In a lengthy and candid video posted to his YouTube account, Karrion Kross broke his silence on his recent departure from WWE, detailing months of frustrating contract negotiations, creative stifling, and a feeling that his growing popularity was seen as a “problem” by some within the company. The video, which appears to have been filmed in the weeks leading up to his contract’s expiration on August 10, provides his side of the story for the first time and gives the full context to a confusing week of reports.
A Timeline of Uncertainty
The public saga began on Monday, August 4, when a report from Fightful Select stated that the WWE contracts for Kross and his wife, Scarlett, were set to expire the following weekend and that no new offer had been made. This was followed by a report from Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer on Wednesday, who stated that a new deal had been offered. On Thursday, Kross’s refuted the reports during an interview on The Angle podcast. By the weekend, Kross and Scarlett had been moved to the alumni section of WWE.com and his theme music was removed from streaming services, all but confirming their departure.
“Profoundly Disappointing” Contract Talks
In his video, Kross explained that he had made his intentions to stay with the company clear at the very beginning of the year, but those intentions were met with months of silence. “I expressed interest to renegotiate in early January with WWE,” he said. “It’s like, preposterous that anyone would think that I wouldn’t want to be here… I’m fully committed, I’m here.” He added, “So many, many months have gone by and I never had a single conversation about it until recently.”
He described that recent, brief conversation with a company representative as not being a serious negotiation, which left him feeling angry and let down. “I don’t even feel like the conversation I had recently was like an actual serious one,” he stated. “The conversation was done, and there wasn’t really anything that was discussed, of real substance, and that… just really profoundly disappointed me.” Kross explained his disappointment stemmed from a feeling that the physical sacrifice of the performers was not being properly appreciated in the discussion.
Creative Frustrations
Kross then detailed his creative frustrations, using a sports analogy to describe the feeling of being held back even when he saw an opportunity to succeed for the team. “It’s probably the hardest part of the gig when you know you can give more, and they tell you, ‘Hey, don’t home run that. Hit that to the outfield and run to second and make sure you stop on second,’” he explained. “You’re on the court playing basketball. They tell you to pass the ball, but you’ve got a three point shot right there. We’re all on the same team… You shoot, you get the three points. They’re mad at you. Why are they mad at you?”
Popularity as a “Problem”
This feeling was amplified, he explained, when his organic connection with the audience began to grow. He questioned why this was seemingly perceived as a negative by some within the company. “Me building a relationship and having a relationship with the audience, sometimes by certain people, to me, it feels like they’re treating it as I’m being rebellious, or I’m like it’s treated almost like it’s a problem, that this has happened,” he stated. “And that should not feel that way… it makes it feel like you know you, you outperformed or you, you got ahead of something that they didn’t think you were going to get ahead of, and they don’t like that you’ve gotten ahead of it is the way it feels, and that’s not a good feeling.”
The Merchandise Story
This frustration was compounded when his merchandise became a top seller on the WWE Shop, a fact he said he only learned about from fans online. When he asked his “points of contact in the company” if the sales numbers were true, he said their response was “We don’t know.” Kross stated, “The character, Karrion Kross… we became a top seller through through fan engagement, which is amazing.” He argued that the company shouldn’t trivialize the online community, as their support translates to real-world engagement and sales.
Support from His Peers
Amidst the professional uncertainty, Kross said he felt an outpouring of support from the locker room. “I feel really supported. I definitely feel supported by the boys. A lot of the ladies talk to Scarlett about everything. We feel really supported,” he said.
Advice from R-Truth
He then shared a particularly powerful piece of advice he received from veteran superstar R-Truth during a flight back from Saudi Arabia. The advice gave him a new perspective on his value beyond championship titles. “He said to me, ‘you know, you haven’t won any titles on main roster, but the one title that you have right now, that you will have for the rest of your life as a moment in time is the title that the people gave you when they chose you,’” Kross shared. “And that’s f*cking real.”
An Emotional Fan Letter
The video concluded with Kross reading an emotional letter from a fan who credited him and Scarlett with saving her from her “darkest moments” and helping her get through three miscarriages last year. The letter served as a powerful, real-world example of the fan connection he had been speaking about throughout the video. Despite the frustrations, Kross stated his desire to remain with the company: “What I would like to happen, I would love to stay with WWE, and I’d love, ideally, to finish my career there.”
Karrion Kross and Scarlett are now officially free agents after their contracts expired on August 10. The full video is available on his official YouTube channel. Click below.
