Time and time again, WWE surprises its fans. We’re talking about wrestlers and their contracts specifically here. Lots of wrestlers have lost their jobs in the past, and it includes some shocking names too. Just this year, WWE has fired almost 40, including Braun Strowman, Carlito, and R-Truth (although Truth returned at Money in the Bank).
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Another superstar who might be departing from WWE is Karrion Kross. He’s already been axed once, back in 2021. But after Triple H took over WWE, he brought him back alongside other superstars. However, there was one major problem: fans didn’t care about Kross as much as The Game seemed to. Things changed over time, and now the people love him, but they feel Triple H isn’t using Kross properly on television. WWE has shown that they will listen to the fans if they’re loud enough, and right now, the fans want Kross to get more screen time.
Karrion Kross’ WWE Contract Expires Soon
Reports Suggest He May Not Get Re-Signed
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Fightful Select recently reported that Karrion Kross’ WWE contract is expiring soon. What’s surprising is that he and WWE haven’t started negotiating yet. This seems like a bad sign as WWE typically starts renegotiation talks months in advance. There are exceptions to this, but it’s very rare.
Fans should also note that Kross is nearing 40 now, and his main roster run so far hasn’t been a blast either. He’s not someone like Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins, who have been involved in major storylines or have won World Championships. In the grand scheme of things, Kross is just another name on the roster, but the fans want him to be more.
The lack of commitment from the company has many fans convinced that he’s leaving WWE. And it’s bizarre to think about, because Kross has become super popular in recent times. He’s not just over online, but even the live audience screams for him whenever he’s on television. So why hasn’t WWE offered him a new contract already?
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Karrion Kross Struggled To Be Liked By The Fans For Many Years
His NXT Run Saw Him Dominate, But Many Felt He Didn’t Deserve That Push
- Karrion Kross’ NXT run saw him work as a top star of the brand.
- He was squashed by Jeff Hardy in his main roster Raw debut.
- WWE had Kross wear a gladiator helmet and took away Scarlett.
Karrion Kross first signed with WWE in 2020 and was sent to the NXT brand. In just a few months, he became the NXT Champion by defeating Keith Lee. Unfortunately, he got injured. But when he came back, WWE put the strap on him again. He defeated Finn Balor to become a 2-time NXT Champion at Stand & Deliver 2021.
It was clear that Triple H saw something in him. But this is where the fans disagreed with him. They felt that Kross received his push way too early. His matches were awful, and he didn’t stand out from the rest of the roster. His entrance was great, and he was packaged as a monster heel, but that was it. Karrion didn’t have that “it” factor, and it’s one of the reasons people didn’t like him.
When Kross debuted on the main roster, he lost to Jeff Hardy in a squash. This was Vince McMahon’s decision. What’s surprising is that he was the NXT Champion at that time, and this loss hurt his momentum. He hadn’t lost in a pinfall during the entirety of his WWE run yet, and on his very first night on Raw, he lost to Hardy in a non-title match. How was anyone supposed to take him seriously after this?
WWE delivered the final blow when they repackaged him with a gladiator gimmick. He wore a poorly designed mask, which took away any credibility his character had. WWE also stopped having Scarlett accompany him, which further hurt him. The couple was released a few months later in November 2021.
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Karrion Kross Has Won The Fans Over In 2025
His New Gimmick On Raw Has Become A Fan Favorite
- It felt like Karrion Kross was going to be a major heel on SmackDown, but he was quickly forgotten.
- He now plays mind games with wrestlers like The Miz and AJ Styles.
- He gave a memorable promo on the WrestleMania 41 recap show.
Kross made his return to WWE in August 2022 and attacked Drew McIntyre. It felt like he was going to become a big heel, but then WWE forgot about him again. Later, he formed The Final Testament and had feuds with the likes of Street Profits and The Wyatt Sicks. After his faction disbanded, that’s when his momentum started shifting. But so far, WWE has not capitalized on it, and it’s been one of the criticisms of the Triple H regime.
Kross has never been a bad wrestler. On the contrary, he’s been a great heel all this time. He adopted a new gimmick this year that saw him work behind the scenes, often playing with the minds of other wrestlers and manipulating them with his words. It worked. This is the gimmick that got him over with the fans. He got into the heads of stars like The Miz and New Day’s Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, and turned them into the bad guys. He tried to do the same with AJ Styles, and while he failed, fans realized the potential of this gimmick. Kross is also fantastic on the microphone and has cut several great promos, like the one during the WrestleMania 41 Recap Show, or just recently against Logan Paul on X. Despite growing support from the audience, he hasn’t seen much screen time. He’s only shown in backstage segments, but people want more.
Half of 2025 is gone, and Kross has had only two matches on Raw and SmackDown. One of them was him fighting with two dozen other wrestlers during the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royale. There’s not one reason Triple H can justify the booking of Kross right now. He checks all the boxes. He’s over with the fans, sells a ton of merch, his promos are amazing, and while he’s not the best in the ring, people have known about this for years anyway. Given that he is in a contract year with WWE and has not been re-signed immediately, it highlights the current state of WWE. Triple H may criticize the internet as not being a real place, but what about fans in the arena who want more of Karrion Kross? If he ends up leaving later this year, it’ll just prove that WWE doesn’t care how good or popular a wrestler is; if they’re not part of their existing plans, they’ve hit their ceiling in the promotion.
