Karrion Kross: I Haven't Reached My Full Potential Yet

Karrion Kross says he hasn’t reached his full potential yet.

Kross signed with WWE in 2020 and had a dominant run on NXT. He captured the NXT Championship at NXT TakeOver: XXX, but he suffered an injury in the same match, so he had to relinquish the title. Kross later regained the gold, and he moved to RAW in July 2021. His run on the red brand was the source of criticism as Scarlett, an important part of his act in NXT, was taken away from him, and he wore a controversial helmet. Kross struggled to find success on RAW, and the company released him on November. He then returned to the independent scene and worked for MLW, among other companies, until he returned to WWE in August 2022.

When he came back, Kross was featured on WWE SmackDown, as he feuded with former WWE Champion Drew McIntyre. He even beat “The Scottish Warrior” at WWE Extreme Rules 2022. But in recent months, Kross hasn’t had as much prominence. He has been in a rivalry with Rey Mysterio, but he lost to the legend in a match on the January 27 episode of WWE SmackDown.

Speaking with Josh Martinez on Superstar Crossover, Kross was asked whether he ever gets emotional when he thinks about where he is now, compared to where he used to be. He responded by stating that he’s frustrated because he hasn’t reached his full potential, and people haven’t seen his best work yet. Kross emphasized that he needs to be affored a “particular shot” to showcase his abilities, and if he gets that opportunity, he’s confident that people will be blown away.

“I don’t get emotional. This is probably unhealthy, and I shouldn’t say it, but I’m gonna wing it. I actually get really pissed because it’s not enough. It’s not enough. I haven’t reached my full potential yet, and people haven’t seen my best work yet. I know what I can do. At this level, you need to be afforded certain types of opportunities, which is difficult with a big roster and only two hours in the program.

“I know that, once I am afforded that particular shot, because I’ve been afforded a lot, let’s not get it twisted, [but] once I am afforded that particular shot to demonstrate what I can really do, what I’ve done where people on a major scale haven’t seen it, people are gonna be blown away. I’m gonna fight for that every single week to get closer and closer to shot. I’m being straight with you, I’m being very real.”

When asked to describe what fans can expect from him in 2023 and beyond, Kross stated that, if he’s given the time he needs to “romance” the audience, he will deliver great, compelling storytelling. He also noted that he aims to showcase different layers of the people he’s working with.

“I think you’re gonna be able to expect compelling storytelling,” Kross said. “If I am granted and allotted the time to romance the audience and Shakespeare them into what it is that I am very good at doing, which is laying down the foundations of eliciting that emotional response to get people interested in what we’re doing, you’re gonna see some great storytelling.

“One of my jobs that I kind of have given to myself is to help fans see different layers of people that maybe perhaps they haven’t seen before that I’m gonna be working with. I like to put people in different situations and circumstances that perhaps they haven’t been in, prior to working with me. So that’s what they’re gonna get, and you’re gonna see a lot of people get suplexed on their heads. That’s for sure.”

Kross lost in a four-way match against Rey Mysterio, Madcap Moss, and Santos Escobar on the February 10 episode of WWE SmackDown. Catch up on our coverage here.

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