Karrion Kross is returning to the indies.
The former NXT Champion’s time is officially done in WWE. While there’s still plenty of skeptics out there on whether this is a work or not, Kross is clearly moving forward with his life and has officially booked his first post-wwe gig. WrestlePro confirmed that The 40-year-old will compete at an event called Killer Smokeshow on September 21st.
Given the name, it does seem like his wife, Scarlett, will be fighting as well, but that hasn’t been confirmed. At the moment, Kross is guaranteed to lace up the boots for the upcoming show, with Richard Holliday officially being his next opponent.
Kross was actually working the indies a bit during his WWE run in 2025. He competed against Hammerstone at the FSW Mecca X: Beynefit For Bey show back in March. He also fought at Josh Barnett's Bloodsport the following month. Kross is no stranger to working with WrestlePro as he previously had four matches under the promotion in 2022. I imagine Kross will be working plenty of events as he is a high level name talent.
Could we see Kross in AEW?
It’s certainly possible. There were reports that Kross was supposed to come into AEW in the past, but that never came to fruition. Tony has spoken highly of the former WWE star in the past; with him outright stating on the In The Kliq podcast years ago that he would definitely like to bring him in at some point.
“I had talked to Killer Kross before. He’s a great guy. I love his voice, he’s got a great voice. He’s a great wrestler, a big, powerful, and fearsome guy. I am interested in him. He does great work and he’s a nice guy. I would be open to him coming in at some point.”
It wouldn’t be surprising if Kross went to AEW. But it also wouldn’t be surprising if he never did for various factors. Kross still wants to be in WWE as he made that extremely clear in the Ariel Helwani interview.
Going to AEW could ultimately seal his fate with his former employer. Granted, this is just pure speculation. There’s been plenty of ex WWE names who returned from AEW, but it could be seen as a slap in WWE’s face if Kross goes over to their biggest competitor. Whatever the case maybe, Kross’ journey on the indies this time around will be very interesting.