WWE has opened the door for collaborations with other promotions since Triple H took over creative but this new approach will be reaching a whole new level when Karrion Kross appears alongside AEW talents for a show.
Future Stars of Wrestling announced on Twitter that the former NXT Champion will be returning to the company for their March 23 show. The event titled ‘Benefit For Bey’ will be raising funds to assist TNA star Chris Bey after his neck injury last year in October:
FSW is excited to announce that current WWE Superstar @realKILLERkross will be appearing at Beynefit for Bey. This is his first appearance inside an FSW ring in more than 3 years. An announcement will be made regarding his opponent shortly. For more info lvfuturestars@yahoo.com pic.twitter.com/rBsdo4wsd5
The show will also feature multiple top AEW stars in the lineup including former AEW Champion Swerve Strickland and Brian Cage. Other names announced for the event include John Morrison, Rich Swann, Sam Adonis, Rhyno, Ace Austin and more.
Chris Bey suffered the neck injury during last year’s post-Bound For Glory TV tapings. He was competing in a tag team match against The Hardy Boyz while an awkward fall resulted in him having to be stretchered out of the arena.
The 29-year-old star had to undergo emergency surgery for the injury that had left him temporarily paralyzed. He spent a week in ICU after undergoing operation for spinal cord fusion (C6-C7 and C6-T1).
The TNA star provided a positive update on his recovery earlier this month, revealing that he is able to stand up and walk on his own again. Bay still has a long way to go in his recovery. You can check out ways to help the injured star here.
Karrion Kross and his Final Testament faction feuded with The Wyatt Sicks for months last year, with their last showdown coming in December 2024. Now, it’s been reported that Bo Dallas is injured and fans are pointing the finger of blame at Kross.
A Wyatt Sicks fan account on X shared a slowed-down video clip from December, showing Kross executing a move on Dallas. When they claimed that Kross injured Dallas, who wrestled as Uncle Howdy, the former NXT responded to the accusation.
This is completely untrue. We all miss him at work but the reaching and promoting of BS- please be better than this.
Bo Dallas was absent from a Royal Rumble photo op that featured the Wyatt Sicks, which led to many believing he was injured. PW Insider’s Mike Johnson confirmed that Dallas is not currently traveling with WWE, verifying that he is sidelined due to a legitimate injury.
Kross’ character-breaking response shows that the WWE roster is a team and despite on-screen feuds, Kross takes no pleasure in another wrestler being hurt. In the absence of the Wyatt Sicks, Kross has continued to portray his ‘Devil’s Advocate’ role, though the Final Testament is no more after recent WWE releases led to AOP and Paul Ellering being cut.
With The Wyatt Sicks being moved to WWE SmackDown, fans are excited to see what’s to come for the faction, espcially given Alexa Bliss’ return. Ultimately, fans will have to wait for Bray Wyatt to be fully healed from an injury that was not the fault of Karrion Kross.
Karrion Kross is finding his groove a facilitator of The Final Testament and the former NXT Champion may have gotten inspiration from legendary actor Chazz Palminteri.
Kross was born and raised right out of Hell’s Kitchen so his roots are well-embedded in the lifestyle of New York City and it had to be a big-time pleasure for the WWE Superstar when he got to meet Palminteri. Palminteri is also Big Apple-born and he may be best known for his role as a local Bronx boss Sonny in the Robert DeNiro directed “A Bronx Tale.”
Right before a big weekend took off in New York City for WWE with Saturday Night’s Main Event, Kross ended up sharing a photo-op he got with the actor, noting that it was a “long story” before quoting that very film.
“Long story!
You’ll hear it eventually.
“The saddest thing in life is wasted talent, and the choices that you make will shape your life forever. But you can ask anybody from my neighborhood, and they’ll just tell you this is just another Bronx tale.’”
Long story!
You’ll hear it eventually.
“The saddest thing in life is wasted talent, and the choices that you make will shape your life forever. But you can ask anybody from my neighborhood, and they’ll just tell you this is just another Bronx tale.” pic.twitter.com/zxLkJfNnax
One could envision Kross pulling a lot of inspiration from “Sonny” as it pertains to his current role in The Final Testament. Much like the charismatic crime boss Palminteri portrays Kross walks the fine line between showing humanity (albeit manipulative) and menace, a trait that made Sonny so fascinating as a character. It’s no secret that Kross is heavily influenced by classic films as he’s picked and pulled from both the dramatic and horror drama to build upon an on-air persona that’s finally getting warranted recognition.
Kross currently finds himself with the upper hand on a feud with The Wyatt Sicks. Karrion captured a pinfall win against Uncle Howdy this past Monday on WWE RAW thanks to interference by a returning Paul Ellering.
The Miz made an impactful return during the latest episode of Monday Night Raw, and was able to orchestrate a beatdown on The Wyatt Sicks. Recently, The Miz was kidnapped by the faction and was being questioned during last week’s show by Bo Dallas. The segment made reference to Bo’s time in the ‘Miztourage’ and Karrion Kross was confident that the A-Lister was “dead for sure.”
During this week’s Raw, Miz told Karrion Kross that he’d apologized and promised to change his ways and that was enough for the Wyatt Sicks to let him go. Kross did not believe him, and was going to have AOP break his legs in the ring before The Wyatt Sicks arrived.
Miz snuck up on Rowan, hitting him with a chair in the back, and revealing that this had been an ambush all along. Final Testament laid out Wyatt Sicks, but Uncle Howdy laughed through the pain.
