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Bill Apter recently spoke about WWE legend Kevin Nash criticizing LA Knight's on-screen persona for being a rip-off of The Rock's character.
Knight has organically become popular with fans over the last few months, even when the booking has done him no favors. While the WWE Universe has jumped onto the "Yeah" bandwagon," Kevin Nash is not a fan of the 40-year-old. The former WCW Champion has criticized LA Knight for aping The Rock's gimmick.
On Sportskeeda's The Wrestling Time Machine hosted by Mac Davis, Bill Apter shared his opinion on Kevin Nash's harsh assessment of Knight's character. The veteran journalist explained that the greatest performers in wrestling history had been inspired and influenced by those who came before them.
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"I have two words to say. So what? Austin, Superstar Graham, Hulk Hogan, Dusty Rhodes; they all came from various versions of each other," said Bill Apter. [3:22 - 3:35]
Furthermore, Apter said even if LA Knight was ripping off The Rock, it didn't matter as the fans were behind him.
The wrestling veteran added that he personally thought Knight was not trying to copy anyone but had a distinct character.
"But the whole thing here is, he (LA Knight) comes out with, 'Yeah.' Fans just took to him, so why not keep it up? The whole purpose of this is to get to a point where people want to see you. To me, he's not a total rip-off. He's got a different personality. He's like that typical truck driver guy. 'Hey, you wanna go have a steak? Come, let's go eat.' That type of guy." [3:55 - 4:25]
Check out the full video below:
Dutch Mantell wants WWE to give a big push to LA Knight
On a recent episode of Sportskeeda's Smack Talk, Dutch Mantell mentioned how it was ultimately the fans who decided whom they wanted to see on TV every week.
The former manager added that it was about time WWE strapped a rocket on LA Knight's back and pushed him to the moon before he lost steam.
"Listen, fans are arbitrators of who they want. Not me, not you, not anybody else. Even the creative. They can sit back there, and if they don't hear those fans say, 'Yeah,' and everybody heard it loud and clear tonight about LA Knight. Let's put a rocket on his a** and just let him go," said Dutch Mantell.
It remains to be seen if WWE has anything in store for LA Knight for SummerSlam 2023 or if he would miss the show like he missed WrestleMania 39.
Do you see WWE ever pushing LA Knight into the main event scene? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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