Killer Kross & Scarlett Bordeaux continue to fill up their appearance schedule as the two insist that they are no longer with WWE.
Earlier this week, it was announced that the married couple will be appearing at The Big Event EXS — where they’ll be signing autographs and meeting fans. They have now added a few more convention appearances to their schedule, but Kross & Scarlett have not been announced for any post-WWE matches yet.
Kross & Scarlett will be appearing at the following, with them billing the appearances as the “Killer Smokeshow: Carnage Tour.”
Mad Monster Expo: August 22 in Concord, North Carolina
Creep I.E. Aftermath: September 5-7 in Ontario, California
Silver Scream Con: September 12-14 in Worcester, Massachusetts
Scaradise: October 3-4 in Tampa, Florida
New York Comic Con: October 10-12 in New York City
The Big Event EXS: November 15 in Brentwood, New York
Kross & Scarlett announced on August 10 that their WWE contracts had expired and they were now taking bookings. While appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, Kross insisted that the situation is real and not a work that’s being done by WWE to continue building on his momentum as a cult favorite. Kross said he did not receive a WWE contract offer until last week. And when he inquired about how WWE came to the valuation of the deal, WWE gave him 24 hours to accept the contract or it would be rescinded.
Despite the apparent departure, Kross has said his goal has always been to be in WWE — and he would like the contract situation to be resolved with him and Scarlett returning to the company.
“One person involved in independent wrestling brought up they are charging a very high price tag and after the conversation said that they weren’t buying any of this,” Dave Meltzer wrote about Kross & Scarlett in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter.
In a move that could either show their WWE departures are legitimate or just be another step in an ongoing worked-shoot, Killer Kross and Scarlett have released new merchandise on Pro Wrestling Tees.
Kross and Scarlett both have new T-shirts on sale after announcing yesterday that their WWE contracts have expired and they are now taking bookings. The Kross shirt is named “Good Soldier” and has the following written on the back: “A Good Soldier Defends His People.”
Leading into his contract expiration date, a “#WeWantKross” campaign had been building on social media for months with a portion of fans feeling that Kross was being underutilized and disrespected. Kross claimed that he didn’t have a single conversation with WWE about his contract renewal until recently — with that conversation leaving him “profoundly disappointed” because of its lack of substance.
Kross did compete at night one of SummerSlam on August 2, losing to Sami Zayn.
This was the second WWE stint for married couple Kross and Scarlett, who were released by WWE in 2021 but returned the next year.
On Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer gave his thoughts on the situation with Kross and Scarlett and whether it’s legitimate or not.
Freddie Prinze Jr. had big plans for Karrion Kross to be part of his promotion.
Earlier this year, Prinze revealed that he has plans to start his own wrestling company “within the next 18 months.” According to comments he made recently on his Wrestling With Freddie podcast, Karrion Kross was to be the company’s first champion.
“I’m working hard at it,” Prinze said about the promotion he plans to create. “My champion, and I’d spoken with him a lot, was going to be Killer Kross. He was my guy, I was building the whole thing around him. We had kind of worked on the story, we had talked about philosophy, talked about his character, his wife’s character, with the caveat of, ‘hey, you can’t hold your career up to make my thing go.’ So I said if you get other offers, you need to make a living, go make a living.”
Prinze then revealed that he spoke with Kross the night before his return on SmackDown last Friday.
“It was actually Thursday, the day before SmackDown, I get a text that says, ‘hey man, I need some advice, let’s chat.’ And so I already know, I already know, and I almost wrote him the day before, ‘hey with Vince gone you’re going to get a call from Hunter.’ I literally wrote this text, and I said ‘and he’s going to offer you the moon and if you say no you are out of your mind so don’t trip.’ Then I deleted the whole text and instead, I just sent him a picture from this storyboard guy that is doing part of the show for me so that I can pitch it properly. I just sent him a picture of some of the storyboard stuff instead because I didn’t want to freak him out.”
