Karrion Kross' first run in the WWE didn't go very well to say the least. Even though he became a two-time NXT Champion, his title reign was very lackluster. This, combined with extremely poor booking on WWE's part, squandered all of Kross' momentum by the time he reached the main roster. He and his wife Scarlet were both released from WWE on November 4, 2021.

RELATED: Cody Rhodes & Randy Orton’s WWE Friendship, ExplainedA few weeks ago, Karrion Kross and Scarlet were brought back into the WWE by Triple H. Since returning, he's been feuding with the Scottish Warrior Drew McIntyre. His presentation has been greatly upgraded and he's been shown to be very dominant in the ring. Still, it's always interesting to try and piece together exactly why Kross' first tenure in WWE turned out so badly. Much of it can be traced back to one particular promo from Adam Cole.

UPDATE: 2023/09/18 07:30 EST BY LIZZY FLANAGAN

On June 1, 2021, Adam Cole unleashed what might go down as the best promo of his career. He spoke passionately and eloquently to Karrion Kross' face about everything that made the NXT Champion lackluster. Cole picked Kross apart like a stringy chicken tender. He echoed fans' sentiments about the NXT Champion and saw right through WWE's over-the-top presentation of Kross to expose him for the mediocre wrestler he is. To this day, the promo remains one of the most replayed and talked about clips of Adam Cole's career. It's a masterclass in bringing a big man down to size.

While the promo greatly bolstered Adam Cole's reputation, it continues to drag Kross down. Fans who dislike Kross can simply quote Adam Cole's promo to explain their feelings, and WWE has yet to give Kross or his fans any rebuttal. It's incredibly rare for a wrestling promo to have such a lasting effect on stars, especially two years down the road. The promo was even referenced on AEW Dynamite by MJF, who attempted to turn Adam Cole's own words against him.

Fans Were Upset Kross Took The Belt From Keith Lee

Keith Lee is one of the most naturally likable men in pro wrestling. Fans were understandably upset when Kross took the NXT and North American Title off of Lee. What made things worse was that Kross had to relinquish the title due to injury just a few days later, making fans feel as though Keith Lee's reign ended for nothing.

Kross later regained the NXT Championship from Finn Balor. This is when things would really start to go downhill.

Many Of Kross' Challengers Outshined Him

At this point in time, NXT had a stacked roster made up of a mix of upcoming stars and brand veterans. Many of these men were more athletic and/or charismatic than Kross was. This made it hard for fans to accept Kross as champion over guys like Pete Dunne, Tommaso Ciampa, Johnny Gargano, and Kyle O'Reilly.

Though Kross looked dominant on his way to the ring thanks to his theme music, presentation, the belt around his waist, and the beautiful Scarlet by his side, all of that fizzled out when the bell rang.

Adam Cole Spoke The Fans' Minds

What made Cole's promo so devastating was the fact that he expressed all of the fans' grievances right to Kross' face.

The truth is, you ain't Adam Cole Bay Bay, and you never will be. Because this brand has done everything in their power to make you feel special. You got the music, you got the music, you got the fog machine, you got the girl. You know what they do to make Adam Cole feel special? They ring the freaking bell.

Because on your best day, you couldn't lace my boots. You can't hang with me, you aren't on my level, and anybody who watches pro wrestling knows that.

-Adam Cole on NXT

This promo blew up all the smoke and mirrors that had been carrying Kross' title reign. To put it plain and simply, Adam Cole was right. By this point, Cole had been the face of NXT for years. Not only had he been the longest-reigning NXT Champion in history, but he'd also put on numerous incredible matches and showstopping main events.

RELATED: 5 Best Tag Team Partners Of Adam Cole's Career (& 4 Worst)For whatever reason, NXT didn't give Kross the chance to respond beyond "I don't care what you think." He just stood there in silence and took everything that came at him. Adam Cole's promo didn't just expose Kross as a fraud champion, but it also made him look like a wimp.

A few weeks after this segment, Kross defended his title in a five-way match against Adam Cole, Pete Dunne, Kyle O'Reilly, and Johnny Gargano at NXT: In Your House. Unfortunately, Kross retained the belt.

Karrion Kross' Main Roster Debut Was A Disaster

The final nail in the coffin for Kross' first WWE run was his Monday Night Raw debut. He lost in about three minutes to Jeff Hardy while he was still NXT Champion. This was Kross' first loss in the WWE, and it was essentially a squash match. This elicited mockery from NXT's audience who began to chant "Hardy" during Kross' segments.

Fans no longer took Karrion Kross seriously. This would already be bad for a brand's champion, but it was especially disastrous for a man with a gimmick that's meant to be intimidating like Kross' is. At NXT Takeover 36, Kross lost the championship to Samoa Joe. This was Kross' first loss in the NXT brand. He then went up to the main roster full-time, but his time on Raw didn't last for very long.

Unsurprisingly, Raw fans didn't take to Kross. Vince McMahon gave him odd-looking leather gear and separated him from Scarlet, effectively taking away everything that would've given him a chance on the main roster. Fans shared Adam Cole's promo on social media and praised his foresight; Kross really wasn't special after all.

Adam Cole Reflects On His Promo

This past March, Adam Cole did an interview with Uproxx wherein he discussed his notorious promo and its lasting effect two years later. He said that he was very surprised and flattered by all the praise he received from it and that despite the biting words in the promo, he wants nothing but the best for Karrion Kross.

I'm incredibly flattered and I think it's so cool that so many people are interested still in that promo that we had. When we did the promo, I remember thinking like, 'Oh, that went well.' But not in a million years did I expect people to still be talking about it so much. I think the world of (Kross). I'm so happy for him and glad he is doing great, but I had so much fun doing the segment and I would love to work with him again in the future. He's great.

Perhaps this promo wouldn't continue to be so devastating if WWE actually did something interesting with Karrion Kross. He was released from the company after his initial main roster run and brought back a few months later, only to end up in the exact same position. Until WWE proves Adam Cole wrong, his NXT promo will continue to live on in infamy.

Karrion Kross' WWE Career In 2023 Is Unremarkable

Despite getting Scarlett back when he returned to WWE in 2022, Kross has still struggled to find his footing on Smackdown. He has had feuds with the likes of Rey Mysterio, Drew McIntyre and AJ Styles all of which have done little to raise his stock in the company. At the very least however, Kross is no longer the massive joke that he became when he landed on the WWE main roster initially. With all WWE's main rosters world championships being held by Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns, it's likely that Kross will finish his WWE career as a world champion only in NXT.