Karrion Kross Cites Late WWE & WCW Stars As Influences On Current Character

For months now, Karrion Kross has been chipping away at Xavier Woods on WWE TV, seemingly in an attempt to split Woods and Kofi Kingston of The New Day. The leader of The Final Testament has done this in a very deliberate manner, and appearing on "Insight with Chris Van Vliet," Kross revealed which wrestlers from the past served as influences for his current character.

"It's a bit of Sean O'Haire, who was one of my favorites," Kross said. "And also Kevin Sullivan as well, who doesn't get the love and credit he deserves. And a lot of what I'm doing with this character is like the opposite of a love letter. It's kind of a hate letter to all of the terrible things people ... say to each other, the way they behave."

Both O'Haire and Sullivan were veterans of WCW, with O'Haire also spending some time in WWE. Sullivan is remembered for his stretch as The Taskmaster in the Dungeon of Doom, as well as the iteration of his character influenced by the "Satanic Panic" of the 1980s. As for O'Haire, he debuted during the final days of WCW before eventually making the move to WWE, where he wrestled from 2001 until 2004. 

Continuing to discuss his character, Kross described the current version as a "deceptive" individual, which Kross believes allows him to instantly play off of any other wrestler on the roster. He also believes he'll continue to reward longtime pro wrestling fans, as he enjoys referencing moments from the past and relating them to the feud he finds himself in.

According to Kross, this iteration of his character has been the most difficult to portray, as the performer has also been incorporating some of the darker aspects of real life into the persona. Specifically, Kross has drawn inspiration from the countless internet trolls who target professional wrestlers.

"There was something online a fan said about someone I'd been working with," Kross continued. "I read it, I went, 'Oh, that's disgusting. I'm going to use that.' ... It's so vile and so untrue that, of course, when I say this, it'll actually put the fans on the side of the babyface, which is ultimately what I'm trying to do."

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Insight with Chris Van Vliet" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.