10 Main Event Wrestling Gimmicks That NOBODY Liked

6. Karrion Kross

Chris Jericho Painmaker
WWE.com

This one is about to get tested, since Karrion Kross has made a shocking return to Triple H's new WWE, but he might well have been the least over major NXT act since Bo Dallas - and at least there, Bo was repackaged as a deluded Kurt Angle-adjacent babyface when 'Papa H' realised that he was a bust.

He might fare better on the main roster, but this will require significant work. Or the hairdryer arena effect mp3, one of the two.

Ratings fells drastically with Kross on top of "black and gold's" mewling death throes. He wasn't the super worker that hardcore NXT fans gravitated towards, and nor was he particularly good at playing the hoss destroyer. He wasn't clinical, graceful in his movements; his work looked stilted and, when tasked with driving elbows into the back of his opponent's necks, weak. Almost a parody of an intense performer, he faked an aura that only works when it is organic. With Kross on top, NXT developed a new, suboptimal identity; no longer the acclaimed, state-of-the-art alternative, it was a Triple H vanity project. Is that what the main roster is now?

Karrion's run, and how long it lasts, will determine the answer.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!