Backstage toxicity responsible for Karrion Kross and top superstar having to lose matches - Reports
NXT Champion Karrion Kross has not had the run he would have hoped for on the main roster thus far. Meanwhile, Dakota Kai - who will challenge for the NXT Women's Championship soon - lost a recent match against Aliyah on WWE Main Event.
Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter stated that the belief is that NXT is filled with '5-foot-8 guys who were past 30,' which needs to change. He also noted that the toxicity against NXT is the reason behind Karrion Kross and Dakota Kai getting booked poorly on shows like RAW and Main Event.
As reported previously, Vince McMahon wants to rebrand NXT as a developmental territory. The days of NXT as an 'alternative' third brand are over, and McMahon wants to ensure that the next generation of superstars are people who can main-event WrestleMania one day.
It was also reported that NXT superstars were hard to teach on the main roster and had developed a distinctive style that had to be 'beaten out' of them.
"This toxicity led to Karrion Kross, the NXT champion, losing twice on Raw while NXT was building him as unstoppable and having run through the roster for a showdown with Samoa Joe, and then Dakota Kai, who is challenging for the women’s championship at the next Takeover, losing a match taped for Main Event this week to Aliyah," stated Meltzer.
What could be next for Karrion Kross?
Karrion Kross is currently feuding with Samoa Joe on NXT and Jeff Hardy on RAW. He lost his debut match against Hardy on RAW in a matter of minutes.
While Kross did finally get a win over The Charismatic Enigma this week, it has become clear that he will not be pushed as an unstoppable monster on RAW like he was in the black and gold brand.
The NXT Champion will be defending his title against Samoa Joe at the upcoming NXT Takeover 36 on August 22, 2021, at the Capitol Wrestling Center.
In the video interview posted above, feel free to check out Tommaso Ciampa's thoughts on his match against Karrion Kross that took place last year.