The Final Testament and The Wyatt Sicks have been at odds for some time now, though Bo Dallas told The Miz that he was his group’s only target. Now, expect to see plenty more from these two factions on WWE TV, with The Miz firmly on the side of Karrion Kross, AOP, Paul Ellering, and Scarlett.
During this week’s episode of Monday Night Raw, Karrion Kross tasked The Miz with finding Bo Dallas and asking him why the Wyatt Sicks is getting involved with his work. Kross even threatened to break the legs of WWE’s resident A-Lister if he didn’t deliver, but now it appears a worse fate has fallen The Miz.
Taking to X after Raw, Kross shared a video of his wife Scarlet informing him that the Uncle Howdy-led faction had kidnapped The Miz. Kross responded by saying that The Miz is “definitely dead” and later reiterated that he is “dead for sure.” While Scarlett spoke about helping The Miz, Kross said he’d try and find him only for ten minutes, and would head back to their hotel room if he’s not found after that time window.
Being threatened by Kross and kidnapped by The Wyatt Sicks was only two parts of The Miz’s very bad time at this week’s Raw. During the show, R-Truth teased having a present for his former friend, only to slap the former WWE Champion across the face.
The Miz le pide perdón a R-Truth, y dice que es algo de familia. Y que quiere que la familia vuelva. Lo hacen… PERO OSTIÓN DE R-TRUTH AL CANTO FJFDJFDJFDJJFD #WWERAWpic.twitter.com/RJktUexYKp
It remains to be seen when we’ll next see The Miz, or what condition the A-Lister will be in after being grabbed by The Wyatt Sicks. Stay tuned to SEScoops for all the latest from The Miz and his growing issues on Monday Night Raw.
Karrion Kross says there was zero heat between him and Bobby Lashley leading up to their Philadelphia Street Fight at WrestleMania 40.
The former NXT Champion competed in his first-ever WrestleMania match this year. He led The Final Testament against Bobby Lashley’s The Pride. The two teams had a short but eventful match with The Pride coming out victorious.
During a recent appearance on Chris Van Vliet’s Insight podcast, Kross told the truth about his supposed heat with the former WWE Champion leading up to their Mania match. He said that he hates to break the kayfabe but he loves and respects Lashley:
“Zero [heat], it was a work. He knows I feel this way about him. It’s not the first time I’m saying it. And unless you would have asked me about this, I would have never said it. I love that dude to death.
After the match, I wanted to tell him afterwards so he didn’t think I was trying to butter him up before we went out. I told him after the match was done, expressed how much I love him.”
Karrion Kross explained that he was an ECW fan growing up and was super excited when WWE brought it back in 2006. The period of Bobby Lashley as the ECW Champion was especially his favorite because he loved seeing an athlete the size of The All Mighty doing all sorts of crazy things.
Continuing on the build for their WrestleMania match, Kross revealed that Lashley wanted them to lean into the rumors. The former TNA champion had even suggested a shoot fight before the show to make their match feel more organic:
“Bob was like, ‘You know what we should do? All these guys, they like to talk and they like to run to the dirt sheets and stuff. Dude, we should fight at the beginning of the show. We should get in a fight because all these guys are going to go and call the dirt sheets and tell them that we actually had a fight, and it’s going to stir people up into what we’re doing on TV.’ I was like, ‘Bob, what? Hold on a sec. First of all, what happens if nobody breaks up the fight?’ And he was like, ‘damn, I didn’t think about that.'”
It wasn’t only Lashley who had crazy ideas to make their match as big as possible. Kross revealed during the same interview that he had some pretty out-of-the-box ideas for weapons he could have used during the bout.
Bobby Lashley’s WWE run unfortunately did not last very long after this bout. The company decided not to renew his contract and Lashley departed the promotion in August this year. Though reports suggest that he has already found a new home and is expected to make his debut there very soon.
Karrion Kross has revealed that he had many crazy ideas for his WrestleMania 40 street fight which ended up getting shot down by creative.
The former NXT Champion recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet. He talked about things such as where he takes inspiration for his character, doing a Jesse Ventura impression in front of the Hall of Famer himself and more.
When the topic of his Philadelphia Street Fight at the Shows of Shows this year came up, Kross revealed that he wanted to pay tribute to ECW with his bout:
“I had a list of insane weapons that I wish got approved for that match. It was Philly, I was in love with ECW, Heyman got inducted into the Hall of Fame. I had all kinds of crazy stuff.”
Karrion Kross had all kind of out of the box ideas for things he could have brought out as a weapon, including the head of Al Snow:
“One of the weapons on the list was Al Snow’s head. I would have loved to have hit Snoop Dogg right in the head with head. That would have been my move. I would have done a flying tope out of the ring flying at Snoop Dogg over the table to hit him. That would have been great.”
The WWE star revealed that Bobby Lashley was right there with him in trying to make the match as big as possible. The former WWE champion had even pitched spots where Kross would powerbomb him from the ring through a table set up outside.
Karrion Kross led The Final Testament in a match against Bobby Lashley’s The Pride at WrestleMania 40. Bubba Ray Dudley was the special guest referee for the bout but they ended up getting only 8 minutes for this match.
Karrion Kross has discussed his new goal for his career. The former NXT Champion was previously called up to the WWE main roster in July 2021. However, he ended up getting released from the company in November. He returned to the company in August 2022, and has been leading the Final Testament on WWE Raw.
