Karrion Kross is a time bomb, ready to explode. “Tick Tock, Tick Tock…” Wrestling fans are a fickle following. On any given night, you can hear chants of “Let’s go Cena/ Cena sucks!” The crowd is unified with equal parts admiration and disdain for the face that has run the place for over two decades, John Cena. With Cena nearing the end of his run, his final match is slated for this December, the World Wrestling Entertainment will need a new hero. The WWE Universe has been chanting his name all along, “We want Kross!”

The people have spoken, but will the WWE brass heed their call? Kross boasts himself as “The devil you know.” He plays the devil’s advocate on screen, dropping riddles of prophecy that have mostly come true. He has won over the fans with his silver tongue and a cat-that-ate-the-canary smile.

Karrion Kross charms organically. He has never been force-fed to the masses. Instead, fans admire his character, his menacing look, and his charisma. He talks softly and eloquently to attract your attention. And attract, it has… people have noticed and they like what they see. He is accompanied to the ring by the visually stunning Scarlett. As beautiful as she is, she is equally as cunning.

Kross’ WWE Arrival

Kross is a monster of a man, standing at 6’4″ and 265 lb. Before he arrived at WWE, he cut his wrestling teeth in smaller wrestling promotions in the United States and Mexico as Killer Kross. His first stop under the WWE banner was their developmental promotion, NXT. Here he immediately positioned himself as a bruising powerhouse, eventually winning NXT’s top prize, the NXT Championship. A subsequent shoulder injury forced him to vacate the title four days later.

After his injury sidelined him for nearly four months, Kross returned and implanted himself back into the main event picture, winning the title for a second time a few months later. Within months, he made his first appearance on WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night RAW, losing in under two minutes. This was his first loss by pin since joining WWE. Kross would drop his championship a month later at NXT TakeOver 36 to Samoa Joe and depart NXT for the bright lights of Monday nights.

Kross Gets Raw

Kross would make the official move to the WWE main roster, debuting on RAW wearing a gladiator’s helmet and without Scarlett by his side. His new look was the subject of much ridicule, and he was subsequently buried down the card and phased out. Within a few months, Kross and Scarlett were gone from WWE.

For the next nine months, he and Scarlett were booked on independent shows across the United States, most notably Major League Wrestling and U.S. shows for New Japan Pro Wrestling. The dastardly duo would quietly return to the WWE seeking redemption.

Second Chances

For the next year, he would trade wins and losses with several superstars as a member of the SmackDown roster. He would later appear as the leader of a new stable, The Final Testament, with the newly returning tag team the Authors of Pain. A little over four months later, AOP was gone and the stable disbanded, leaving Kross and Scarlett to venture on their own again… but this opened the door for the “killer” to return.

He was involved in a feud with AJ Styles leading up to this year’s WrestleMania, which was held in his hometown of Las Vegas. Instead of a match with Kross, Styles was given a match against social media mega-star Logan Paul. Besides a brief run-in with Styles that cost the wrestler the match, Kross was left off the card.

Following Sin City’s “Showcase of Immortals,” a disgruntled Kross cut a scathing promo revealing his disgust with the company for not giving him a match at the event. The fans responded positively to his words and rallied behind the underutilized star. “We want Kross” signs and chants hijacked the WWE Universe, and his following had grown eager to see the “killer” finally get a push.

Killer Push

As a result, Kross would go on to have the top-selling t-shirt in WWE, passing popular stars such as Cody Rhodes, John Cena, and Jey Uso. As of late, he has been involved in segments with Sami Zayn, urging him to unleash his dark side. Kross repeatedly attacked Zayn with a metal pipe to the ribs to provoke his anger and fight dirty. During their match at Summer Slam, Scarlett handed Zayn the pipe and taunted him to use it on Kross, but the consummate babyface refused and instead defeated his foe cleanly.

In the wake of Summer Slam, their profiles were moved by WWE to the alumni section, and their contracts expired. WWE fans are hoping this is all part of the show and he will show up in the near future, and it will all make sense, but for now, fans have to swallow the bitter truth until it is proven untrue.

Un-Real

The Netflix series, WWE Un-Real, chronicles the behind-the-scenes of WWE’s biggest moments. Since the final episode of season one revolved around WrestleMania, WWE would be smart to pick up where they left off and feature Kross in the next season. They could follow him and Scarlett around backstage, leading up to his run-in and his post-Mania frustration promo, ultimately building towards the “Push Kross” movement.

His growing popularity has made him very marketable. Fans have eagerly awaited his autobiography, “Life is Fighting,” and his upcoming documentary, “The Killer.” Wrestling fans love to feel the emotional, real-life connection with the wrestlers they watch on television. Kross’ larger-than-life personality and authenticity are the pulse that beats life into the hearts of the WWE faithful.

“Tick Tock”

His star power is not only recognized by the fans, but it is also obvious to many within the company. WWE Hall of Famer, Paul Heyman, recently spoke on “The Ariel Helwani Show” about the fans pushing Kross to the moon, not the company. But the WWE does recognize his natural ability to resonate with the audience. His appeal to the fans is similar to Stone Cold Steve Austin, which might give them no choice but to strap a rocket to his back.

With Kross and Scarlett’s immediate future in limbo, wrestling fans are impatiently waiting for the payoff. Whether his contract dispute is legitimate or all part of the show, his fans have shown no signs of stopping. Kross is currently on a country-wide book tour, meeting fans across the U.S., building a larger following by simply being himself. If WWE doesn’t re-sign the “Herald of Doomsday,” then somebody else will, and their fans will explode. Tick Tock… Time is running out.