Killer Kross went to great lengths to keep the fact that he’d signed with WWE back in 2020 a secret.
Killer Kross was recently on Insight with Chris Van Vliet and spoke about how he tried to keep the fact that he signed with WWE a secret. Kross said that after he left IMPACT Wrestling in 2019 he tried to keep fans guessing his next move, including posting Twitter polls asking where he should go next, but his decision to join WWE had already been made at that point. The news was not ready to be made public yet, however, and he shared how he went to great lengths to ensure that the news wasn’t “stooged off” before it was time.
Killer Kross commented on his relationship with Triple H, previously noting that he’d gotten in contact with him due to the recommendation of Jon Moxley. Kross praised Triple H and what he was trying to do in NXT, adding that he’d talked to WWE over the years, but that one conversation really put things in perspective for him.
“I spoke to him and it was a super-pleasant conversation. I did have a correspondence over the years, periodically with WWE, on and off about background work and tryouts, stuff like that. But I really felt like that was the conversation that I think really cemented a lot of different things. Just having the ability to get to know him and understand what it is exactly he was looking for, I felt like I just had a feeling that this man,” Kross noted, “based on what he was producing, was looking for people who were 110 percent in, and then some. I was like, ‘I’m not going to wait to be told. I’m going to bring everything I’ve got and be fully committed and embrace the process.’”
Later in the interview, Kross explained how he went as far as wearing a Luchador mask during a visit to the WWE Performance Center so that the company could be the ones to announce he’d signed.
“It was really funny too, I told you I was trying to ‘protect’ that I had gotten signed there and I was very concerned about people accidentally stooging this off, so when I first went to NXT I put on a Luchador mask when I walked in. So, I’m in a three-piece suit and a Luchador mask. I used to travel with a Luchador mask when I went to Mexico because sometimes fans or media would be at the airport and if there’s a car outside,” Kross explained, “you can only mess around so much with people. You need to get out of the car, so I would put the mask on sometimes when I would go to the airport and stuff like that. I showed up to NXT with the mask on and as I’m walking up, I’m [thinking], ‘I wonder if he’s going to recognize me. This might be really weird. I might have to get this close to him and [let him in on it], like ‘Hey, it’s me.’” [laughs]
See you soon. ? ? ? https://t.co/YHQ5PYA392
— Karrion Kross ⏳ (@realKILLERkross) January 10, 2022
Asked how he did go about the reveal once he was inside the building, Kross said he thinks Triple H just knew and said they both had a good laugh about it in the end.
“He was there with somebody and he just basically looked and started laughing, I started laughing and then I walked up to him and shook his hand. I said, ‘Sorry about this, I just really wanted to protect this as much as I can, I don’t want someone stooging it off.’ He just laughed and he goes, ‘I appreciate your commitment to this.’ So we’re standing there and about to walk off and I go, ‘Do you mind if I take this off? I feel like a complete asshole.’ He laughs and goes, ‘Of course, take it off,’” Kross said. “I just thought it’d be a funny icebreaker to do it.”
Kross then spoke about wanting to learn the entire process and not waiting for direction. Kross said he learned from the top of his profession and met the entire chain of command, adding that he had such an awesome experience there overall and couldn’t find any other way to put it.
Killer Kross’ arrival was confirmed in February 2020 on WWE Backstage. He was a former two-time NXT Champion during his tenure with the promotion (as Karrion Kross), but he was released by the company on November 4, 2021.
During the interview, Kross also spoke about growing his hair back out now, and why he made the character-based decision to shave his head. Read more about his “tactical” approach to his look in NXT at this link.
If you use this transcript, credit Insight with Chris Van Vliet and h/t to WrestleZone and link back to this post.
