WWE has officially signed Eli Drake and he made his return to the company during tonight’s NXT TakeOver: Vengeance Day Kickoff show. Drake is using “LA Knight” as his ring name. During the pre-show, he came out and interrupted Wade Barrett, Brandon Walker, and Sam Roberts. He then cut a heel promo on Barrett and Walker, which you can see below. Drake was quietly released from his NWA deal late last year.
The former Impact Wrestling and NWA Superstar previously worked for the WWE NXT brand from late 2013 to May of 2014. He was released due to issues that he had with Bill DeMott, who was the head trainer at the time. Drake wound up signing with Impact Wrestling in February of 2015.
Drake’s run with Impact Wrestling came to an end in April of 2019 when he made comments about the company in interviews that upset people backstage. He also refused to face Tessa Blanchard at United We Stand. While Impact Wrestling was considering a breach of contract suit against him, the situation was resolved and he was released in June of 2019. He wound up signing with the NWA later that month.
WOAH! Look who just showed up on the #NXTTakeOver: Vengeance Day Pre-Show! 😲😲😲😲😲
𝙇𝘼 𝙆𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 has arrived!@TheEliDrake pic.twitter.com/IGaYpZRMtJ
— WWE Network (@WWENetwork) February 14, 2021