“The very next day I get this text from him, ‘can we talk, I need some advice.’ We start chatting and he says, ‘I talked to Hunter, they made an offer and it’s real and I think I believe him when he’s telling me what’s going to happen and you and I need to talk.’ I said, ‘yeah brother’ and I told him what I just told you, I was like, ‘dude, I wrote you a text yesterday that I deleted because I knew this was going to happen once Vince left the company.'”
“We talked about it and I said, ‘look, you’d be crazy to chase my dream in place of yours.’ Your dream was never to be – I don’t want to say the name of my federation – your dream was never to be the Freddie P champion, it was to be the WWE Champion. I said, ‘I couldn’t hold you up from that.'”
“I want to see you succeed at the highest level and my federation is not going to be at the highest level, that’s WWE forever. We’re talking and he goes, ‘that’s funny, that’s the same thing my mom said.’ And I said, ‘dude, always listen to your mother, always listen to your mother.'”
“We hang up and then the next day I’m watching this segment with Roman Reigns and Drew and all of a sudden my champion runs out and just kills Drew and puts him on the clock. And I remember being like, ‘oh, they are putting a rocket ship on this man, which is what they should have done the first damn time.'”
The end of tonight’s SmackDown saw the return of Karrion Kross and Scarlett to the company. As Drew McIntyre was cutting a promo on Roman Reigns ahead of their match at Clash at the Castle in September, the screen went gray, with ominous music playing as Scarlett appeared on the entrance ramp. Kross appeared and attacked McIntyre from behind. Kross stared down Roman as Scarlett put an hourglass in the ring. She turned the hourglass upside down, with the sand falling to the bottom as Kross pointed at Reigns to end the show.
Fightful had reported on Friday that WWE had interest in bringing back Kross, who along with Scarlett was released on November 4 of last year after a short run on the main roster.
As NXT Champion, Kross was called up in July of last year and lost his first match on Raw against Jeff Hardy. He soon started to appear on TV wearing a helmet and suspenders. After being taken off TV, he was released in November along with Scarlett, who despite being called up to the main roster never appeared on TV.
Since being released, Kross has continued to wrestle on the independent scene, making appearances for NJPW Strong, Warrior Wrestling, and MLW. He appeared on Ric Flair’s Last Match this past Sunday, defeating Davey Boy Smith Jr..
Karrion Kross has been discussed as someone who could potentially return to WWE.
According to a report from Fightful Select, Kross has been “discussed as a name of interest” the company could bring back. Kross and his wife, Scarlett Bordeaux, were released from the company on November 4, 2021.
WWE has already seen one previously released wrestler return since Vince McMahon’s departure. Dakota Kai returned to WWE at SummerSlam on Saturday after having been released from the company on April 29.
Kross first signed with WWE in early 2020 and debuted in NXT that April. He defeated Keith Lee to win the NXT Championship in just his seventh match for the company at TakeOver XXX. Kross never lost a singles match in NXT until dropping the title to Samoa Joe at TakeOver 36.
On the July 19, 2021, edition of WWE Raw, Kross lost his main roster debut to Jeff Hardy in under 2 minutes. He was given a new look, entrance, and Scarlett no longer accompanied him to ringside.
Since leaving WWE, Kross has performed for MLW, NJPW of America, CYN, Warrior Wrestling, and most recently for Jim Crockett Promotions at Ric Flair’s Last Match
As part of Starrcast V, “Ric Flair’s Last Match” will feature talent from a variety of promotions, as wrestlers from Impact and MLW have already been announced for the event.
NJPW was also announced as having a presence on the card, although no specific NJPW talent has been named to this point. NJPW will present Music City Mayhem the day before as part of Starrcast.
“Ric Flair’s Last Match” will air live on FITE TV as a pay-per-view event. Here is the lineup to this point:
Jim Crockett Promotions Presents: Ric Flair’s Last Match (Sunday, July 31) —
Ric Flair’s last match (match to be announced)
Impact World Champion Josh Alexander defends against Jacob Fatu
Impact Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace defends against Deonna Purrazzo and Rachael Ellering in a three-way match
The Wolves (Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs. Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley & Chris Sabin)
Killer Kross (w/Scarlett Bordeaux) vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr.
