Karrion Kross Should Lose The NXT Championship To Walter

At the recent edition of NXT TakeOver: In Your House, Karrion Kross looked like the big kid on the playground. A sixth-grader showing up to steal candy and pocket change from the first-grade boys playing in the sand.

In their own right, Adam Cole, Kyle O’Reilly, Pete Dunn, and Johnny Gargano each bring an element of excitement to the table. They are four fast-paced wrestlers with springs in their ankles and reckless abandon in their hearts. But while standing in the ring with Kross, they just looked… small. And that’s the problem with fan investment. There is a believability factor that has been lost in the modern age of professional wrestling.

And while we all know about the predetermined outcomes and character-driven performances, believability remains a concern. We know the serial killer on Netflix is just an actor playing a part, but we still want him to scare us. Isn’t that what we want from our wrestling champions? Don’t we want to look at a title-holder and think, I wouldn’t fight this guy in a bar. And for the most part, we have that, at least in the three main event male championship scenes of WWE.

But if we can side-track for a quick point. Take a look at Kenny Omega. This is the kind of guy who walks into a bar and orders warm milk with a side of maraschino cherries. You’re not afraid of Omega and his fake finger guns.

Kross on the other hand is a big, bald barbarian. The intimidation factor is there when presented correctly. But was placing Kross alongside four men who are essentially cruiserweights the right way to go about this?

What Kross needs is a lengthy run as NXT Champion. A dominant run as the brand’s top bull. Squashes included. It’s time to establish him as the most feared competitor in NXT, or at least our North American version.

Across the pond, as they say, we have a guy named Walter, who is much more intense than Kross, but certainly less known to the North American audience. He’s a hybrid of Big Van Vader and Bam Bam Bigelow.

Walter has been the United Kingdom Champion since NXT TakeOver: New York, which took place on April 5, 2019. An impressive and intimidating championship run, which is often left out in the rain while other champions stand beneath the WWE umbrella.

And while it’s been said before that Walter would not move to America, he would also be missing an opportunity to become the new face of NXT. The NXT most people know about. Which Walter must take into consideration.

But those negotiations are for somewhere down the road. For now, Kross will continue to cruise through the North American system while Walter wrecks everyone over in Europe. Until one day intimidation at its finest comes face-to-face.

One man you would fear fighting in any American dive bar and the other a man you wouldn’t want to trade punches with in a European pub. Believability. That’s what we need as wrestling fans. We need to believe that the fights can be real.

In a year’s time, Walter might still be the United Kingdom Champion. Which would only add to the impressiveness of him defeating Kross to become a double belt-holder. Because it’s time to believe in the barroom brawlers.