In a WWE Raw Exclusive, Karrion Kross discussed his career up to this point. Kross pointed out the history is written by the winners but he hasn’t felt like a winner lately. The former two-time NXT Champion has eviscerated everyone in NXT and was called up to the main roster before getting released.
Since his return, his run has been lackluster. He said that he felt suffocated by the presence of legends, who hadn’t offered advice or guidance. He believes nature’s true process is to kill the old and make way for the new. Kross wants to oust the veterans and make way for emerging talents.
‘History is always written by the victors, and lately, I haven’t always felt like the victor. I could pinpoint the exact moment things shifted. I eviscerated everyone in NXT. I mean every single person they put in front of me, I chainsawed right through them. Then, my name gets called. Very exciting. With the whole world watching, I’m humiliated. I’m lost, I’m very confused. I don’t understand what’s happening. Nobody cared. Every legend that tells you they’re here for the new, upcoming talent, they didn’t do anything for me. They just watched me suffocate. I went from being an undefeated champion to ‘your services are no longer required’ in just four months. You know why? Because I was a threat.
He added:
“I was a threat to all the boys in the back that were afraid for their spots. They’d be happy to undercut a new fresh face coming up. To all of you, these guys are legends. But to me, they’re all liars. They didn’t offer any advice, no help, no guidance. Couldn’t even make eye contact in the hallway. They can go to hell. I don’t want you to misunderstand, don’t confuse this. I’m not jealous or bitter. I, in fact, am nature’s true process. I’m here to kill the old to make way for the new. Their vanity prevents them from understanding and seeing that they’re wilting on the vine. Your time is up. I’m just here to show you the truth, the devil you know versus the devils you don’t.”
Kross was featured on last night’s edition of WWE Raw when The Miz betrayed R-Truth during their match against Authors of Pain, who got the victory.
For weeks Kross has been playing mind games with The Miz and urging him to embrace his darker side and he has succeeded. In the past, he has also manipulated New Day’s Xavier Woods, who has been showing his aggressive side lately and even picked up a win over WWE Hall of Famer Rey Mysterio by unmasking him.
WWE has plenty of championships right now, with Superstars across the main roster and WWE NXT doing all they can to hold gold. Now, Karrion Kross has an idea for a brand new championship, one that isn’t for the faint of heart!
On Twitter/X, Kross suggested that WWE should produce an Extreme Wrestling Championship, which would be defended under violent stipulations. With No disqualifications and ‘no rules,’ Kross said the only way to win would be pinfall, submission, or knockout.
It would be awesome to hold an extreme rules tournament right now in WWE to introduce a new Extreme Wrestling Championship.
Kross’ pitch had fans in the comments excited about the prospect of a championship based in extreme wrestling. When a fan suggested that the title could be part of Netflix programming, Kross replied in agreement with “Bingo.” WWE RAW will move to Netflix in January of next year in a lucrative move for WWE’s flagship weekly show.
When a fan asked who’d compete in the tournament, Kross said that the fans would get to decide. Multiple fans tagged WWE CCO Paul ‘Triple H’ Levesque, showing that they’d love to see the title become a reality.
WWE’s Gimmick Championships
WWE is no stranger to ‘gimmick’ championships, and from 1998 to 2002, the Hardcore Championship allowed those competing for the gold to get downright violent. The title briefly returned to WWE TV in 2006 with Edge and Mick Foley being declared co-owners of the gold, but the title was never officially sanctioned.
More recently, WWE has had unique titles such as the 24/7 Championship, which like its Hardcore predecessor, had to be defended at all times. Currently, WWE has the NXT Heritage Cup which must be defended in specific Heritage Cup rules. Off TV, wrestlers can also compete for the WWE Speed championship which sees short, high-octane action on Twitter/X. Later this month, a tournament will begin to crown the first WWE Speed Women’s Champion.
Once SmackDown went off the air, there were not one, but two matches still on tap for the WWE fans in Pittsburgh, PA.
Grayson Waller and Austin Theory were presented with the new WWE Tag Team Championships on Friday night, which gave them the opportunity to not shake Triple H’s hand during the reveal. The champs did happen to stick around for the fatal four way tag match between New Catch Republic, The Street Profits, AOP, and Legado Del Fantasma to see Montez Ford and Angelo Dawkins become the number one contenders.
Waller and Theory’s night was not done however as the new champs had to put their new hardware on the line against Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee. Popular Pittsburgh Steeler, Cam Heyward happened to be sitting behind commentary and Waller was quick to talk smack on the mic to the big defensive lineman.
Mysterio then grabbed the stick and made it clear that he and Dragon Lee had a different agenda.
“Let me give you a little update, you don’t want to show [the titles to them] it’s all good. Once we take those titles, we’ll bring them over there to them.”
— Dominic DeAngelo | 1TS (@DominicDeAngelo) April 20, 2024
Waller and Theory continued the smack talk during their first title defense as both jaw-jacked with kids at ringside. Lee and Mysterio almost got the victory when Rey just about hit the 619 but the heel duo got the definitive three count on the WWE Hall of Famer to retain.
A “Steel City Street Fight” Also Takes Place
Even though Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee didn’t come out victorious, fans were still anticipating a “Steel City Street Fight” Between Bobby Lashley and Karrion Kross. Kross and Lashley slugged it out but it was “The All Mighty” getting the W when he speared Kross through a table and got the 1-2-3.
