One thing about being a professional wrestler is the struggle of “getting over” with the crowd. A performer who gets momentum from a strong fan base can see themselves pushed to new heights. Daniel Bryan (now Bryan Danielson) and Kofi Kingston are two past examples, with IYO Sky being one more current. There’s another who is getting himself over with the fans. That man is Karrion Kross. However, there’s no telling if this groundswell will result in anything sustained for the performer.
Karrion Kross has had a peculiar WWE tenure. He started out as a world beater in WWE NXT, demolishing fan favorites like Keith Lee, Adam Cole, and others – all while the fans were “meh” on the entire thing.
After securing the title, he’d move to the main roster, where it looked like Vince McMahon made it his goal to embarrass Kross. He’d be squashed and released in 2021, a little more than a year after signing with the company. After brief stints in MLW and NJPW, Kross was brought back to WWE with Triple H in charge. That should have been the catalyst for him to get a super push, right? Well, that’s not what happened.
August 5 will mark three years since he returned to the company. Only now is he getting over with fans, who are growing fonder of his social media antics and this character that pulls the strings of the performers around him.
Some have credited this character with the split of The Bloodline, The New Day, Miz turning on R-Truth, and more. Fans are calling for him to get more time on television, and his merchandise has become a bestseller in the company. That is usually a big catalyst to a performer getting a stronger push, but that’s yet to come for Kross in a way that directly translates to television time.
The WWE needs to get behind Karrion Kross
Kross has participated in two televised matches this year. He had a singles match against AJ Styles on the April 14 episode of WWE Monday Night Raw, then participated in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal on the April 18 episode of WWE SmackDown. When he was eliminated from that, fans booed loudly, drawing perhaps the first notice of the support that was gaining traction behind him.
What is it that’s keeping Kross on the back burner? Is it his slow, plodding in-ring style? Is it the idea that WWE continues to keep performers down who get over on their own? It’s unexplainable to see Kross getting palpable support from fans, only to see minimal exposure in front of the camera. Kross looks the part of sports entertainer that WWE loves. He’s 6’4, 264 pounds. He can work the microphone and should be able to put up a decent match when necessary. Kross really checks all the boxes that WWE desires, but here we are.
Fans are showing their support for Karrion Kross. His character work is translating, and he seems on the cusp of a big push. But that’s been said many times over about several performers over the years. Will Kross get his opportunity, or will he be another “what if” moment in WWE’s history?