Karrion Kross’ departure: Why we can’t blame WWE for it

So, as we all know, Karrion Kross’ contract has run out and, as of now, he is no longer with WWE—at least officially. This might be real or a work; we don’t know for sure, but for now, he’s gone from WWE. Social media has taken the departure very seriously, starting a #WeWantKross movement in hopes that WWE will re-sign him.

But my question to those fans is: where were all of you from 2022 to 2024? Nowhere—and that’s the problem. It sends a message to those in power that you’re dispensable and can be replaced by anyone who will cost them less money.

That’s why it’s really important for any talent to create a connection with the fans as quickly as possible. The quicker you build that connection, the better your chances of getting over, earning more TV time, and making sure that—in the eyes of the higher-ups—you’re seen as an asset and not replaceable.

Let’s look at Karrion Kross’ career since returning to WWE in 2022. He came back in August of that year and seemed poised for a main event push right off the bat, showing up and attacking Drew McIntyre. There even seemed to be plans for a match with Roman Reigns at some point. But his return was met with almost no fanfare. After a few months of feuding with McIntyre, he lost the feud in Saudi Arabia and moved on to a program with Rey Mysterio, which also wasn’t well received.

WWE then tried moving him to RAW, thinking fans there might react to him better. That didn’t work either—his feud with AJ Styles fell flat, and he was given four months off. When he came back, he was just a placeholder in the U.S. Title #1 Contender tournament, losing to Bobby Lashley.

That led into the Final Testament storyline, where he and the Authors of Pain feuded with Lashley and The Street Profits. Again, fans didn’t care about Kross or his faction. After that feud ended at WrestleMania 39, The Final Testament was sent to RAW again, feuding with The New Day, but fan interest was still nonexistent. WWE disbanded the group and released the Authors of Pain.

Kross then began his “Devil You Know” gimmick, trying to convince Styles to turn heel and wrestling him in a few matches that got no reaction. Eventually, he started his own YouTube channel, cutting anti-WWE-style promos. This finally began to get fans behind him, sparking interest from WWE. But it was too late—they had already decided he was replaceable and chose not to renew his contract. He finished his feud with Sami Zayn in a losing effort at SummerSlam, and that was it—his contract expired, and supposedly he’s gone.

Looking at it objectively, Kross was back for three years, and it took him two and a half years to find a way to truly connect with fans. Yet now fans blame WWE for letting him go, even though for most of that time, they couldn’t have cared less and in some cases hoped he’d be released.

That’s why I think it’s more important than ever for mid-card talents like Kross to find a way to stand out and get themselves over quickly. Kross had the potential to be a big star in WWE, but for whatever reason, fans didn’t connect with him until he started talking about real-life topics on YouTube.

In my view, it’s the fans’ fault if Kross wasn’t re-signed to WWE. If this is a work, they fooled me—and it does show that getting over with fans matters. Let’s be honest: most people only started liking him because of what he was doing on YouTube. I was a fan of Kross from day one and hoped he would succeed on the main roster—and he did, but it was too little, too late. If fans had gotten behind him from the start instead of waiting until he was on the chopping block, maybe WWE would have offered him a stronger contract and kept him. But because that didn’t happen, and WWE saw him as replaceable and just the “flavor of the month,” they let him go—feeling it wasn’t a big deal if another company picked him up.