Why LA Knight Believes Partnership Between WWE & TNA Came 'A Few Years Too Late'

When WWE and TNA announced a multi-year partnership last month, it opened up a realm of possibilities few could have envisioned before. LA Knight, who has worked for both companies, believes this new alliance and its guaranteed talent exchanges could enhance the stars from both promotions and boost fans' interest in supporting them. In an interview with "Battleground Podcast," Knight reflects on what this partnership signifies for both companies and the industry — with his only criticism being that he didn't get to enjoy it himself as a TNA star.

"I feel like it's a few years too late. This thing should [have] happened when I was there," Knight said with a chuckle. "You know, it's unprecedented ... I know WWE has had partnerships with All Japan, ECW, and stuff like that, but this is so different in a way because TNA, although it was a very distant second place for a long time back in, like, the 2010s and whatnot, it was still the only real competition for a long time. So now, take one of those companies and to partner up; it's such forbidden fruit in a sense."

Reminded of his time in Impact/TNA as Eli Drake from 2015 to 2019, Knight appreciates hearing how invested others are in revisiting TNA and WWE following the new cross-promotional partnership. For WWE, a breath of fresh air appears to have arrived since the beginning of the "Paul Levesque Era" at WrestleMania 40 last year, which introduced configurations not seen during Vince McMahon's tenure. As for TNA, before this alliance was announced, the company seemed to be searching for direction after the departure of its former president, Scott D'Amore, who had promised a much-needed reset.

"There's plenty of people that I run into a lot of times who say, 'Man, you're one of the guys who got me back into watching again.' I'm sure that there are some people who also fell off from watching for years and years," Knight mentioned. "Now, it could, maybe, be another entryway for them to get back in."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Battleground Podcast" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.