Every Original WWE NXT Black & Gold Roster Member - Where Are They Now?
20. Leo Kruger
What was he doing at the time?
This article doesn't seek to validate Brian James' infamous "wins and losses don't matter" stance, but Leo Kruger's heavily featured first few months on 2012 NXT suggest that the record wasn't exactly harming his status. In the first five weeks of the show, he went 50/50 with Richie Steamboat and scored a win over Aiden English. He got a vignette on one of the episodes, and with four appearances in total, holds a joint record on this very list. The ultimate failure of the persona was really down to the rapidly evolving brand identity at Full Sail. A sinister South African hunter gimmick was unique and menacing initially, but felt too wacky as Triple H tightened his vision for the show.
An eventual pivot to the Adam Rose gimmick burned bright before almost burning out, but highlighted how Kruger really had ran out of road.
What is he doing now?
Rose was wanted for the main roster long before the true ceiling was reached in NXT, or for that matter before there was something resembling a standardised call-up process. It was the beginning of the end for the popular gimmick - following a rushed re-introduction of the character that was too lightweight to gain heavy attention, he went through the babyface-to-heel-to-AWOL meat-grinder and was gone from the market leader by 2016. That wasn't it for him and wrestling, but after working 70 more matches for various independents over the subsequent three years, he retired in 2019 - unlike so many others - actually stayed retired.