Killer Kross Reveals What He Did During NXT Commercials To Get Heat
Killer Kross had a dominant run with WWE's NXT brand, twice becoming NXT Champion. However, he said his in-ring success sometimes made it difficult to get fans to root against him. Kross says he had to take some extra steps to ensure they booed him.
"During my time in NXT, I was supposed to be a heel, and there was a point in time where people were really starting to get behind what I was doing. They were cheering and they were chanting 'Kross', and they were into what I was doing," Kross told the Wrassle Rap podcast. "In the back of my mind, I'm like, 'Hey man, it's really nice to have people back,' because, for a while, we didn't have any. I was like, 'It's really nice to have people back and it's awesome to hear the WWE Universe cheering my name for the first time. But like, business is business and I'm not here to be cheered'.
"And I was trying to think of ways within the parameters that we were working in to get them against me because I'm not doing my babyface any favors whatsoever," Kross continued. "If I'm going to be the guy who kills people clean for a year and a half, no one gets near him and he gets cheered over the babyface? What am I doing for these guys, right? So I would do little things, like on commercial breaks, I'd give people the finger. You know, I'd be going by the glass and somebody would be wearing my shirt and I'd flat out, you know, tell them, 'Go f-ck your mother'. And the whole front row would be like, 'WOAH'. Go buy another one of my t-shirts, bring it home to mom and dad. They were not cheering for me anymore. It's funny, this is what I love about the pro wrestling culture."
WWE released Killer Kross last November after a brief run on the company's main roster. He was one of more than 80 individuals who were released by WWE last year. Kross admitted that there were some drawbacks to the crowded talent roster assembled by WWE.
"I'm 50/50 on it because there's a lot of talent out there and there's really only so much air time," Kross explained. "So the optimist in me wants to say, 'Yes, everything is wonderful, it's great. We're all going to live together, and we're going to have a six-hour wrestling program, and we're all going to work 30 minutes each'. You know I want to say that, but the realist in me is saying, 'I think we are approaching a capacity problem where there's going to be a ton of incredible people and there's not going to be enough air time."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit the Wrassle Rap podcast with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.