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Making a genuinely shocking return to WWE just days after wrestling at Ric Flair's Final Match PPV, Karrion Kross, a former NXT Black and Gold star under the reign of Triple H, would be brought back into the fold. Alongside his real-life wife, Scarlett, the two would be paired up once again, this time on the main roster as a part of the SmackDown brand. Immediately stepping up against Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre, it became clear that Triple H still views Kross as a potential main event player, something that left many longtime NXT fans bewildered during his time within the NXT brand. Now on his second try in WWE, Kross is looking to become an even bigger name than before, slotted alongside some of the top names in all of wrestling. So far, he feels like a far cry from your typical WWE main event-level superstar.
Karrion Kross' Ring Work Is Not Up To Snuff
For those who saw his work in NXT, many noted that his actual wrestling ability was far below the standard set by the likes that came before him as the top stars of the brand. With names such as Sami Zayn, Adrian Neville, Finn Balor, Andrade Almas, and Johnny Gargano all setting a new bar for main event talents in WWE NXT, by the time Kross had arrived, he just felt like a massive step-down in terms of the quality of his work. Despite being a fairly solid promo, Kross' big manuever was a Saito Suplex, something that could regularly be seen in Japan, and a signature move that did not stand out all that much amongst others in NXT.
Developing further, fans would then be treated to the Krossjacket submission, yet another version of the famed Rear Naked Choke. Using arguably the most over-used submission finisher in wrestling, Kross' move-set remains not only very limited, but it also just does not come across as well-rounded as a number of bigger stars like Seth Rollins, Matt RIddle, or Roman Reigns have. Even when performing outside of WWE during his time away from the company, performing in MLW and NJPW, Kross still felt like someone punching above his weight class.
Karrion Kross Feels Like A Generic Spooky Character
Despite lacking a super strong in-ring ability, the one area where Karrion Kross tends to garner the most praise is in his promo and character work. That is certainly deserved as well, with his delivery being strong and his commitment being clear as day. The issue that comes from his current WWE run is that he just feels like a generic spooky character, though without any actual supernatural powers.
While he does have Scarlett as his manager, with her often dressing the part of a witch or something in that realm, Kross himself lacks any unique look or attire to make him stand out, and aside from changing the screen color, he just feels like a guy. Using a black and white filter to change the screen display is a stretch compared to Kane, The Undertaker, or Bray Wyatt, leaving Kross' whole visual gimmick to feel rather tacky instead of imposing.
Without Scarlett, Karrion Kross Is Nothing
As evidenced by his brief run on Monday Night Raw in 2021 before being released, fans were given a chance to see Karrion Kross perform on his own, without Scarlett by his side. Standing alone on a roster with big-time stars, Kross was not only booked to death, but also just failed to stand out. While a lot of that is on the creative team behind his debut and run on the show, it never came off that Karrion Kross was trying to make the most of the situation, rather looking as if he was content with the role he was given.
When looking at both his run atop NXT and his current comeback run on SmackDown, anyone can see that the true star of the act is Scarlett. Having wrestled outside of WWE, it remains to be seen if they will ever give her a more physical role, but even now, escorting Kross to the ring in some more risque-than-normal attires by WWE standards, Scarlett's allure and 'it' factor cannot be denied, especially when standing next to her husband who lacks both.