call." You war him.

"Ask and you shall receive, gorgeous." Knight agrees and holds his hand out to you.

Knight takes a step back and turns towards the locker rooms. You hesitate for a moment, but step forward to follow him anyway. 'Fuck it' You think to yourself. 'Four months is enough of a break for me. Hunter and the show can wait.'

[mrawkweird]

FRESH 2 DEATH.