LA Knight has positioned himself for one of the biggest matches of his WWE career, but Bully Ray believes the challenger needs to make an important adjustment before stepping into the ring with Roman Reigns at Money in the Bank.
Knight is set to challenge Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship, a title opportunity that places him opposite a performer whose presentation has long centered on dominance, certainty, and the belief that he cannot be beaten. Reigns’ limited schedule has also meant that Knight has been tasked with much of the week-to-week verbal work in building the program. On Monday’s WWE Raw, Knight addressed both Reigns and Penta following their match in Mexico City while looking ahead to his own championship challenge.
That promo included respect for Reigns’ standing and an acknowledgment of the doubts that can surround anyone attempting to defeat “The Tribal Chief.” Knight’s comments were not simply dismissive of the champion’s accomplishments. He gave Reigns credit, while also discussing his own hesitation over the idea that somebody can truly take down a champion with Reigns’ aura.
For Bully Ray, that was the portion of the segment that did not fully land. Speaking on Busted Open Radio, Bully said Knight should be communicating an unwavering belief in his ability to leave Money in the Bank as the new World Heavyweight Champion.
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“I need to see LA Knight be extremely confident,” Bully Ray said on Busted Open Radio. “I don't need to see ego. I don't need to see braggadocious.”
The distinction is significant. Bully was not arguing that Knight should abandon the qualities that have made him a major WWE presence. Knight’s charisma, sharp timing, crowd connection, and ability to deliver memorable lines are central to his appeal. Nor was Bully calling for an exaggerated performance built only around boasting. Instead, he was calling for a more direct and serious championship message as Knight faces a competitor presented as one of WWE’s most difficult opponents to overcome.
In Bully’s view, Knight’s willingness to praise Reigns and Penta was not the issue. Giving credit to opponents can establish the magnitude of a match, especially when a challenger is confronting a champion whose track record is meant to be intimidating. The concern was that Knight’s acknowledgement of uncertainty risked softening the central point of the feud: he believes this is the moment when he becomes champion.
Respecting Roman Reigns Without Conceding Ground
Reigns’ status is an unavoidable element of the Money in the Bank build. The champion has been framed as a defining force in WWE, and his part-time schedule only makes his appearances feel more significant. When Reigns is absent from weekly television, challengers must use their time to make the title match feel immediate and to establish why they are the person capable of changing the champion’s story.
Knight did that in one sense by putting Reigns over after the Mexico City match involving Penta. Recognizing the challenge Reigns represents can make Knight’s pursuit of the World Heavyweight Championship seem larger rather than smaller. But Bully argued that the promo needed to pivot more decisively from recognition to declaration.
“I like the fact that he was willing to put Roman and Penta over, especially giving Roman his props,” Bully Ray said. “But all that being said, ‘I'm still going on to Money in the Bank and I'm going to prove to you, Roman, how I wasn't the guy for the past three years, but why I am the guy now.’”
That suggested direction would keep the focus on Knight’s evolution. The challenger does not need to deny Reigns’ accomplishments or pretend the title match is easy. He simply needs to frame the bout as proof that his time has arrived. That is a different message from saying Reigns is invincible, and it is a different tone from allowing the scale of the challenge to become the dominant takeaway.
For a championship challenger, confidence is not necessarily about claiming perfection. It is about clarity. Knight can acknowledge the pressure of a match against Reigns while still insisting that the pressure will not change the result. That type of presentation would fit the stakes of a World Heavyweight Championship program, particularly with Money in the Bank approaching.
Mexico City Attack Offered A Different Side Of Knight
Bully also pointed to Knight’s physical actions in Mexico City as evidence that the performer has already shown the kind of killer instinct the storyline needs. Knight appeared after Reigns’ victory and laid out the champion, creating a direct visual of the challenger seizing an opening against the man he will meet at Money in the Bank.
That moment did not read as uncertainty to Bully. It read as opportunism. Knight saw an opening after Reigns’ match and took it, leaving the champion down and reminding viewers that the challenger is willing to act when the situation is available.
It is a useful contrast for the next stage of the rivalry. A physical confrontation can show that Knight is bold enough to attack Reigns. A promo can establish that he expects to beat him. The first element was present in Mexico City; Bully’s critique was that the latter needs to be delivered with the same decisiveness.
Bully Ray said Knight’s Mexico City attack showed “how opportunistic” he can be, adding that he now wants to hear “the verbal version” of that physicality.
That verbal version, as Bully described it, would be more specific about the finishing sequence Knight expects at Money in the Bank. Knight’s BFT is the move he can point to as the mechanism that changes the championship picture. Rather than leaning into doubt or jokes, the challenger can turn the move into a promise: one BFT, a three-count, and a new World Heavyweight Champion.
“The next time I hit you with a BFT, you're going to hear ‘one, two, three’ and LA Knight will become your new World Heavyweight Champion,” Bully Ray said.
The wording matters because it puts Knight in control of the statement. Reigns’ reputation remains enormous, but Knight is no longer talking about whether anyone can defeat him. He is talking about what he intends to do when the opportunity arrives.
Money In The Bank Requires A Focused LA Knight
There is also a practical reason for Knight to sharpen his message. Reigns’ schedule means the challenger may not have unlimited face-to-face opportunities with the champion before Money in the Bank. Each Knight appearance can therefore carry added weight in defining the story. He has to maintain fan momentum, address Reigns’ absence when necessary, and ensure the audience sees him as more than the next person in line for a title match.
Knight’s strongest route may be to combine the elements Bully identified rather than discard the substance of his Raw promo altogether. Respect for Reigns can remain. Recognition of Penta’s role in the Mexico City match can remain. What cannot become the lingering image, from Bully’s perspective, is Knight questioning his own capacity to finish the job.
The challenger’s assignment is clear: show that he understands exactly how difficult Reigns is to beat, then state plainly that he is going to do it anyway. That approach preserves the size of Reigns’ championship reign while making Knight’s pursuit feel like a genuine turning point rather than a hopeful attempt.
Money in the Bank will ultimately determine whether Knight can translate that confidence into a championship win. Before then, Bully Ray believes the verbal presentation needs to match the aggressive, timely strike Knight delivered in Mexico City. Knight has already shown he can capitalize on the right moment. The remaining question is whether his next words will carry the absolute certainty Bully feels a World Heavyweight Championship challenger needs.
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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.