WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash believes CM Punk recently proved a long-standing point about LA Knight’s ceiling in the company. Speaking on his Kliq This podcast, Nash stated that Punk’s promos in the lead-up to Clash in Paris exposed the limitations of Knight’s character, effectively weakening his presentation.
“LA Knight is in a position where he is over, but he is over because of a formula that works when we all were over, like catchphrases–watching him and CM Punk, Punk is organically over, and any time Punk wants to, he can make [Knight’s] sht look weak by f—king mocking his shtick,” Nash said. (h/t ITR Wrestling)
Nash’s comments refer to the build for the World Heavyweight Championship match at Clash in Paris on August 31, which saw both Punk and Knight challenge Seth Rollins. During their confrontations on Raw, Punk frequently undercut Knight by mocking his signature “YEAH” chant.
This is not the first time Nash has been critical of Knight. Two years ago, he drew backlash from fans for saying Knight borrowed heavily from The Rock. Nash later clarified his comments were not meant to be malicious and made peace with Knight.
The discussion about Knight reaching the next level extends beyond Nash. On Busted Open Radio, Hall of Famer Bully Ray suggested the issue is a lack of emotional investment from the audience. He argued that for fans to truly connect with Knight, the character needs to endure significant adversity.
Bully Ray compared the situation to how Tommy Dreamer got over in ECW, referencing a 1994 angle where The Sandman delivered a brutal series of Singapore cane shots. He believes that seeing a character go through an uncomfortable struggle is what forges a true bond with the audience.
This perspective is notable given Knight’s recent opponents. In a recent main event, he teamed with Jey Uso to face Bron Breakker and Bronson Reed, a superstar whose finisher, the Tsunami, fits the type of overwhelming offense Bully Ray described.