Making the Case For LA Knight to Join Royce Keys' 946 Faction on WWE Raw

In WWE, LA Knight is an odd case: Right now, he's in a top title program with Roman Reigns, yet it still feels like he's floating in a bit of purgatory.

Compelling, really. Knight has never won the big one and it doesn't feel like that is going to change. His recent promo on an episode of WWE's Raw showed him in a more vulnerable state, admitting these types of things and even making a few awkward pauses, perhaps to play with the idea of forgetting his lines.

So, a proposal: Let's get Knight involved with Royce Keyes and the fast-rising 946 faction.

Second, the hook: Knight is going to lose again. He's not going to go out and top Reigns in a match at Money in the Bank. And if he were, for whatever reason, one could easily see him getting cashed-in on by the briefcase winner from the same night, putting his one and only reign as lasting a matter of minutes.

Unless an outside element like Keyes gets involved.

There are elements in Knight's promo, after all, mentioning that Reigns hasn't had much in the way of outside help during his title matches lately. That could change at Money in the Bank. Knight, then, would need some backup.

The narrative draw is simple enough. Knight is bound to at least have a competitive match with Reigns. If Keyes and Co. throw interference that messes up Knight's big chance, there's bound to be some tension there. But at the same time, he could use the help of a faction against the overall Bloodline.

Call it a nice cherry on top for WWE. Onlookers have rightfully criticized WWE for slamming unnecessary, weird faction drama into the calendar this time of year to prep for Survivor Series. Knight needing some help because he's getting ganged up on by the Bloodline sort of just fits right now.

An uneasy alliance with 946 for Knight could boost Keyes' star, too. A little inter-faction tension never hurts and this wouldn't be an exception. Maybe, in the process of making this work, Knight gradually shifts into what feels like an overdue heel turn, too.

At this point, this is just sort of where things sit for Knight. He's not fighting CM Punk or Cody Rhodes, who have dropped titles in recent times unexpectedly to boost other Superstars.

Plus, the overall landscape is starting to pass Knight by. He's had repeated chances to win the big one. Now, Keyes is shooting up the board quickly. Penta just put on a match with Reigns that made him a main-event presence for good. Punk and Rhodes are still there. Solo Sikoa has raised some eyebrows. Oba Femi and Bron Breakker are on the rise. That's just mentioning a few names, and there's only so much time before the long-term plans for WrestleMania need to start forming.

Sure, steering Knight into faction territory and not letting him win it all wil sting for his hardcore fans. But there are worse positions to find oneself in WWE. Ask Dominik Mysterio how he's doing right now after his wild fall down the board after initially looking like a main-event guy.

There are worse positions, especially for someone like Knight, too. Internet fans tend to spotlight his botches, especially with those pesky turnbuckles, and he's felt like a bit of a community project for online fans since the WWE Unreal stuff that showed some of his backstage interactions with the likes of Triple H.

In theory, WWE would like fans to think that Knight can actually beat Reigns. Or even that Keyes and other faction drama, plus a briefcase, can lead to some unpredictable things at Money in the Bank.

But the reality is probably something closer to an uneasy alliance that shoves Knight into Keyes' group temporarily before a feud blossoms out of that over time. This is less Reigns' fault than it is just simple logistics when taking into account the entirety of the main-event scene at this point.

If nothing else, Knight would remain on the outskirts of the main-event scene this way and his appearances wouldn't be repetitive throughout the winter. It's not the ceiling many fans want to see for Knight, but it sure beats the tag and/or random feud purgatory most of the WWE roster gets, with bonus points for keeping the hot new faction relevant in a big way, too.