8 WWE Busts Who Revived Their Careers
4. Karrion Kross
Exactly what Karrion Kross' ceiling is remains unknown, but this much is apparent - whether he can turn a carefully curated uprising of fan support into a sustained run is a far better question to be asking than a) what exactly are his magic powers and/or b) what on earth is he wearing on his head?
These queries dogged Kross' original runs on NXT and the main roster respectively, and looked set to doom Kross to a career destroyed by reputational damage until his personality shone through in 2024 to such an extent that he forced those in power to test the mettle of fan admiration for his work by keeping him as a loosely plugged-in character near the very top of the card.
Once he wrought "doomsday" across pandemic era NXT in a style so laughably cartoonish that he only doomed himself - an exploding contract dished out to Keith Lee was a creative low before Kross unfortunately got injured in the match itself and put himself on the shelf before his title reign could kick off properly. A year later, he got a call more dreaded than celebrated when the latter-day Vince McMahon main roster beckoned, and with it a bizarre gimmick overhaul including gladiatorial attire and chintzy space helmet. And rapid-fire job to Jeff Hardy to boot.
His 2022 return on television came at the top of the card when he interjected himself into the Roman Reigns/Drew McIntyre feud of the day, but only three years on did he forge a connection that warranted the spot. Destination unclear, but route to getting there has never looked so plausible.