The WWE Universe could be in store for a Philadelphia Street Fight in a matter of days at WWE WrestleMania 40, it has been claimed.
WrestleMania 40 will be the promotion’s fifth two-night WrestleMania, a tradition that began in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The show will take place on April 6 and April 7 from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA.
WrestleMania Card Schedule
As of writing, 12 matches have been confirmed for WWE WrestleMania 40. Dave Melzer of F4W Online reports that 13 matches will take place at WrestleMania. This will be divided over the two nights with seven matches on WrestleMania 40: Saturday and six matches taking place on WrestleMania 40: Sunday.
A Philadelphia Street Fight
Meltzer adds that the Street Profits & Bobby Lashley vs. Karrion Kross & Authors of Pain was made “obvious” during the March 29, episode of WWE SmackDown but has yet to be announced. It’s also noted that as of last week, it was booked within WWE to be a ‘Philadelphia Street Fight.’
On SmackDown, the Profits faced Grayson Waller & Austin Theory in a tag-team ladder match qualifier. Karrion Kross and Scarlett attacked Lashley and B-Fab backstage with the distraction costing the Profits the match.
WWE WrestleMania 40
Here is the card as it stands for WWE WrestleMania 40:
WrestleMania 40: Saturday
The Bloodline (The Rock and Roman Reigns) vs. Cody Rhodes and Seth “Freakin” Rollins
WrestleMania 40: Sunday
Seth “Freakin” Rollins (c) vs. Drew McIntyre (WWE World Heavyweight Championship)
Roman Reigns (c) vs. Cody Rhodes (Undisputed WWE Universal Championship)
Night TBA
Iyo Sky (c) vs. Bayley (WWE Women’s Championship)
Rhea Ripley (c) vs. Becky Lynch (WWE Women’s World Championship)
Gunther (c) vs. Sami Zayn (WWE Intercontinental Championship)
The Judgment Day (Finn Bálor and Damian Priest) (c) vs. #DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa) vs. The Awesome Truth (The Miz and R-Truth) vs. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) vs. A-Town Down Under (Austin Theory and Grayson Waller) vs. New Catch Republic (Pete Dunne and Tyler Bate) (Six-Pack Tag Team Ladder match, Undisputed WWE Tag Team Championships)
LA Knight vs. AJ Styles
Jey Uso vs. Jimmy Uso
Logan Paul (c) vs. Randy Orton vs. Kevin Owens (WWE United States Championship)
Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, and Naomi vs. Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai, Asuka, and Kairi Sane)
Latino World Order (Rey Mysterio and Dragon Lee) vs. Santos Escobar and “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio
What if R-Truth tried joining The Final Testament? Karrion Kross says he’d bring out a different type of person than the one The Judgment Day is currently dealing with.
A fan proposed the hypothetical to Karrion Kross on X of R-Truth trying to hang with him, AOP, Scarlett and Paul Ellering and the former NXT Champion made it known he’d conjure up a R-Truth that WWE has yet to see.
“What would we do? I remind & show the world about Ron “The Truth” Killings. And you would run for your life. Because Ron doesn’t joke or laugh until he puts you in the hospital. I like Ron. A lot. The world is lucky they’re getting the nice guy right now.”
What would we do?
I remind & show the world about Ron “The Truth” Killings.
And you would run for your life.
Because Ron doesn’t joke or laugh until he puts you in the hospital.
R-Truth like what he heard out of Kross because he reposted Karrion’s comments.
Before he donned the R-Truth moniker, Ron Killings went by his real name in TNA and became the first African-American NWA Worlds Champion while there.
At the moment, R-Truth is looking to become the new Undisputed Tag Team Champions with The Miz. The two have punched their ticket to WrestleMania 40 to be apart of the six-pack ladder match. Truth and Miz have a score to settle with Judgment Day and they’ll be battling Damian Priest and Finn Balor in the bout, along with four other tag teams.
Funny enough, the first iteration of Awesome Truth did happen to feature a heel version of R-Truth and the two happened to take on The Rock and John Cena in tag action.
Before this week’s SmackDown, it was reported that The Pride was the expected name of Lashley’s faction. On Twitter, Lashley confirmed this new name for the group, as he stated in his Twitter bio that he was the leader of The Pride. Interestingly though, Lashley would change his bio shortly after to remove all references to The Pride. His bio currently reads as:
#SmackDown’s All-Mighty | Former WWE Champion. MMA Fighter | Professional Wrestler | Business Professional | Nutrabolics Athlete
Karrion Kross’ New Faction
Lashley’s faction didn’t confirm its new name on this week’s SmackDown, but Karrion Kross’ group did. On last week’s Smackdown, Kross and the returning AOP attacked Lashley, while Scarlett and Paul Ellering watched on.
During this week’s show, Lashley called out AOP and Kross but only received Ellering. The legendary manager pointed to the titantron where a video promo from Kross played. In it, the two-time former WWE NXT Champion confirmed his group’s name as The Final Testament.
Things didn’t go exactly according to plan during this week’s SmackDown…
WWE brought New Year’s Revolution for fans on SmackDown on January 5th. The show also marked the return of a pair of former Tag Team Champions.
AOP Returns To WWE
During WWE SmackDown this week, Akam and Rezar made their long-awaited return to WWE television. This went down in Vancouver, and fans were very excited to witness WWE history first-hand.
