LA Knight's Impact Wrestling Gimmick Before Coming To WWE, Explained

Highlights

• LA Knight, known previously as Eli Drake in Impact Wrestling, showcased his charisma and character, drawing comparisons to WWE legends like The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
• During his time in Impact Wrestling, Drake had notable feuds, won titles, and became a main event star, solidifying his place in the professional wrestling industry.
• The development of the LA Knight character began in Impact Wrestling, where Drake used the opportunity to grow and shape the persona that fans now appreciate in WWE.

In WWE today, LA Knight is one of the biggest rising stars in the company. Consistently garnering tremendous and loud applause from fans, Knight has some of the most charisma and character of anyone in professional wrestling today. It has even gained him comparisons to some of WWE’s biggest legends in The Rock and “Stone Cold'' Steve Austin. Without a doubt, he is a mega star in the making with a lot on the horizon for him. However, before there was LA Knight in WWE, there was Eli Drake in Impact Wrestling. It was there where many got glimpses of the greatness that awaited him before he was signed to WWE in 2021.

Eli Drake's Early Time In Impact Wrestling

Drake’s time in Impact Wrestling began back in 2015, when the company was still known as TNA. He had initially competed at a TNA One Night Only Gut Check Tournament, but was unsuccessful in winning the entire night. However, this was not the end of his time in TNA. A little later on, he debuted on television alongside Micah (known as Tanga Loa in NJPW) and Drew Galloway (known in WWE as Drew McIntyre) in a group called The Rising. The group debuted to oppose The Beat Down Clan. This led to a few matches between the two factions, however, it ultimately led to the dissolving of The Rising. It also led to the heel turn of Drake, which is where his ascendance up the card of TNA began.

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After The Rising lost to The Beat Down Clan, Drake turned on The Rising and began a feud with Galloway. He was successful, defeating him at No Surrender 2015, but losing in subsequent rematches in 2015 and 2016. He was also involved in the TNA World Title Series to crown a new TNA World Heavyweight Champion. Drake bounced around the card, competing in anything from multi-person tag team matches to TNA King of the Mountain Title and TNA World Tag Team Title matches.His big moment came during the Feast or Fired match, essentially the promotion’s version of Money in the Bank. He won an opportunity at the TNA King of the Mountain Title. And after a brief feud with Grado, he won the title by cashing in on Bram (Tom Latimer in NWA).

During this reign, Drake showcased a lot of the parts of his character that can be seen in the LA Knight character in WWE of today. The way in which he spoke and insulted his foes had that same charisma which is seen now on a much larger scale. During this time, he notably feuded with James Storm, who he lost the title to, and The Hardy Brothers. But, Drake’s most significant time with Impact Wrestling was still yet to come.

Eli Drake Becomes A Main Event Star In Impact Wrestling

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In 2017, Drake won the GFW Global Title (which was renamed to the Impact Global Title during his reign). During his reign, Drake made numerous defenses of the title, both in Impact and in other promotions as well. Some names he defended the title against included Matt Sydal, Johnny Impact, Petey Williams, and many more. His reign lasted 146 days before he lost the title. From there, he would continue to wrestle for Impact Wrestling until 2019. He won the Impact Wrestling World Tag Team Titles with Scott Steiner for a time. He also faced Pentagon Jr. for the Impact World Championship, and faced Abyss in a Monster’s Ball match. His final match saw him team with Eddie Edwards in a Number One Contender’s Match against LAX.

How Eli Drake Became LA Knight

After leaving Impact Wrestling, Drake went on to wrestle for the NWA before he was signed to NXT. From there, he debuted on the main roster in 2022. After a brief stint under the Max Dupri gimmick, he returned to LA Knight and has had tremendous success with it.

RELATED: 10 Things WWE Fans Should Know About LA Knight

Fans were able to witness the beginnings of the LA Knight character in Impact Wrestling when he was Eli Drake. It was an important time for his career, which he spoke on during an interview with Peter Rosenberg for the Cheap Heat podcast (h/t Post Wrestling). He said, “Well I mean, it was pretty big (time in IMPACT Wrestling) because I mean, you consider here — at that point, the biggest exposure I’d had was Championship Wrestling from Hollywood or something…” LA Knight used his time in Impact Wrestling as an opportunity to grow and develop the character that fans know and love today. It was an important part of his career which was extremely significant.