The promotion announced on Wednesday that the match has been added to the lineup for Battle Riot IV. The event takes place Thursday, June 23 from the Melrose Ballroom in New York City. Matches on the show will be filmed for future episodes of MLW Fusion.
Kross is undefeated in the promotion after three matches. He returned to MLW in February for the first time since being released from WWE back in November.
This will be the second time Kross and Cross have faced each other in singles competition. Kross defeated Cross in a match for Maverick Pro Wrestling in 2018.
MLW Battle Riot IV (Thursday, June 23) —
40-man Battle Riot match
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone defends against Bandido
MLW National Openweight Champion Alex Kane defends against Davey Richards
MLW Middleweight Champion Myron Reed defends against Lince Dorado, La Estrella, and Arez in a four-way match
According to a Fightful report Wednesday, Killer Kross and AEW had talked about him as an opponent for Wardlow as part of the recent MJF angle.
Impact Wrestling regular W. Morrissey ended up being the MJF-picked opponent for Wardlow on the Wednesday, May 4th Dynamite, losing after a competitive match.
Fightful reported that AEW and the former Karrion Kross in WWE couldn’t come to terms on a deal, saying he was approached after AEW head Tony Khan said he enjoyed Kross and Scarlett’s work in response to a rumor he was originally tabbed for April’s ROH Supercard of Honor pay-per-view.
Scarlett was not going to be part of Kross’ match in AEW and Kross “was concerned that his introduction to the AEW audience would mimic that of his WWE debut against Jeff Hardy as opposed to the successful NXT formula that helped lead him to two NXT Championships.”
Since being released by WWE, Kross has worked in NJPW Strong, MLW, Warrior Wrestling, NEW and other indies.
Killer Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux are now married.
The couple (Kevin Kesar and Elizabeth Chihaia) announced on Wednesday that they eloped in Alaska recently.
“Hello Everyone, Elizabeth and I have recently eloped- we’re married! We flew to Alaska, hopped on a helicopter and flew to a glacier for a very private ceremony (then wrestled the next day, naturally),” a description of their wedding video reads. “We initially weren’t going to share this footage but after further discussing it; we’d actually like to do so and say thank you so much for all the support we get from you all. Whether you’re a fan, friend or family- you have all participated in bringing joy into our lives. Sincerely, Kevin & Elizabeth”
Kross and Scarlett announced their engagement in September of 2021. Although it is not clear when exactly the ceremony took place, they both wrestled in Anchorage for WrestlePro Alaska on April 9.
Kross posted a video of the ceremony to his YouTube channel:
Joe Dombrowski and Rich Bocchini welcomed us to Charlotte, North Carolina, and ran down tonight’s card: a Stairway To Hell match between Jacob Fatu and Mads Krugger, the return of Gangrel and Killer Kross, and the announcement from Cesar Duran on whether or not he is stripping Alex Hammerstone of the MLW Heavyweight title.
Killer Kross defeated Budd Heavy
Kross made light work of cult favorite Heavy by dropping him on his head with a Saito suplex, hitting a running forearm to the back of the head and causing a referee stoppage by hammering the back of Heavy’s head and neck with repeated forearms.
Kross gave Heavy two free shots at the start of the match before dropping him with a big boot while Heavy revved up for a third shot.
Hopefully, Kross stays around for a while as he will give the main event scene a nice shake-up with some fresh matches. The last time we saw Kross was a one-off appearance in the middle of the Von Erichs vs. Team Filthy feud before he signed with WWE for his run in NXT.
– We were then going to hear a joint announcement from Duran and Richard Holliday regarding Hammerstone’s World title but as Holliday was entering through the curtain, Hammerstone jumped him and they brawled to the back.
– To make up for the lost time, we cut to Los Parks for their latest culinary infomercial from their family restaurant. An unhappy customer questioned them on their chili sandwich and Los Parks beat him down before asking us to give them a good review on Yelp.