The Authors of Pain were paired up with Karrion Kross and Scarlett. They will battle Bobby Lashley and the Street Profit’s new trio to start things out for themselves in the WWE landscape once again.
AOP made their return during SmackDown, as they interrupted a promo from Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits. After revealing Paul Ellering on the entrance ramp, Akam and Rezar laid waste to Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits. Karrion Kross then joined them in the ring to finish Lashley off.
The segment concluded with Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits laid out in the middle of the ring. Karrion Kross and the newly returned AOP stood tall.
Authors of Pain achieved the WWE NXT Tag Team Championship once, and also secured the WWE Raw Tag Team Championship on one occasion. Additionally, they clinched the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic in 2016.
AOP’s return is a long time coming, as rumors of their comeback have been going around for a while. Now they are back on WWE television, so Triple H can book them in his vision.
Karrion Kross recently reached an impressive milestone in his Brazilian jiu-jitsu journey.
The former NXT Champion was recently promoted to the purple belt rank, which is considered the intermediate level for adult practitioners. In his tweet on the matter, Kross thanked his coaches, training partners, and wife Scarlett. The SmackDown star trains in the popular martial art at Daniel Gracie’s Orange County gym.
“Promoted! Very grateful for my training partners, coaches, my Wife who keeps me fed to kill and everyone at @DGBJJOC. We never stop learning,” Kross wrote.
Promoted! 🟣💀🟣
Very grateful for my training partners, coaches, my Wife who keeps me fed to kill and everyone at @DGBJJOC. We never stop learning 🥋 pic.twitter.com/SLlchNUPTG
Daniel Gracie received his black belt in BJJ all the way back in 1996. Along with submission grappling, including at prestigious tournaments such as the ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship, Gracie has fought in MMA and wrestled for New Japan in the past. Needless to say, Kross is in good hands when it comes to mastering ‘The Gentle Art’.
Has Karrion Kross’ Push Come To An End?
After a disastrous run on the main roster in 2021, Kross was brought back to WWE last year for a program with Drew McIntyre. Rumors swirled of a major push being in the wings for him and Scarlett as a double act initially.
While their characters and promos received some acclaim, the duo have noticeably slid down the card of late.
For Kross, much of the criticism has centred on his ring work, with the often slowed pace of his matches and his relatively conservative offensive arsenal drawing the ire of fans.
Kross recently ate a pinfall loss to Rey Mysterio on SmackDown and lasted less than five minutes at this year’s Royal Rumble. He was booted out quickly by old rival McIntyre and was just the second man eliminated in the bout. Kross certainly seems to’ve fallen from the upper midcard-main event-level slot initially rumored for him when he came back last year.
WWE Superstars Karrion Kross and Scarlett were planning to start a family last year until a fateful call from Chief Content Officer Triple H put that on hold.
It might have surprised fans when WWE decided to release Kross and Scarlett on Nov. 4, 2021. The couple had great success in NXT, with Kross winning the NXT Championship twice. However, WWE had different creative plans for them on the main roster by separating them and changing Kross’s character. Ultimately, Kross’s first run with the company didn’t work out, and both talents found themselves as free agents last year.
(via WWE)
While in free agency, Kross and Scarlett could work together and compete for different independent wrestling promotions. In their time away from WWE, the couple decided they wanted to start a family. However, when Triple H called Kross about himself and Scarlett returning to the company, he and his wife halted their plans.
In an interview with My San Antonio, Kross spoke about the call from Triple H to return. MY San Antonio’s Nick Talbot transcribed the following quotes.
“He called us up and he said, ‘Do you want to come home?” And I responded, “Well, like, yeah.’ And then he was like, ‘All right. Here is my next question. Can you be here in a day and a half?’ And we’re like, ‘That’s pretty fast.’ You know, we had all these different bookings and different things going on.”
We had our lives planned out. I mean, and people don’t even know this, we’re thinking about maybe even having a kid, you know, or thinking about starting a family. And we looked at each other – and her and I have always been telepathic, even before we were married or dating — so, we just kind of gave each other a look and we knew what page we’re on. And we’re like, ‘Yeah, we can do that.
– Karrion Kross
WWE.com
Karrion Kross Plans for Royal Rumble 2023
Kross will compete in his first Royal Rumble event this weekend. He is looking forward to his first Royal Rumble appearance and hopes to have an impressive performance. “In a perfect world, I’d like to set some sort of record. I’d really like to do it,” said Kross(h/t Nick Talbot). He also shared in the interview that he hopes he could enter at number one.
“You know what, if I could, I would come out number one. I would love to do that. To be able to go out there and demonstrate your grit and how much fight you actually have. I need to have the opportunity to get in front of that many people and fight them all at once. I live for stuff like that,” said Kross(h/t Nick Talbot).
Before competing at the Royal Rumble, he will have to compete against Rey Mysterio on the Jan. 27 episode of Friday Night Smackdown. Since his return on Aug. 5, 2022, Kross has only lost one match to former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. A decisive win by Kross this Friday could indicate how WWE will utilize him in the Royal Rumble match.
While initially claimed that McMahon’s return was solely to oversee a sale of WWE, the 77-year-old has since been appointed ‘Executive Chairman.’
Fear
In the final years of McMahon’s first era as head of WWE, the company undertook mass releases of talent, with Kross one of the names cut in 2021.
With McMahon back, it has been reported that talent are concerned that it will be just a matter of time before these mass layoffs to the roster happen again.
