Karrion Kross is having the most fun he’s ever had in his career.
Kross spoke with WrestleZone while promoting his upcoming book, Life Is Fighting. Kross says he never sought to write a book, noting how he liked to keep his private life and on-air work separate. However, many people often encouraged him to write one, including peers and fans who were inspired by him.
“I was just encouraged by people who thought that I had stories,” Kross said. “I felt really compelled by the idea of not only potentially entertaining people but helping people, and a lot of people. It is nice for people to think that you are a superhero and that you are invincible. But no one’s really like that. Firefighters, paramedics, police officers, people in the service; they are all just like us. None of them are perfect. But they have extraordinary jobs. Not that I’m comparing pro wrestling to those jobs, but in the way that people see other people doing extraordinary things. We are seen in that light.
“And I think sometimes that is actually off-putting to people who want to do these things because they go, ‘Well, I’m just me. I can’t actually accomplish any of these things that those people are doing.’ No. You can. You totally can,” Kross said. “And I’m going to actually tell you how f*cked up I am, so we can find a common ground. And you can go after these things that you want to do. Because I was far from perfect. And I still am.”
Karrion Kross is an awful person in an awful world
Karrion Kross has been playing devil’s advocate to several WWE Superstars over the past several months. This includes Sami Zayn, who he has been feuding with for several weeks. The pair have traded wins in their previous two meetings, and they are set to square off at SummerSlam this weekend. In wrestling terms, Kross would normally be seen as the “heel.” However, he continues to get cheered more and more each week, a “funky” position that former WWE Superstar Baron Corbin said could be troublesome down the line.
Kevin Kesar sees his character as a bad guy, but ‘Karrion Kross’ does not. Kross said his character views himself as an awful person, but fans just enjoy the work he’s been doing. He does too, calling this run the most fun he’s ever had.
“I definitely see myself as a bad guy. [laughs] Yes. Karrion Kross would not see himself as a bad guy in the same way [X-Men’s] Magneto does not see himself as a bad guy. I think the best villains don’t see themselves necessarily as bad people. But Karrion Kross’ worldview is that he is an awful person living in an awful world. And he resents the idea of people pretending that they are not awful for career and life advancement. He goes out of his way to try and expose those people to the WWE Universe. He doesn’t see anyone as a good person, he doesn’t believe in innocence.
But could he be a babyface?
“I think that has become sort of an endearing character perspective for people to watch; they find it entertaining. I think that the character is being cheered because what he is doing is entertaining,” Kross explained.
“As far as him being a baby face, there is not an official trigger that has been pulled on that yet. But I’ve seen this happen for over 30 years watching wrestling where the audience begins to cheer for the bad guy and the bad guy will continue to do bad things and the audience will continue to cheer. And it’s not like I’m baiting them. They are enjoying what they are seeing. I’m having fun. This is the most fun I’ve had probably ever. I think this is the most fun I’ve had in my entire career thus far. I’m really, really enjoying all of this,” Karrion Kross said.
Karrion Kross thanks the fans for their immense support
Kross has a list of people he wants to work with in WWE, and has a world tour planned for his book. Most of all, Kross wants to thank fans for their support, and wants them to know he values everyone’s time.
“Thanks to you and thank everybody who has been with me since the beginning of my career. Thank the people that are new fans of mine,” Kross said, “that are able to see that I am doing everything that I possibly can to make, and create, preserve a connection between us and what they are watching. And I don’t take anyone’s time or attention for granted.”
Life Is Fighting will be released on August 5 through physical and digital retailers like Amazon. Watch our full interview with Karrion Kross below:
Read More: Karrion Kross Speaks Out on His WWE Contract Status