Gangrel defeated Gnarls Garvin
Garvin got on the mic, asked for an opponent, and got one in the returning Gangrel.
Gangrel was walking gingerly on his left leg but put in a good amount of time and can still do what he needs to have a decent match. There was no fire entrance, goblet, “red viscous liquid” or his fantastic Brood theme, but he still had the mannerisms and the fangs of the old 1999 Gangrel.
This started as a walk and brawl in and out of the ring, but the interest cranked up when Gangrel started using his circular sickle knife to cut away at Garvin’s forehead. We then got the announcement that is was no disqualification — thank goodness or Gangrel would have felt like a fool.
That was the beginning of the end for Garvin as after some more punishment to his busted open forehead by Gangrel’s fangs, he missed a top rope splash and was hit with Gangrel’s Impaler DDT to give the returning star the win.
– TJP walked in on Duran while he was on his phone talking about an investigation into his actions. He wanted to carry some gold instead of these “indie darlings,” so Duran granted him a Middleweight title shot. This angered EJ Nduka who was listening in to the conversation. Nduka demanded a shot at 5150 after they attacked him and spray-painted him, so Duran granted that match, too.
Duran then had to quickly leave as he got word Hammerstone was chasing Holliday around the building. The camera cut to the chase as Holliday was trying to call Alicia Atout for a way out, but Hammerstone ripped his shirt off and continued the chase.
– Savio Vega was then shown sneaking into Duran’s unattended office, pocketing some cash and releasing Micro Man from a suitcase.
Mads Krugger defeated Jacob Fatu in a Stairway to Hell match
A Baklei War Club and Maliliu Cane (Singapore cane wrapped in razor wire) hung high above the ring.
This started at 100 mph as the near seven-foot Krugger dove through the ropes and took out Fatu who was holding a ladder on the outside. Fatu came back and hit a big Samoan drop before hitting his impressive handspring moonsault while a ladder laid on top of Krugger.
Krugger beat down Fatu for a while, but Fatu reversed a whip and sent Krugger upside down and headfirst into a ladder in the corner. Give him credit: Krugger had his crazy bumping boots on tonight.
Fatu headbutted Krugger off the top of the ladder and brought his cane into action. A few shots to the back and the head had Krugger busted open.
After a commercial break, Fatu hit a chair-assisted coast to coast onto Krugger as the stunts and bumps continued to the delight of the crowd.
Fatu set up a table in the center of the ring but as wrestling law goes, he who sets up a table goes through said table. Both climbed a ladder in the corner and Krugger superplexed Fatu through his own table.
Fatu fought back and looked to have the match firmly in his control after a superkick and a uranage. But former CONTRA teammate Ikuro Kwon passed Krugger his club to use and Fatu was knocked out. He was then on the receiving end of a reverse tree slam to give the win to Krugger.
After the match, Krugger said CONTRA was reborn and he will build it in his image. As he finished talking, Fatu took him out with a chair shot before officials and referees pulled them apart, so look for this feud to continue.
– Backstage, Hammerstone was still chasing Holliday. The champion caught him and ripped his pants off this time. Holliday somehow escaped Hammerstone’s clutches and ran from the building in his underwear into a waiting limousine with Atout.
Next week:
MLW Tag Team Champions 5150 defend against EJ Nduka & a mystery partner
Killer Kross will take on Minoru Suzuki in his NJPW Strong debut.
The match has officially been announced for the Lonestar Shootout NJPW Strong taping on Friday, April 1 in Dallas.
A former WWE NXT Champion, Kross’s debut at Lonestar Shootout was announced on Tuesday in a promo video where he issued the challenge to Suzuki. The promotion made the match official on Wednesday.
Five matches are now official for the taping. In addition to being taped for Strong, Lonestar Shootout will be available for purchase as a standalone event on FITE TV.
