Karrion Kross’ NXT Championship win was bittersweet.
Kross suffered a separated shoulder during his main event title win over Keith Lee at NXT Takeover XXX, according to Triple H on the post-show media call. Triple H was asked if Kross was just good at his job or if he was really injured, and HHH said he wishes he could say that but it’s looking like a separated shoulder and they’ll learn more soon.
HHH said he knew it was hurt and the medical team kept an eye on things but they felt like he could continue with the match. He also put over Kross as being a tough guy and said there’s not much else he can say about the situation other than that.
“When your shoulder is separated like that it’s not easy, it’s very painful and I know in the end it’s bittersweet because he’s ecstatic in the moment. He is excited in the moment, this is a dream come true for both him and Scarlett. They have worked an entire career to get to this moment and I can tell you that from the bottom of his heart and I’ve had that conversation since the first day. So for him to get here in talking to him earlier in the day, what he almost felt like was this crazy, surreal moment where the two of them—both he and Scarlett kept saying, ‘it’s hard for us to believe we’re in here in this moment and it’s hard for us to even envision that we are here’ like they kept waiting for it to change today or for something to happen that would change everything. Then you get to that moment with the uncertainty of something like this in the end, and my heart breaks for him. I know everybody here does, but we’ll see where he’s at.
“He’s in the back cooling off and the doc’s with him. They’re going through everything and as soon as we can get them in a facility, we’ll get them an MRI and then we’ll see where everything goes. Hopefully it’s not too crazy and we can figure out how to work around it or work through it or whatever that is but we’ll figure out whatever that is. Congratulations to him and he just delivered on every level to get to this point, and to have it derail in the middle when this was going to be ‘the moment’ for him, all the buildup and hype and other stuff, and then it unraveled in the middle. Like I said, he gutted through it and here we are.”
Triple H also took time to praise Keith Lee for being a total pro and getting through the match as well, noting that it was an unfortunate end to the match but like they say ‘it’s not ballet.’
