LA Knight will enter WWE Money in the Bank with one of the biggest opportunities of his career, but Bully Ray does not believe momentum alone will be enough to overcome Roman Reigns.
Speaking on Busted Open, the WWE Hall of Famer assessed the latest face-to-face encounter between Knight and Reigns on WWE Raw. The segment was meant to further establish the stakes for their upcoming clash, yet Ray came away convinced that the audience response offered a clear indication of who holds the upper hand heading into the event.
Knight has long been regarded as one of WWE’s most naturally charismatic talkers. His confidence, verbal rhythm, catchphrases, and ability to engage a live crowd have been central to his rise. In a confrontation with Reigns, however, Ray argued that being an effective promo performer is not necessarily the same thing as being equipped to outmatch one of the company’s most complete main-event stars.
For Ray, the defining moment of the Raw segment came when Reigns made his entrance. The reaction to the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, in Ray’s view, changed the dynamic of the entire exchange before either man had truly had the chance to establish control verbally.
For more background on this topic, read John Cena Says He Misses WWE Performance Every Day After Retirement.
“This was over before it even started,” Ray said. “LA Knight is standing in the ring, I think he says a couple of things, whatever, and then Roman’s music hits. Listen to the crowd when Roman’s music hits. It’s over from then on.”
Roman Reigns’ Entrance Reaction Stands Out
Reigns has spent years building a presence that extends beyond individual lines in a promo or even the outcome of a single match. His arrival is presented as an event, and the crowd response has become a major part of that presentation. Even against a popular babyface such as Knight, Reigns can draw an enormous reaction simply through the opening notes of his entrance music and the anticipation of his appearance.
Ray described that response as the kind of deep, sustained reaction that immediately commands attention throughout an arena. To him, it was not merely a loud pop. It was evidence that Reigns already had the building emotionally invested in his presence, making it exceptionally difficult for Knight to seize the moment back.
“When Roman’s music hit, there was a roar in the crowd,” Ray said. “They call it the roar of the crowd for a reason because it’s low and it’s bellowing and it’s like a lion’s roar. I sat at home and I said, ‘It’s over.’ You can’t top that type of reaction. He already has them in the palm of his hands once that reaction echoes through the arena.”
That assessment goes to the core of Reigns’ position in WWE. The champion does not necessarily need to speak first, speak the longest, or even raise his voice to establish authority. His character has been shaped around patience, status, and the suggestion that every major challenger is entering his world rather than the other way around.
It is a formula that can place an opponent in a difficult position. A challenger needs to look fearless and capable without appearing to force the issue. Knight’s approach has generally been built around fast-paced intensity and sharp verbal jabs, which can be highly effective in the right rivalry. The challenge against Reigns is that the champion’s slower, more deliberate cadence is designed to make opponents work at his pace.
Ray Questions Whether Knight Can Match Reigns Verbally
Ray was not dismissive of Knight’s speaking ability. He openly acknowledged that Knight has a strong background on the microphone. Still, he questioned whether Knight possesses the particular verbal arsenal needed to stand across from Reigns and turn the audience’s energy in his favor.
Reigns has faced numerous opponents during his championship reign, and the strongest programs have often involved rivals who could match his composure, shift the tone of a segment, or create the feeling that Reigns was genuinely being challenged on his own terms. Ray named CM Punk, John Cena, and Paul Heyman as examples of elite microphone performers who could potentially redirect a segment even after Reigns had received a massive entrance reaction.
“And it’s not like CM Punk is in the ring. It’s not like John Cena is in the ring. It’s not like Paul Heyman is in the ring,” Ray said. “There are no masters of the microphone in the ring who can turn that around. I know LA Knight’s history on the microphone. It’s good, but I don’t think he has the tools in the toolbox verbally. I don’t think he has the verbal shots at Roman, and the ones that he does take are childish at best.”
The criticism is a strong one because Knight’s microphone work is one of the qualities most associated with his appeal. He has demonstrated a clear ability to get fans involved, generate catchphrase responses, and present himself as a wrestler who believes he belongs at the top of the card. Yet Ray’s argument is not that Knight cannot speak. It is that the specific test presented by Reigns may demand a different kind of promo performance.
A Reigns confrontation often rewards restraint as much as aggression. Challengers must find a way to make the champion react while avoiding the trap of looking rattled by his confidence or overwhelmed by the audience response. They also must deliver lines that feel sharp enough to challenge Reigns’ aura without reducing the conflict to basic insults that the champion can dismiss.
In Ray’s estimation, Knight has not shown that he can do that at the level required for a match of this magnitude. His view is that Reigns’ reaction on Raw made that contrast especially visible: Knight may have entered the ring with the crowd behind him, but Reigns’ arrival shifted the atmosphere in an instant.
The Stakes for LA Knight at Money in the Bank
Knight’s challenge remains significant regardless of Ray’s prediction. A title match against Reigns at WWE Money in the Bank is a chance to prove that he can thrive in the highest-pressure environment WWE has to offer. The spotlight will not only be on whether Knight can defeat the champion; it will also be on how he handles the scale of the moment.
For a challenger, a match with Reigns is often about credibility as much as it is about the immediate result. Knight will need to show that his confidence is not just a promotional tool, but something that holds up when the audience is reacting loudly to the man standing across the ring. He will need to demonstrate that he can remain composed when Reigns slows the pace, controls the emotion of the match, or attempts to make the challenger look less experienced.
Reigns, meanwhile, enters with the advantages that have made him such a difficult champion to unseat: championship status, undeniable presence, and a unique ability to make an arena feel centered around him. His crowd response on Raw reinforced the point Ray was making. Even when placed opposite a fan favorite, Reigns remains capable of producing the loudest and most important reaction in the room.
That does not make the outcome a certainty, but it does underline why Ray sees Knight as facing a steep climb. Reigns has been built to feel like more than an opponent. He is presented as the standard against which WWE’s top challengers are measured, and that standard applies as much to a verbal confrontation as it does to a championship match.
Can Knight Turn Doubt Into an Advantage?
There is also a compelling element to the doubt surrounding Knight. Wrestlers frequently make their strongest impressions when they are viewed as underdogs, particularly when the audience believes they are being underestimated. If Knight can channel the pressure created by Reigns’ aura into a sharper, more focused performance, he could give the Money in the Bank crowd a reason to view him as a genuine threat rather than simply the latest man in line.
Ray’s comments make clear that he does not expect that to happen. He believes Reigns’ command of the crowd, combined with Knight’s perceived shortcomings in a direct verbal battle, leaves the challenger without a realistic path to getting the better of the champion this weekend.
Still, the central question heading into WWE Money in the Bank is whether Knight can prove him wrong. Knight does not need to duplicate Reigns’ style or manufacture the same type of reaction. He needs to establish that his own voice, his own connection with the fans, and his own in-ring resolve are enough to stand beside WWE’s most imposing champion without being overshadowed.
That is the task awaiting LA Knight. Reigns’ entrance may have won the moment on Raw in Bully Ray’s eyes, but Money in the Bank will provide Knight with the far more meaningful chance to answer in the ring.
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Darryl Polo
Darryl Polo is a passionate wrestling fan covering WWE, AEW, TNA and beyond. He loves great rivalries, breakout stars and the moments that keep fans talking long after the bell. How we work.