Following his exit at the hands of Damian Priest during the 2025 men’s Royal Rumble battle, Drew McIntyre was said to have shown his displeasure backstage, reportedly discussing someone who urgently “needs to step up their game.” LA Knight was seemingly the source of his annoyance.
Receiver of the “Gorilla Position” podcast recently, LA Knight gave his response to McIntyre’s premature exit and the speculations of any backstage friction. He explained,
“He had to exit since the event ended. Eventually, everyone has to leave. Did he leave abruptly? I didn’t know. As I got backstage, I was watching the monitor, observed the rest of the duel — he was no longer there. He had been removed before I even had my turn. I only came to know of it when I reached home Sunday night and someone shared an article with me. I found it rather intriguing.”
Responding to the question on dealing with such off-stage scenarios, Knight commented, “I can’t delve into the backstage details, but a few discussions certainly took place. That’s all I can say.”
In his recent discussion with Gaming Bible on the occasion of WWE 2K25 promotion, Austin Theory shed some light on his favorite moments in his career so far, John Cena’s conversion to a bad guy, and more.
Take a look at the key points from the discussion below:
On his most revered career matches: “If I have to select, I’d choose two favorites from my career so far, one being my faceoff with AJ Styles during my NXT journey, that was a defining moment for me. Secondly, my match against Edge on Smackdown at the Madison Square Garden.”
On his transition across WWE brands: “It was a unique journey for me since I started with NXT, then moved to Raw amidst the COVID-19 crisis when both the shows ran without any audience. Later, I returned to NXT and then back to Raw. This shift was quite significant as it involved transitioning from performing at the center to NXT television. Additionally, I am based out of Florida now, where both the performance center and NXT stadium are located. With worldwide travel and participation in a variety of events like meet and greets, being on the main roster truly gives you a feeling of stardom.”
On his dreams of a solo title: “I would definitely want to clinch the World Tag Team Championships at Raw alongside Grayson but the WWE Undisputed Championship is actually the real deal. I’ve dreamt of that moment since my childhood. The current champion is Cody Rhodes, but post WrestleMania 41, you never know, it may be John Cena too.”
On the bad guy transformation of John Cena: “Looking back at the WrestleMania match, I was pondering over the moment when I outscored Cena with a low blow. Initially, I thought that it might have been an unjust route to the win, but as per Cena’s recent demeanor, I think he had it coming.”
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