LA Knight discusses coping with his anger, rumored backstage punishment ahead of WrestleMania 42

WWE

LA Knight built his career on disappointment. For a long time, it worked. He used anger to break through every door that professional wrestling shut in his face.

"Unfortunately, I think I've worked from a point of frustration in my career for a long time," Knight told CBS Sports, while discussing WWE's partnership with Snickers ahead of WrestleMania 42. "Way too long. It's been the thing that's driven me -- wanting to keep moving to another level."

That edge helped him survive the climb, but at a cost. The line between passion and obsession is nearly invisible, but balancing it can be the difference between boom and bust.

"Sometimes it can be good, and sometimes it can be bad," Knight said. "Sometimes you get in that car after having everything happening out in the ring and the microphone. Then it's just you and the quiet car. It's you back in the hotel by yourself. You start ruminating on everything.

"You're re-running everything. 'Oh, I could have done this.' It sometimes takes the fun out of it."

For a performer with Knight's charisma, who often gets one of the loudest reactions in any building, there's a clear disconnect. The crowd has treated him like a main eventer, yet the booking hasn't always followed suit.

His ascension is sometimes teased, but they're only ever close calls. He's challenged for world titles and Money in the Bank briefcases, and fallen short each time. In the past, that has fed the cycle that he's trying to break.

"I've had to reset myself in different ways cause I get very passionate," Knight said. "My passion shows via anger a lot of times. So instead of being angry and miserable all the time, I'm trying to find ways to turn myself in different directions."

It's not about lowering expectations; it's about changing how he perceives them. His pessimistic fixation on proving people wrong is replaced by optimism for his hard work.

"A mantra I've had lately is 'we don't get done, we get up,'" Knight said. "Whatever's happening, this is a great scenario regardless of whether it's optimal or best.

"That way, I can attempt to have more fun at what I'm doing and not be so pissed off and in such a bad mood all the time because I have a habit of showing up in a bad mood."

That perspective might have been tested heading into WrestleMania 42. Initially, there were rumors that Knight was in the running to face Brock Lesnar at the big showcase. Lesnar is a 10-time world champion in the WWE and one of the company's biggest draws.

Instead, Knight shares the spotlight with five other people, including a newcomer. He'll team with The Usos to face Logan Paul, Austin Theory, and social media sensation IShowSpeed to kick off WrestleMania 42 weekend.

On paper, it's not the kind of match some expected for him. Knight didn't see it that way once the bigger picture came into focus.

"I think it takes a minute for that to metastasize," he said. "When it's first coming together, it's kind of like, 'We're gonna do what?' And then, as things happen, you start to see the social media numbers. You think, 'These clips are getting how many views? OK, well, maybe we're on something here.'"

He takes pride in the responsibility that comes with helping a non-wrestler through their first match.

"You're talking about that trust on so many levels," Knight said. "Because you're looking at the trust of going in and working this spot with someone who is just figuring out how to do this... so who can guide these people?

"At the same time, who will set the stage and set the tone for the very first match that we see for this year's WrestleMania?"

Setting the tone and carrying responsibility isn't a role that's handed out lightly. It's a sign of where WWE sees him, even if it doesn't match fan expectations. For once, Knight isn't bothered by that gap.

When a clip of Knight holding a fan sign reading "We want LA Knight, not Jey Uso" made the rounds, it sparked speculation that he'd landed in trouble backstage during a stretch where Uso was being heavily pushed. Knight laughed it off.

"No, nothing whatsoever," he said. "If there was, I surely was not aware of it. Nobody said a word or anything.

"I literally just saw something about, 'We want LA Knight.' I have found it humorous to see everybody speculating."

Even moments that might have frustrated him before, like having a promo cut short on Raw, don't seem to upset him anymore.

"It was a communication thing," Knight said, shutting down fan speculation that WWE was punishing him. "There's a set amount of time for those little scenarios. I was told that we have a little wiggle room.

"I saw the time was counting down, but I heard, 'We have wiggle room.' Apparently, 'wiggle room' was not wiggle room."

A different version of Knight might have held onto that. Now, it rolls off him.

"I was a little hot about it first," he admitted. "But somebody just obviously communicated wrong to me... Maybe we should have just played off of it."

Knight hasn't lost his edge; it just isn't in the driver's seat all the time. Knight spent half his life chasing a spot that never felt guaranteed. Now that he has it -- even if it's not exactly where others think it should be -- he's taking a different approach.

Knight is stepping back and taking inventory. He's letting go of some of the anger that got him here in the first place. Because for the first time in his career, he doesn't need it in the same way.