"I thought it was trash" – Legend on Vince McMahon "burying" WWE SmackDown star
In 2021, Vince McMahon led WWE's creative direction when Karrion Kross debuted on the main roster. Two years on, wrestling legend Konnan still believes McMahon presented the two-time NXT Champion badly.
Kross lost his main roster debut against Jeff Hardy on the July 19, 2021, episode of RAW. The current SmackDown star underwent a widely criticized character transformation, which involved wearing a helmet on the way to the ring. He also received his main roster call-up without his wife and valet, Scarlett, alongside him.
On K100, Konnan spoke to co-host Disco Inferno about McMahon's decision to repackage Kross after his NXT success:
"Vince buried him with the mask, which at the time Disco liked. I thought it was trash (…) He lost to Hardy, who I love and deserves everything good in life, but, bro, that's not the way you present him." [2:32 – 2:53]
In November 2021, Kross received his release from WWE. The 38-year-old returned in August 2022, a month after Triple H replaced Vince McMahon as WWE's creative figurehead.
Konnan on Triple H's booking of Karrion Kross in WWE
Since returning to the company, Karrion Kross has feuded with high-profile names including AJ Styles, Drew McIntyre, and Rey Mysterio.
Konnan thinks all three rivalries failed to live up to expectations, but he still has high hopes for Kross on the main roster:
"He had the bad luck that, for whatever reason, you know Drew's a really good worker, his s**t with Drew didn't click. It was kinda quick. Whatever he did with Rey Mysterio, if you coughed you missed it. The AJ [rivalry] didn't really get any traction. He's got the goods, he's a star, but sometimes it takes time. He's only one great storyline away from being hot." [2:56 – 3:21]
Kross' most recent televised match ended in defeat against Styles on the August 11 episode of SmackDown.
What do you want to see next from Karrion Kross? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit K100 and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.