Killer Kross is happy to have the chance to be the wrestler his fans know he can be.
Kross spoke with WrestleZone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard ahead of his appearance at MLW Battle Riot VIII. Kross spent the last month in Canada with family, and also saw the time off as a way to recharge creatively. He’ll return to the ring on Thursday night for MLW, and shared how he’s feeling about being a “Killer” again after his WWE run as Karrion Kross.
“It’s fun, and knowing that I can perform in a way where I’m giving people exactly what they want to see from me is a relief. When you go out there, you know how to play your best hand,” Kross explained. “And it’s okay if you don’t have your best hand every single time. That’s part of the business. Sometimes, wrestling goes in a different direction where not everyone is afforded the chance to show their best when they perform.”
Killer Kross is happy he doesn’t have to tiptoe through pro wrestling anymore
However, it’s tough when that goes on for years. Kross says fans ask about not doing certain things they’re used to, which can be tough. He also wants them to enjoy the show, not get “bummed out by the logistics” of the business.
“So it’s like this giant tiptoe. I don’t have to do that anymore. Now everything is completely negotiable when it comes to my performances,” Kross said. “I can get back to the old philosophy I was taught about pro wrestling. One guy goes over, but two guys get over. That’s what the indies were like when I was coming up. Everyone was encouraged to hit a home run, no matter where you were on the card.
“Everyone wanted each other to get over. If everyone is over, it’s just basic business. The audience gets a great show from top to bottom, and they come back. That builds a residual audience, whether it’s in a local town, a city, or for a company streaming worldwide. A great show from top to bottom is good for everybody.”
Killer Kross can work the way his fans want again
Kross says that commercialized wrestling can result in people’s knees getting cut out. It might not be done maliciously or consciously. However, it does still create a narrative about a wrestler not being able to connect.
“That’s not true. Everyone at the top knows how to connect. They’re just not always permitted to do that on a given night,” Kross said. “We’re past that now. Being Killer Kross again means I can go out there and work the style I know people want to see.
“One of the biggest compliments, and kind of a backhanded one, I’ve gotten since [leaving WWE in] August has been, ‘Man, I didn’t know you could go like that. Why didn’t you do that there?’ And I’ll say, ‘Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed the show,’ without getting into it. They’ll say, ‘We wish you did that up there,’ and I’ll think, ‘Well, I wasn’t allowed.’ They were asking for something different. So it’s nice to be able to go out there and wrestle the way I know people want to see me wrestle.”
Killer Kross doesn’t see himself as much of a daredevil
Killer Kross and his wife, Scarlett, enjoy going “off-grid” and seeing the world, and Kross shared that he recently started riding motorcycles and dirt bikes. He says some people film those things as a flex, but he does it more as a way to decompress and stay present.
“I don’t talk about it much because I don’t think it’s that interesting. But I’m really busy during the week when I’m not wrestling. I have my hands in a lot of different things; I like being busy and I like working, but my problem is that I overexhaust myself. I don’t really know how to turn off.
“When I go and do those things, it helps me stop thinking. It helps me stop thinking about work. I don’t know if I want to incorporate that into my work. Right now, my safe place is going out and doing something insane.”
MLW Battle Riot VIII takes place on Thursday, January 29, at the Osceola Heritage Park Events Center in Kissimmee, Florida. Fans who can’t watch the event live and in person will be able to watch the full show on a 7-day delay. MLW will stream the event for free on YouTube & beIN SPORTS on February 5.
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