Speaking with the San Antonio Express-News, Kross dismissed the idea that McMahon’s comeback has Superstars shaking in their boots.
“It’s in my news feeds, it’s everywhere. It’s inescapable at this point. But the people that I have spoken to about it, like my personal friends in the business, no one’s really concerned or afraid for their job.
“All of us are ready to adapt…. I think everyone’s just taking it day by day to see where everything lands, and we’re all trying to remain optimistic.”
Karrion Kross.
Kross, who was released in November 2021 alongside his wife Scarlett, was one of the first names Triple H rehired after becoming head of Talent Relations.
WWE Sale
WWE has not cut any names from its roster in 2023 thus far, but it could happen as talks of a sale of the promotion ramp up.
The cuts to the roster in 2020, 2021, and 2022, came at a time when the promotion was boasting record profits.
Many at the time felt that these cuts were to make those profit margins even bigger, and therefore look more appealing to a potential buyer.
Names reportedly interested in purchasing WWE include Comcast, FOX, Disney, Netflix, Amazon, the Saudi Arabia PIF, and Shahid & Tony Khan.
Actor and screenwriter Freddie Prinze Jr. has been working on the formation of his own wrestling promotion for some time now.
On a recent episode of his Wrestling with Freddie podcast, the Scooby-Doo star shed some light on a feud he had in mind for his promotion. At the top of the card, Prinze Jr. wanted Karrion Kross vs. Bray Wyatt. The angle would’ve also included Kross’ wife Scarlett and Wyatt’s real-life brother Bo Dallas.
Perhaps most curious of all was the manner in which Prinze Jr. wanted to use Bo Dallas. Instead of being a standard, active professional wrestler, Dallas would’ve essentially been a figment of Wyatt’s personality. It would’ve lent an almost supernatural vibe to Wyatt in his feud with Kross. Interestingly, the Hollywood star would’ve booked Kross as a babyface, something he’s rarely played in his professional wrestling career.
Ultimately, though, the feud had to be cancelled when Kross made his surprise return to WWE last year. At that point, Prinze Jr. considered booking ‘The Eater of Worlds’ as a babyface before he too returned to WWE.
Karrion Kross Reportedly Has Freddie Prinze Jr.’s Blessing To Use The Angle In The Future
On the same podcast episode, Prinze Jr. revealed that Karrion Kross knows the full story that was planned out for his and Bray Wyatt’s feud.
Despite both me ultimately backing out to rejoin WWE, the podcast host is happy for Kross to use the angle down the road if he wants to. The former White Rabbit in Lucha Underground plays a devilish heel in WWE managed by Scarlett. His return and subsequent feud with Drew McIntyre in 2022 drew a polarized response from audiences.
Bray Wyatt, meanwhile, returned to much fanfare at Extreme Rules 2022. Since then, he’s engaged in a complex, slow-burning feud with LA Knight. The angle appears set to climax at the Royal Rumble when the two finally wrestle.
While both stars are on the SmackDown roster at the moment, an angle between them seems unlikely for now. Bo Dallas, meanwhile, has not been seen on WWE TV in a long time. Rumors are currently swirling that he will turn out to be the Uncle Howdy character later this year.
Karrion Kross spoke with WWE broadcaster Peter Rosenberg on the latest Cheap Heat podcast for the Ringer Wrestling Show. He spoke in-depth about his entire pro wrestling career, how he met his wife Scarlett and much more.
Kross and Scarlett are re-establishing themselves on the SmackDown brand, but it hasn’t been an easy road to get there. Following a dominant run together in NXT that included Kross holding the NXT Championship, things got ugly fast when he was called up to the main roster in July 2021.
Everything that worked about their act was stripped away, including Scarlett. He was saddled with a comically-bad gladiator gimmick that was nothing like his NXT character that got over so well. His debut match on Monday Night Raw saw Kross get pinned in less than two minutes. He was the NXT Champion at the time and it was his first pinfall loss in WWE. They were both released in November, right before the holidays.
Processing the Debut & the Releases
Karrion Kross
Rosenberg asked Kross about how he processed all that in real time. Kross said the number one thing on his mind was providing for his family. This was during the pandemic and a lot of his family members lost their jobs. Being a WWE Superstar gave him the chance to take care of his family and the people who helped raise him. Everybody wants to be on the main roster, but his focus was providing for his family.
He said sometimes, you’re given bad ideas and it’s your job to make them work and carry out what’s been written written for you, even if you don’t agree with the direction. His NXT Character was a hit, but the lack of continuity with the gladiator character threw people off. The gimmick may have worked for other people, but was a huge departure from what fans knew from him. He was frustrated, but tried to be a professional and make it work.
Their Act Getting Split Up
When asked how Scarlett felt when she wasn’t called up with him, Kross says she was incredibly upset. “Multiple branches of management” told them she’d be with him on the main roster. They decided to accept the situation and get through it.
Their situation got worse before it got better. Just before the holiday season, they were out of work. Rosenberg said he knows what this is like from personal experience. He’s been released by WWE before and it made him sad and angry. People close to him convinced him to stay composed and realize it’s best to play the long game with your career. You’ll get back to WWE if it’s meant to be.
Scarlett
Kross said their phones blew up within 30 minutes after their releases were made public. By the end of the day, they were booked up for months and were fielding offers from outside of wrestling. They knew they’d be fine financially, but they were devastated. They had more to offer the business and suddenly the door just got slammed in their face. On some level, he was relieved to be done with the gladiator gimmick. He got unanimous feedback that it wasn’t working, from fans in the arenas to people coming up to him at airports and in coffee shops asking when he’d be getting back with Scarlett and
Kross was not tempted to trash WWE when he got released. He had close connections to people in the company and knew he’d make it back.
