IWC Scum — Kross Examining The Karrion Conundrum
Welcome back to the column that puts the incessant whining and complaining in IWC. I’m a tiresome twerp named SkitZ, and there ain’t no rest for the wicked shitstorm that’s been brewing in my stomach lately. TMI? Nah, more like TUMS and IBS battling to the death in my bowels.
It felt kinda weird watching an event called Night of Champions at 1 in the afternoon, but I still spent most of my evening mulling over what happened. Out of everything that transpired this weekend, my biggest takeaway from the trip to Saudi wasn’t Solo relying on his whole family tree to finally win a singles title. Nor was it Seth making Bron-Bron security look stumpy standing next to him. It wasn’t even CM Punk apologizing for promoting blood-soaked blowjobs years ago.
Nope, my mind is currently fixated on Karrion Kross following his coming out party of sorts at NOC. Who knew the Devil’s Advocate gimmick they saddled Sean O’Haire with in 2003 could actually work if you just gave it to a capable wrestler? Karrion’s first PLE match in nearly 15 months was no doubt validating for WWE’s notorious tick-tocker and his fans, yet I can’t help but jump the gun by wondering what exactly the future holds for him. It took the company 5-6 months to get around to an actual Sami versus Kross match after all. As far as the reasoning behind what took so long, you can approach it with one of two mindsets:
* Triple H was waiting for the right timeframe to pull the trigger due to Sami’s involvement in the King of the Ring tournament and his ongoing beef with Seth’s faction. Allowed Karrion to continue building buzz in the meantime until he and Zayn were able to have a full-fledged feud, at which point the former could become a more prominent fixture on RAW.
* Despite all their backstage interactions since the beginning of the year, a blowoff match between Sami and Kross was never a priority. Hunter wanted to give Karrion a little shine for the outpouring of love he’s received lately, and Zayn needed a bounce-back victory. It was a means to fill out the NOC card, and Trips waited for a crowd that would cheer fan favorite Sami over 2025’s viral sensation.
Those are my hot and cold takes anyway. If you thought there was a remote chance of Kross beating Zayn however, then somebody hasn’t been watching the ebbs and flows of WWE programming for very long. In the company’s eyes, the pat on the back came squarely in giving Karrion the platform to wrestle on a PLE against a beloved babyface. The question moving forward revolves around whether Kross did enough to warrant more screen time in the eyes of management, or if he returns to sporadically appearing backstage for 30-60 seconds at a pop.
His booking over the next couple episodes of RAW will be telling. Karrion’s done pretty much everything within his power to generate interest recently, and without bitching and complaining about his lack of opportunities online. That’s an accomplishment in itself. As far as what else Kross needs to do to prove his worth in the eyes of Triple H & Co., your disgruntled guess is as good as mine.
Oftentimes, it still feels like wrestlers are being held down or even punished for getting over with fans when it’s not at the behest of the WWE machine. Whether that theory died with Vince’s demotion remains to be seen (RIP Grayson Waller’s former bro), but I never understood the thought process behind not pushing a guy who’s proven to be valuable on his own. If WWE is a business first and foremost and it’s all about what draws money, then what’s the hang up? How do you not hand the proverbial brass ring to a self-made star who engages wrestling fans to the extent that Kross has?
Maybe the Creative Team simply isn’t sharp enough to write for a character as layered as Karrion’s (past and present company included). What they don’t create or relate to, they reject or ignore. Look no further than the crop of blossoming stars Hunter grew down in NXT that were shipped off to die painful deaths on the main roster. Some survived, and some even thrived, but a lot of them weren’t long for this world of wrestling entertainment under the VKM regime. Hell, Kross showed up on RAW in 2021 resembling a confused crossdresser stuck between a gladiator getup and Demolition cosplayer. What began as a dream scenario for Karrion quickly turned into just another Monday night for Jeff Hardy against an enhancement talent.
Would Kross even be with WWE right now if Hunter hadn’t taken over and immediately gone into damage control? Doubtful. Pun intended though? Absolutely, because talents such as Dakota Kai are living proof that it may not matter long term. I can’t help but notice how wrestlers like her and Braun Strowman were rehired in the wake of the Vince allegations only to be swiftly shitcanned 2-3 years later. And for a good portion of his second run with the company, Kross hasn’t fared much better whilst trying to avoid being fired twice.
When Karrion and Scarlett resurfaced in the fall of ‘22 to confront Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns, I was psyched to see Kross receiving a new lease on life in WWE. Cut to 3 or 4 months later, and I’d all but forgotten the guy still worked there. Internet fans like us are naturally gonna scoff at Nick Khan saying that they don’t cater to the IWC, and part of me can’t blame him given how temperamental we tend to be towards the under or overutilization of certain wrestlers and storylines. The company could start pushing Karrion because he’s a hot commodity at the moment, and then the crowd completely stops caring 6 weeks from now. What’s the harm in trying though? You’re paying Kross to make you money, and this is by far the most profitable he’s been over the past 5 plus years. At least in terms of potential.
WWE’s fanbase has been urging Hunter to roll the dice on the Las Vegas native for months. If the dude isn’t on the card regularly by the time WrestleMania returns to his hometown next April, Karrion’s career is fucked. I’m assuming by his match against Sami on Saturday that Kross has in fact signed a new contract with the company. Unless the Night of Champions situation was a strategic maneuver done to goad Karrion into staying? Everything surrounding this man is a goddamn mystery. I can’t for the life of me figure out whether the powers-that-be are humbly coming around to showcasing Kross, or just humoring us for the time being.
Crowds are constantly popping for his appearances (however brief), buying his merchandise, supporting him on social media, chanting on occasion, you name it. That should resonate in any arena, any locker room, and any corporate meeting taking place in the meantime. If Triple H truly takes stock in what the fans want, regardless of whatever big league politicking is coming down from TKO, he’ll do his best to honor that. And not just in the immediate future.
Karrion Kross has proven himself to be a total team player, so stop treating the poor man like the evil cryptic stepbrother of Zack Ryder. He’s suffered for long enough! We’re not even talking about championships and main events for Christ’s sake. Just feature him in the ring on a regular basis cutting promos and wrestling matches; rather than hiding him in backstage hallways and lurking behind corners during other people’s segments. His gimmick is conducive to such actions – I get it – but RAW is two and a half hours long. Let’s try to think outside the box a bit more. Not every episode needs a 20-minute Seth Rollins promo to kill our buzz right out of the gate.
Wait, another thought just occurred to me: will WWE keep presenting Kross as a villain in the face of all this sudden fanfare? Should they? Or is a character tweak in order?