Here is the lineup so far:
NJPW Strong Lonestar Shootout, Friday, April 1, 5 p.m. Central time —
US of Jay open challenge: Jay White vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey
Killer Kross vs. Minoru Suzuki
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Chris Dickinson
Rocky Romero vs. Ren Narita
Juice Robinson, David Finlay, Daniel Garcia & Kevin Knight vs. Mascara Dorada, Karl Fredericks, Clark Connors & Yuya Uemura
Killer Kross is set to make his NJPW Strong debut at Lonestar Shootout on April 1, and has challenged Minoru Suzuki for the event.
Kross’s debut was announced on social media today with a video showing Kross declaring his arrival in NJPW by attacking unnamed trainees in a gym.
Kross explained that he earned his name with his accomplishments in and out of the ring, then said that his new beginning starts in Dallas. He called out Suzuki by name, and ended the video with his “tick tock” catchphrase.
A former two-time NXT Champion, Kross was released by WWE on November 4, 2021 following a brief stint on the Raw roster. He has since worked an MLW event and a handful of independent dates, but the NJPW show on April 1 will be his most high-profile bout since leaving WWE.
In addition to being taped for air on NJPW Strong, Lonestar Shootout will also be available as a standalone purchase on FITE TV.
The lineup so far:
NJPW Strong Lonestar Shootout, Friday, April 1, 5 p.m. Central time —
US of Jay open challenge: Jay White vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Chris Dickinson
Rocky Romero vs. Ren Narita
Juice Robinson, David Finlay, Daniel Garcia & Kevin Knight vs. Mascara Dorada, Karl Fredericks, Clark Connors & Yuya Uemura
After airing a series of mystery vignettes that pointed to a Kross return, the official announcement was made during tonight’s MLW Fusion. Kross will take part in the SuperFight event to be taped for Fusion on Saturday, February 26 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Kross last appeared for MLW in 2020, working a pair of matches at a Fusion taping at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.
A former WWE NXT Champion, Kross has worked a couple of indie matches this month following his 90-day non-compete clause expiring after being released by WWE on November 4, 2021.
Here is the SuperFight lineup thus far:
MLW World Heavyweight Champion Alex Hammerstone defends against Davey Richards
Stairway to Hell match: Jacob Fatu vs. Mads Krugger
MLW National Openweight Champion Alex Kane defends against Calvin Tankman, Matt Cross, and ACH in a four-way match
Control Your Narrative: Awakening events will be held in Orlando, Florida and Dallas, Texas this March. The Orlando show will be held at The Tin Roof at Icon Park on Saturday, March 5, while the Dallas show is taking place at the Southside Music Hall at Gilley’s Dallas on Thursday, March 31.
The Dallas show is happening on the Thursday of WrestleMania week. It will include a pre-show that will feature “a panel of nostalgic ‘Legends’ who will be making an announcement that can very well change the course of wrestling consumption forever.”
Tickets for both shows are on sale now.
Control Your Narrative (CYN) has found it’s ‘purpose’ and is proud to announce ‘Awakening: Live’, a series of live events featuring combative PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING action and the real stories of those who choose to fight.
Headlined by ‘The Titan’ Adam Scherr, ec3, the newly recruited Killer Kross, and other top names in the field of ‘sports and entertainment,’ ‘CYN Awakening: Live’ is a live event under the guise of a ‘traditional wrestling show’ that will be everything but ‘traditional.’
‘CYN Awakening: Live’ will offer an unique, interactive experience, where fans can not only meet and greet their favorite stars, but watch them do what these world class competitors do best.
Control Your Narrative will soon be announcing more names for the shows.
It was noted that Control Your Narrative is “completely independent of any wrestling promotion. Set to an original score, CYN blends professional wrestling, cinema, and harsh reality in what will become the true definition of ‘creative freedom’ for an industry that desperately needs it and any performer that truly seeks it.”
EC3 launched Free The Narrative following his release from WWE in March 2020. It produced two cinematic shows last year.
Scherr (formerly known as Braun Strowman) was released by WWE in June 2021. Kross (formerly known as Karrion Kross) was released in November 2021 and recently became a free agent.
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SUNDAY NEWS UPDATE
We have a weekend show with Garrett Gonzalez talking all the news of the week up on the site today. Bryan and I will be doing a Wrestling Observer Radio show on the weekend news tonight.
