LA Knight Reveals What WWE Originally Wanted to Name Him

TLDR

LA Knight revealed that WWE originally planned to bring him to NXT in 2021 using his previous name Eli Drake, but Triple H changed the plan three days before his debut to start fresh with a new identity. Knight disclosed that WWE also considered naming him "LA Donovan" at one point, which he strongly rejected, saying it was "awful" and would have pigeonholed him into the wrong character type. The final name "LA Knight" was a collaboration between Knight (who contributed "LA") and WWE (who added "Knight"), and Knight emphasized that his character persona remained the same as what he had successfully used in TNA and NWA.