WWE Returns
Karrion Kross and Scarlett returned to WWE on August 5, 2022. He immediately began feuding with former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. Their program came to ahead at November’s Crown Jewel premium live event, which saw McIntyre prevail.
On a recent episode of SmackDown, Kross identified Rey Mysterio as his next victim.
WWE Superstar Scarlett was close to having her first match in over a year for the company this week, before being pulled from the SmackDown post-show dark match.
Scarlett was released from WWE in November 2021 along with her husband Karrion Kross but both returned in August of this year.
Since then, Kross has been prominently featured on TV but Scarlett is yet to have a televised match in a WWE ring.
Dark Match
After this week’s SmackDown went off the air, Braun Strowman, Madcap Moss, Matt Riddle, and Liv Morgan defeated Joaquin Wilde, Cruz del Toro, Damian Priest, and Zelina Vega.
Sources who spoke to 411 Mania have said that the original plan was for a six-person tag, pitting Riddle, Strowman, and Morgan against Priest, Kross, and Scarlett.
Plans for Kross and Scarlett were set “long before Friday’s taping” but the Smokeshow was never told about her match.
A source said that if Scarlett was told about the match at the taping, it would have been “news to her.”
It is believed that there was an internal error or the match was just pitched and shot down before Friday’s taping.
Scarlett in the Ring
Despite being a trained wrestler in her own right, Scarlett has had just a handful of matches in WWE.
During the Boxing Day 2016 episode of Raw, Bordeaux was used as enhancement talent and was quickly squashed by Nia Jax.
Last year, Scarlett, now with her own character, competed in a dark match for the June 25, 2021, SmackDown taping, in a losing effort to Shotzi.
Many fans were surprised to see how Vince McMahon handled Karrion Kross’ WWE main roster run last year as he changed up Kross’ entrance and didn’t use Karrion’s wife Scarlett as his manager.
He also booked Kross to be beaten in matches. They returned to WWE in August 2022 – less than a year after the company had released both stars.
They are just two of many former stars that have returned to the company since Triple H took over creative following the retirement of Vince McMahon.
How Did it Happen?
WWE.com
While speaking to The Sun, Kross explained how his relationship with Triple H helped lead to the couple’s comeback.
He noted he stayed in touch with a lot of people in WWE after his release and viewed it as a good experience.
“So every once in a while, we would check in on Hunter and see how he’s doing, just personal stuff – we never talked about work – and he would check in on us. One day he was wondering if we were around for a call. And then I think it was the week that you guys saw me on TV. I jumped on a call with Hunter and he proposed the concept of coming back. He said, ‘Would you guys like to come home?’ And we were like, ‘Of course we would’. And then you guys saw us two days later, we were on TV.”
“We’ve always had a good relationship with everyone. We loved our experience there. That bridge was never ever burned or damaged or anything like that. It was just a series of unfortunate events that led to where we’re at and we came full circle.”
Johnny Gargano, Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, and Dakota Kai were just some of the names brought back after McMahon’s controversial retirement.
Damian Priest passed on the opportunity to be managed by Scarlett during both star’s tenures as part of the WWE NXT brand.
After making his name in Ring of Honor as Punishment Martinez, Priest joined WWE in 2018 and captured the NXT North American Championship in August 2020.
The Archer of Infamy has had similar success on the main roster, becoming the WWE United States Champion at Summerslam 2021.
Manager
Priest can nowadays be seen alongside his fellow Judgment Day members but WWE once planned for him to be managed by Scarlett.
Fightful Select reports that when NXT jumped to the USA Network in late 2019, plans were made to introduce Scarlett to TV.
The plan for the ‘Smokeshow’ to manage Priest dated as far back as September that year, and sources said that some in WWE thought the act was going to make it to TV up until the week it was nixed.
Priest reportedly felt the idea was not a good fit for him and passed on the spot.
Had he gone ahead with the plan, Priest and Scarlett would have been on NXT as a unit within the first few weeks of NXT on the USA Network.
Scarlett and Kross
After Priest passed on the idea, Scarlett’s character was put on the back burner, as Kross had not signed with WWE at that time.
Once WWE knew for sure he would be signing, plans were put in place for the real-life couple to be paired on-screen.
Those that spoke to Fightful said that everything worked out better for all involved.
Kross and Scarlett were released in November 2021 but returned to WWE in July this year.
Drew McIntyre was able to defeat Karrion Kross at the recent WWE Crown Jewel event but had to fight off more than the former NXT Champion and Scarlett.
In the third match on the card, McIntyre defeated Kross in a Steel Cage match, escaping over the top of the structure before Kross escaped through the door.
This match follows on from Kross getting the win at last month’s WWE Extreme Rules event in a Strap Match.
Feeling Sick
McIntyre was able to overcome both Kross and Scarlett (who maced him during the match) but also had to overcome a severe case of flu. The former WWE Champion had been “extremely sick” over the last several days before the show, according to PWInsider.
McIntyre gutted through his cage match, and was said to be “adamant” that the match go ahead despite his illness.
This isn’t the first time McIntyre has health with illness, as he was pulled from a WWE Live event in September due to “bad food poisoning.”