In this week’s things that cracked the top 20 in Google searches relating to wrestling, MMA and boxing:
UFC was No. 3 yesterday with 200,000 searches for the Sean Strickland vs. Jack Hermansson headlined show
Dwayne Johnson was No. 7 yesterday with 200,000 for his no longer backing Joe Rogan after the footage of making remarks including usage of the N word on his podcast came out.
Jackass Forever the movie as No. 2 on Friday with 500,000 searches
Shane McMahon was No. 13 on Wednesday with 100,000 due to his being fired by WWE.
We’re looking for reports from the WWE show last night in Salt Lake City and tonight in Boise, ID to [email protected]
The top ten shows as far as ticket sales over the 24 hour period from Saturday at 9 a.m. to Sunday at 9 a.m were:
WWE tonight in Boise
Raw tomorrow in Denver
AEW Wednesday in Atlantic City
Raw on 2/21 in Columbia, SC
Smackdown 2/18 in Charlotte
Smackdown on 2/25 in Hershey
MSG on 3/5 with Ronda Rousey and Brock Lesnar
Raw on 2/14 in Indianapolis
AEW on 3/16 in San Antonio
WWE house show on 3/20 in Huntsville, AL
Earlier in the week we talked about Giant Baba on the anniversary of his death and talked about how he had title matches with all three major world champions in the same month. I’m not sure that any other wrestler can make that claim. The matches were:
February 8, 1964 in Detroit where NWA champion Lou Thesz beat Baba before 9,188 fans
February 15, 1964 in Cincinnati saw Thesz beat Baba before 6,124 fans
February 17, 1964 in Madison Square Garden WWWF champion Bruno Sammartino beat Baba before 14,764 fans
February 28, 1964 at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles saw WWA world champion Fred Blassie draw with Baba before a sellout 10,400 fans
UFC
Ian Garry vs. Darian Weeks has been added to the 4/9 show in Jacksonville.
OTHER NOTES
AR Fox returns to GCW on 3/12 in Atlanta at Center Stage. Jonathan Gresham vs. Blake Christian has been announced for the show.
AAW from Friday night in Merrionette Park, IL: Davey Vega won over Shane Hollister, Storm Grayson and Stephen Wolf, ACH & Jah-C b Camaro Jackson & Mike Outlaw, Ren Jones & Christi Jaynes b Victor Benjamin & Lady Frost, Russ Jones b Jake Something, Josh Alexander b Mike Bennett, Schaff b Fred Yehi in an unsanctioned match, Mat Fitchett b Laredo Kid to keep he AAW title, Silas Young b Manders in a bullrope match. Ron Simmons was the special guest (thanks to Leonard Brand)
Killer Kross returned to the ring on Friday night for Future Stars of wrestling in Las Vegas, beating Jacob Fatu via ref stoppage with a choke to win the MECCA title. Scarlett gave Fatu a low blow and Canadian Destroyer to set up the win. Hammerstone beat TJ Perkins and Brian Cage in a three-way main event.
WrestleMax St. Louis from last night in Affton, MO: Ryu Kendrick NC Eli Rossi, Marko Stunt b Ethan Price, Jake Something won three-way over Xavier Walker and Merc, Edvin Kudic b ATM, Kevin Lee Davidson b Blair Onyx, Moses the Deliverer & Rahim de la Suede b Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett, Tootie Lynn b Lady Frost, ACH b Mike Outlaw to win the River City title (thanks to Patrick Brandmeyer)
New Japan sold 1,610 tickets the first day for its 4/16 show in Chicago.
A horse named Stratusfaction won the third race at Charles Town on Friday. It was the horse’s first win in five races. (thanks to Barry Werner)
On this week’s episode of the TV show “Billions on Showtime, one of the characters was wearing an Austin 3:16 shirt. There was also a reference to a stuffed piledriver without protecting the guy’s neck and another line of “Kayfabe all the way.” (thanks to Joe Puccio)
