Kemo
10-12-2023, 08:08 PM
Bray Wyatt had wanted to face Karrion Kross for years and the pair almost had that long-awaited showdown earlier this year.
Wyatt, real name Windham Rotunda, died in August of this year at the age of 36. The three-time World Champion was taken off of TV earlier this year due to health issues during a budding program with Bobby Lashley. Instead of competing at WrestleMania, Lashley would celebrate with the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy he'd won on the go-home SmackDown.
Wyatt and Kross never shared the ring, despite both men wanting the match to happen. During his interview with Insight, Kross told host Chris Van Vliet that a match between the pair was something Wyatt had been expecting for a long time.
"Windham and I were talking on and off for a long time. When I was an extra in WWE he would always talk backstage. It'd never be about wrestling, it'd be about horror movies or tattoos or music... We weren't 'friends' but he was very warm to me.
"And I think it was about 2018 or 2019 he reached out to me like 'We need to dance.' And I was like 'Alright.' I was blown away that somebody that I look up to as a performer is talking to me. Indie Killer Kross who hasn't made a name yet or drawn any money."
After Kross made his way to WWE, Wyatt was more convinced than ever about the match and believed only one show could play host to the contest.
"As we got closer to that time, I ended up getting on board with NXT. We do the entrance, suplex Leon Ruff on his head a couple of times [and] choke him. And he reaches out again and he's like 'It's going to be me and you at WrestleMania one day.' I always thought -- I just always thought him and I were going to do this in a different capacity. Oh my God, I'm getting upset."
Both Karrion Kross & Bray Wyatt were released from WWE in 2021 and both returned to the company in 2022. In the interview, Kross revealed that there were at one time plans for the pair to face at this year's WrestleMania.
"Fast forward, we were supposed to work last WrestleMania. Nobody knew that, except for a collection of writers and some people in the office. We were slated to do something. We would talk for hours about how we wanted to get into it, what we wanted to deliver creatively for people. Where we thought we both needed to be. We had ideas for Alexa [Bliss], Bo [Dallas], Scarlett, and then everything happened the way it did."
While Kross never got his WrestleMania match with Wyatt, the three-time World Champion left an unmistakable mark on Kross and others.
"He left a mark on everybody and anybody he ever met. It's just very strange, the way, everything played out. Beautiful and tragic, and he was an inspiration to me. [He] always showed me warmth, he showed everybody warmth. I have more stories than we have time to share, but we were cool."
Kross was one of several WWE personnel who got Wyatt-themed tattoos after his passing. The artist responsible for those tattoos later said that money raised from Wyatt-related ink would be donated to Rotunda's family.
Wyatt, real name Windham Rotunda, died in August of this year at the age of 36. The three-time World Champion was taken off of TV earlier this year due to health issues during a budding program with Bobby Lashley. Instead of competing at WrestleMania, Lashley would celebrate with the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal trophy he'd won on the go-home SmackDown.
Wyatt and Kross never shared the ring, despite both men wanting the match to happen. During his interview with Insight, Kross told host Chris Van Vliet that a match between the pair was something Wyatt had been expecting for a long time.
"Windham and I were talking on and off for a long time. When I was an extra in WWE he would always talk backstage. It'd never be about wrestling, it'd be about horror movies or tattoos or music... We weren't 'friends' but he was very warm to me.
"And I think it was about 2018 or 2019 he reached out to me like 'We need to dance.' And I was like 'Alright.' I was blown away that somebody that I look up to as a performer is talking to me. Indie Killer Kross who hasn't made a name yet or drawn any money."
After Kross made his way to WWE, Wyatt was more convinced than ever about the match and believed only one show could play host to the contest.
"As we got closer to that time, I ended up getting on board with NXT. We do the entrance, suplex Leon Ruff on his head a couple of times [and] choke him. And he reaches out again and he's like 'It's going to be me and you at WrestleMania one day.' I always thought -- I just always thought him and I were going to do this in a different capacity. Oh my God, I'm getting upset."
Both Karrion Kross & Bray Wyatt were released from WWE in 2021 and both returned to the company in 2022. In the interview, Kross revealed that there were at one time plans for the pair to face at this year's WrestleMania.
"Fast forward, we were supposed to work last WrestleMania. Nobody knew that, except for a collection of writers and some people in the office. We were slated to do something. We would talk for hours about how we wanted to get into it, what we wanted to deliver creatively for people. Where we thought we both needed to be. We had ideas for Alexa [Bliss], Bo [Dallas], Scarlett, and then everything happened the way it did."
While Kross never got his WrestleMania match with Wyatt, the three-time World Champion left an unmistakable mark on Kross and others.
"He left a mark on everybody and anybody he ever met. It's just very strange, the way, everything played out. Beautiful and tragic, and he was an inspiration to me. [He] always showed me warmth, he showed everybody warmth. I have more stories than we have time to share, but we were cool."
Kross was one of several WWE personnel who got Wyatt-themed tattoos after his passing. The artist responsible for those tattoos later said that money raised from Wyatt-related ink would be donated to Rotunda's family.