Coming during a time NXT desperately needed something with a bit more conviction and control, the Karrion Kross push was a thorough and concentrated effort to make a new star on a brand evidently lacking enough of them.
Worrying less about popping numbers and instead keen to pop the online fanbase, Kross (and valet and IRL partner Scarlett) instantly generated buzz thanks to his amazing entrance and domineering and committed destruction of Tommaso Ciampa at TakeOver: In Your House.
A glorious shot of him overlooking Keith Lee's NXT Championship victory foreshadowed the next move, and the brand went all in on it making it happen. As noted, the injury suffered in their TakeOver: XXX title switch terminated the run early, but teasers of his return suggest that normal service is set to be resumed as soon as he's fit and ready to reascend.
Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for nearly 10 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years.
As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 65,000,000 total downloads. Within the podcasting space, he also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House! and Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast.
He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live.
