15 Wrestlers WWE Debuted In The WORST Way Possible

6. Karrion Kross Becomes A Joke

X Wrestlers WWE Debuted In The WORST Way Possible Max Dupri Adam Pearce
WWE.com

Debut: Wee bit of subtle cheating here, but let's roll with it. Karrion Kross made his first WWE main roster showing on the 19 July 2021 episode of Raw. There, the all-conquering NXT Champion suffered a quick loss to Jeff Hardy in around two minutes. Post-match, he was exasperated and likely mumbling about revenge. That revenge would never come. Not really.

Kross later tweaked his look to include a helmet and suspenders for the 23 August Raw. Scarlett was noticeably absent from his side too.

Why It Was Bad: There was no just no need to change up Karrion's presentation from NXT at all. This all screamed of Vince McMahon tampering with things that didn't need his input. Kross had loads of credibility when he was mauling fools on the third brand, but he looked every bit out of his element on the flagship. That wasn't his fault whatsoever.

He went from one of the most notable WWE champions to misfit in a hurry.

Karrion's new look, which was equal parts Shredder from TMNT and quasi-Demolition (albeit not in a good way) was heavily criticised, and so was WWE's decision to strip Scarlett from his side. Kross was released from his contract on 4 November, but was then brought back under Triple H's watch in August 2022.

His career has been fairly so-so ever since, but nothing could be worse than his botched repackage job and re-debut in 2021. Even Kross himself had to know he was cooked once fans started genuinely laughing at what he was wearing. It was hard not to feel sorry for the guy, especially as he'd been such a force on NXT mere weeks before this hokey madness.

Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.