Though Karrion Kross has worked matches, angles, and even a few Premium Live Events as a member of the WWE Universe, many, if not most fans will still assert that the very best business he's done came in NXT, when he was booked like a dominant heel monster at the top of the card by the promotion's current Chief Content Officer, Paul “Triple H” Levesque.
So, if Kross' best run came in NXT and the promotion has absolutely no problem with bringing main roster stars down to developmental, as WrestleMania X/X Tuesday's edition of NXT clearly proved, is there a world where the former NXT Champion could return to the promotion to seek out what was once his with Scarlett by his side? Well, according to the man himself in an interview with Chris Van Vliet, the answer is yes, but there's a catch.
“I don't want to say I was dishonest, but I wasn't entirely honest when I discussed how difficult being in lockdown was for me. During the whole pandemic, I was in Florida, a lot of my family was in Canada. Some of them are older, I have family in New York. I didn't know, at the time, if it was a smart idea or even safe to go visit them, so I didn't. I felt very isolated. I was at work, which was a relief. I had Scarlett, but it was a difficult time for me, personally, for all of us. It was difficult to get through, and I was always hoping, while I was at NXT, that I would be able to get that Premium Live Event crowd. I never got that,” Karrion Kross said via Fightful.
“The TakeOvers that they did in New York… we had that little audience. Whether they knew it or not, they were like family to me. Even when they were booing me and calling me every name in the book, which they should have because that's what I was trying to elicit. In place of my family that I didn't have at the time, I had that audience. I don't think they realize just the feeling there, what that was like psychologically doing for me. That audience carried me through that period. It would be nice to see them again, and it would be nice to do one of those TakeOver events. Narrative should make sense, and it should be under the right circumstances. I wouldn't just want to go back for the h*ll of it. I would want to go back for something good for them.”
Would it be cool to see Kross back in NXT, feuding with Ilja Dragunov and/or Carmelo Hayes at the top of the card? Sure thing, as, after being barely used as a member of the SmackDown roster, getting a chance to actually work matches might help to get some of the magic back on his presentation.
Karrion Kross explains why “Stone Cold” Steve Austin is the “GOAT.”
Elsewhere in his Insight interview with Chris Van Vliet, Karrion Kross was asked about who he considered the “GOAT.” While Kross, a wrestler by trade, clearly values the importance of in-ring work, he feels as though the “GOAT” should be the person who did the most for the business, and with that qualifier in mind, there's only one man who fits the bill: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.
“Well, I think to me, the GOAT is the guy that did the most for the business. Not necessarily, had to be the best wrestler. But the guy that did meant the most to our business, and the guy that saved [it] in my eyes, saved the WWE. Steve Austin. Yeah, I mean, what Steve did, and then to be injured and retire at 39. I mean,” Kross said via Wrestling Headlines.
“I keep forgetting this, and until people remind me, well, I don’t see Steve as much as I used to. But he quit. He had to quit because of a broken neck at 39. Yeah, he got back in and out. But I mean, think about that. I mean. And he took a couple of swings. They put one label on him, but when he found that niche, him and Vince The Attitude Era, but it was Stone Cold, Shawn, Mike Tyson. And we were arguing about the NWO who’s gonna win a match? And can we go with three minutes instead of 10? I mean, it’s just bullsh*t. But that’s, that’s when all of a sudden where Bischoff didn’t know how to run a company. Then he put himself into it, which made it worse.”
Fortunately for Kross, while few things in professional wrestling are universal, having the “Rattlesnake” on your Mount Rushmore is a pretty safe bet.