Despite the food poisoning, the Scottish Warrior still appeared on that week’s SmackDown.
That may be easier said than done, given that the finish of the match was far from clean.
McIntyre did not pin Kross during their match, and the final moments of the bout saw Scarlett struggle to unlock the door to allow her husband to escape.
It is entirely possible that this feud could be extended to a rubber match given that both men have one PLE victory each.
White Rabbit is at the center of WWE’s latest mystery. The classic rock song by Jefferson Airplane has played at several live events in recent weeks, leaving wrestling fans to wonder who (or what) is behind this viral campaign.
We’ve seen several other clues dropped on WWE television in recent weeks, which we’ll break down below. WWE has hyped debuting/returning Superstars using cryptic vignettes, flickering lights and other techniques. WWE’s TV productions are carefully orchestrated and (almost) nothing happens by accident.
The following is a breakdown of what we know about WWE’s White Rabbit. We’ll use this article as a master resource to track everything in the lead-up to the big reveal.
The Song by Jefferson Airplane
The White Rabbit mystery began when WWE began playing Jefferson Airplane’s 1967 song at live events. It first happened during a commercial break at a recent Friday Night SmackDown taping.
It occurred once again over the weekend, prior to the WWE live event from Oakland, CA.
The September 19th edition of WWE Raw brought more clues about the White Rabbit.
Just before a match between Austin Theory and Kevin Owens, a QR code appeared on screen. When the code is scanned, it sends fans to a hidden section at the WWE website.
That URL displays a video showing a game of ‘Hang Man’ with the question, “Who killed the world?” The answer to the puzzle is, “YOU DID”.
A white rabbit then hops around an alarm clock that reads 9:23, an indication that a reveal may be coming on 9/23, which coincides with the September 23rd edition of SmackDown.
“Go ask Alice, when she’s ten feet tall.”
Lyric from White Rabbit by Jefferson Airplane
Later in the show, Alexa Bliss dropped a White Rabbit clue that some fans may have missed. She told Bayley, “You act like you’re 10 feet tall.” In passing, there doesn’t seem to be anything unusual here. It just so happens, “like you’re 10 feet tall” are lyrics taken from “White Rabbit” by Jefferson Airplane.
I didn't even catch that @AlexaBliss_WWE referenced White Rabbit during the segment. #WWERaw
There are two prevailing theories about the identity of WWE’s White Rabbit.
One Possibility: Karrion Kross
SmackDown Superstar Karrion Kross portrayed a character called White Rabbit during his time wrestling for Lucha Underground, the defunct promotion that ran from 2015-2018.
Lucha Underground’s White Rabbit, as well as the Jefferson Airplane song, are references to the White Rabbit in “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” which represents following your curiosities.
We’ve seen Kross portray several gimmicks during his short time with WWE. If WWE is laying the groundwork for Kross as the White Rabbit, this could be the vehicle he needs to finally make a meaningful impact on the main roster.
Ever since Triple H took over as the head of creative and talent relations, fans have understandably compared his approach to that of his predecessor, Vince McMahon. We saw how McMahon presented acts that were dark, mysterious and even supernatural. It would be interesting to see how a similar approach would be handled in 2022 under Triple H.
More Likely: Bray Wyatt
Whenever anything remotely mysterious or spooky happens in the WWE Universe, some fans are convinced it’s a sign that Bray Wyatt is returning home.
WWE has had many supernatural characters over the years, but few have resonated like the Eater of Worlds. This time, there’s actually a lot of substance behind the wishful thinking.
WWE has given us a lot of dots to connect and breadcrumbs to follow. There is a theory going around that Bray Wyatt is WWE’s White Rabbit. We were skeptical at first, but it’s actually very convincing. In fact, there are so many coincidences here that we’d be legitimately surprised if Bray Wyatt is not revealed as the White Rabbit.
Check out the theory below and decide for yourself.
On the post-Summerslam 2022 edition of SmackDown, Karrion Kross and Scarlett returned to WWE.
The pair had been released in November 2021 as part of ‘budget cuts’ mere months after WWE had promoted the two-time former NXT Champion to the main roster.
Kross made an impact upon his return to WWE, attacking Drew McIntyre and facing off with Roman Reigns.
Making Appearances
Prior to his return to WWE, Kross (under the name Killer Kross) appeared for several promotions, including Chikara, CYN, MLW and NJPW Strong.
On Twitter, Kross confirmed that from now on, he will only be competing in WWE rings and on WWE TV.
However, the company is allowing both Kross and Scarlett to appear at independent events that had already been booked prior to the duo’s return to WWE.
Kross made it clear these appearances will be for meet-and-greets only and that fans should not expect either of them to wrestle.
The SmackDown Superstar added that he will only appear if the event does not overlap with his WWE schedule which takes precedence.
Hello Kross Cult,
Moving forward I will only be competing in ring for The WWE Universe. HOWEVER… Scar & I will fulfill the last couple dates for Meet & Greets •only• to see you all as long as it doesn’t conflict with our committed scheduling.
While Kross’ first stint on WWE’s main roster, his return has been an incredible sight to behold.
Upon returning, Kross has been thrust into the main event scene, involving himself in the storyline between WWE’s arguable two biggest stars (Reigns and McIntyre.)
It is believed that Kross and McIntyre will feud after WWE Clash at the Castle next month.
There have been reports that WWE is planning for Reigns to face Kross at Survivor Series 2022 this coming November.
