The year 2023 ended in a blast for LA Knight. After a tremendous rise in the ranks of the WWE roster, he was honored by the city of Hagerstown, his hometown. Though there were a few eyebrows raised over the decision, it did not stop the townspeople from honoring their knight. So, what feat exactly was LA Knight honored for?

What does getting the key to a city entail for LA Knight?

A video on Facebook was uploaded from the official page of Hagerstown city on December 24th, a day before Christmas. The caption for the video reads, “Hagerstown’s own Shaun Ricker aka WWE Superstar LA Knight receives the Key to the City of Hagerstown and his fans give him a big “Welcome Home!”

The video featured Shaun Ricker aka LA Knight in WWE, receiving the key to the city and delivering a speech for the audience gathered around. Handing over the key is a medieval tradition that confers trust and honor and the same has been bestowed upon The Megastar of WWE. Knight thanked the people for their trust and respect but why was he handed over the keys?

1. The Megastar: Being a WWE superstar has its perks. Knight is one of the top WWE superstars who has been elevated to the status of main eventer. The Megastar has received a massive push in the last year alone, to the point where he was able to challenge arguably WWE’s biggest star on the roster, Roman Reigns. He has nearly half a million followers on IG and has gained a massive following offline as well, wherein everybody chants his name wherever he goes.

2. The Common Man’s Knight: Ricker comes from a humble background. He studied at a local public school and worked his way up through the ranks of several indie circuits before he reached main-event status at WWE. In his speech, he mentions about the job of his parents. He says, “My dad loaded trucks for a living, my mom worked as a branch manager at the Hagerstown Trust.” Thus, he represents a common citizen of the city.

Read more: “Give the People What They Want”: Fans Clamor for Dwayne Johnson & LA Knight After The Rock’s 11-Year-Old Tweet Goes Viral

3. Ideal personality: LA Knight has spent decades in the indie circuit, hence he understands the importance of struggle. Throughout his wrestling career, he has faced hardships in coming out of corners he was pushed into. The most recent one was his Max Dupri gimmick. Hence, he makes an ideal candidate for younger generations to look up to.

Not only did 2023 end on a high note for Ricker, but the new year began on a positive note as he was included in the Fatal 4-way match at Royal Rumble.

What are your thoughts on the recent development for LA Knight?

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