Wrestling Superstar LA Knight Reflects on His Early Commercial Gigs and Landing a Role in ‘Brooklyn 99’

Before becoming a megastar in WWE, LA Knight was known for his small commercial spots on television. In a recent interview on WWE’s “After the Bell,” Knight reminisced about his early acting gigs, including an Aldi commercial, a regional casino commercial, and even a role in “Brooklyn 99.”

“A lot of those commercials were when I lived in Cincinnati. The Aldi commercial, for instance, was one of the first things I ever did in the acting business… I ended up getting a featured role in a regional casino commercial where I was a masseuse, and I was doing the choppy hands on a lady. That was a quick $800 to do that,” Knight explained.

He also shared his struggles in LA, where he faced stiff competition and even slept on a friend’s floor for four months. Despite the challenges, Knight’s persistence paid off, and he landed a role in “Brooklyn 99” in season two, episode 17.

“A lot of the little goofy things, some of the stuff was just for YouTube… a lot of that was done for free and out of our own pocket on shoestring budgets, trying to get stuff done. It went nowhere, thankfully different wrestling companies started offering me more money after my first run with WWE,” Knight said.

Knight’s journey from commercials to wrestling stardom is a testament to his determination and talent. His biggest victory came when he won the Slim Jim Battle Royal at WWE SummerSlam.