Former NXT Champion Killer Kross to compete in independent wrestling promotion
Former NXT Superstar Killer Kross (fka Karrion Kross) is set to compete in the upcoming MLW Battle Riot in June 2022.
Killer Kross signed with WWE in 2020 along with his wife, Scarlett Bordeaux, who often accompanied him to his matches on NXT. Despite being a two-time NXT Champion and moving to the main roster, he was released from the company last year.
The former NXT Champion has been signed to Major League Wrestling since February 2022. At the upcoming MLW Battle Riot IV, Kross and fellow WWE Superstar Lince Dorado will participate in the titular match on June 23 in New York.
So far, five out of forty competitors have been announced for the Battle Riot match, including Marshall Von Erich, Alex Kane, and Calvin Tankman. The winner of the battle will get an opportunity for the MLW World Championship.
The 36-year-old superstar was allegedly set to debut at Ring of Honor's Supercard last month, along with Scarlett Bordeaux, but was later doubtful about his decision.
Killer Kross was unhappy with the gladiator-like avatar given to him by WWE
When Kross made his main roster debut, he donned a gladiator-like avatar that was not well received. He also stated that given the company's large number of releases, he was concerned about being let go by WWE.
In a recent interaction with Wrestling Inc. Daily, the two-time NXT Champion stated that the company handed him a gimmick to sell Halloween costumes.
“That would have been a great character for somebody else that didn’t have a character that was already previously carved out. So, when I looked at it, and assessed it, I thought, ‘maybe they want to make Halloween costumes.’ Going back to monetizing stuff, ‘they’re just overlooking, they want to put a fresh coat of paint on it because it’s going up.’ I entertained it as best I could, and then when October rolled around, and there’s no Halloween costume, I said, ‘okay, well this could be problematic,’” Kross said.
After he departed from WWE, Kross was also associated with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He appeared at the Lonestar Shootout event, where Minoru Suzuki defeated him.