LA Knight recently faced a major setback as he lost his chance to capture the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. The Megastar got his shot at the title after Roman Reigns defeated Penta on RAW in Mexico. Heading into the Championship bout against The Original Tribal Chief at Money in the Bank 2026, Knight was confident he could do it.

However, at the fight night, Reigns outclassed Knight at the main-event level. The Megastar was prepared and gave his all to win. The OTC, however, used his prior Championship bout experience to carve his way out of danger and execute his game plan perfectly to weather the storm that was LA Knight.

The Tribal Chief closed out the night by countering Knight’s BFT, then following up with two Superman punches and ending with a spear to get the pin and retain his World Heavyweight Championship.

The loss completely broke Knight, as his title chase ended once again. The Stamford-based promotion is now building a card for Crown Jewel 2026. The latest episode of RAW was action-packed, but The Megastar missed the show.

In this article, we take a look at the reasons why LA Knight missed WWE Monday Night RAW:

#4. Moving to WWE SmackDown

Any superstar’s ultimate goal on their brand is to challenge for the main title. LA Knight chased Roman Reigns’s World Heavyweight Championship for a long time, and to earn his shot, he constantly targeted the Original Tribal Chief and his Bloodline.

At RAW’s special episode in Mexico, Roman Reigns defended his World Heavyweight Championship against Penta, the winner of the cross-brand luchador tournament. The Original Tribal Chief cleanly beat the rising Luchador to retain his title.

After the match, Knight rushed to the ring and hit Reigns with his BFT before the Tribal Chief could speak. As a result, Roman allowed the Megastar a title shot at Money in the Bank.

At Money in the Bank, Knight gave his all to beat Reigns but fell short as Roman unleashed his wrath on the Megastar, something LA Knight may not have been prepared for. The OTC managed to beat the former United States Champion clean.

That said, after losing clean to the World Heavyweight Champion in a match against Reigns, Knight may have nothing left for Monday Night RAW.

Knight didn’t appear on the red brand tonight, which may hint that he could leave RAW to join WWE Friday Night SmackDown in pursuit of the Undisputed WWE Championship.

#3. Taking time off

Losing the World Heavyweight Championship to Roman Reigns may have broken LA Knight’s confidence, as he always said The Bloodline was why he had lost to The Original Tribal Chief in their previous Undisputed Championship match at Crown Jewel.

During his last appearance on RAW after Money in the Bank, Knight looked heartbroken. He didn’t even help Solo Sikoa as he was struggling against Royce Keys’ crew after Carmelo Hayes’s shocking debut in the group.

In a shocking turn of events, the Megastar may be taking time off from television, and his absence from WWE Monday Night RAW may mean he’s stepping away from the company to reconsider his game plan.

#2. Being repackaged

LA Knight has been a babyface for the majority of his career since his main roster debut. The Megastar hasn’t found success in the main event picture, though he’s had some mid-card success, like capturing the WWE United States Championship quite a while ago.

The Megastar’s persona has grown repetitive, which could get him a mid-card title but is the biggest roadblock to him winning. WWE might rework his character, and fans could finally see him turn heel.

Therefore, the company may have kept him off tonight’s RAW to repackage him before he returns to television after a short break.

#1. No plans for him

The Megastar’s loss to Roman Reigns at Money in the Bank leaves him with no storyline.

Solo Sikoa, with whom he was allied, is already back with The Bloodline to take on Keys and his group, leaving Knight out of any significant storyline. That said, with no storyline for him on WWE Monday Night RAW, the Megastar stayed home and missed the red brand show.

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