Through savvy use of social media, Karrion Kross has caught fire with WWE’s fanbase, creating a groundswell of support, and like others before him, such as Zack Ryder, Cesaro, and Rusev during the “Rusev Day” era, he has become the latest cult hero.
There has recently been much speculation surrounding Kross’ WWE contract, with Kross himself publicly addressing the issue of whether he will re-sign, and this appears to have been resolved as of 10 August, when both he and Scarlett were moved to the alumni section on WWE’s website.
This certainly suggests he will be gone from the company, although the idea that this is another attempt to swerve the fans, as we recently saw with the Seth Rollins “injury,” remains a distinct possibility.
If Kross is gone, who can step into his shoes and become the latest cult figure to be embraced by the audience? Here are six potential candidates.
6. Pete Dunne
There are comparisons to be made between Karrion Kross and Pete Dunne.
Both have been underutilised in WWE for several years and, at times, saddled with ill-conceived and ill-fitting gimmicks — see Kross being forced to cosplay as a gladiator, and Dunne’s run as “Butch.”
Both also have the ability to get over with WWE’s fanbase — Dunne’s near two-year run with the now-defunct UK Championship demonstrates that — and both take the sport of pro wrestling seriously, with both appearing in shoot-style bouts at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport over WrestleMania weekend, where they were both massively over.
If Kross really is gone, Dunne is a prime candidate to be embraced as the next cult figure.
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5. Akira Tozawa
It was a long time ago now that Akira Tozawa first appeared on WWE programming.
Debuting in 2016’s critically celebrated Cruiserweight Classic tournament — where the then-Dragon Gate star impressed with his explosive moveset, hard strikes, and suplexes — Tozawa made it through to the quarter-finals before continuing to deliver impressive bouts in the early days of the little-watched B-show 205 Live.
You could be forgiven for forgetting this ever happened, however, as he has spent much of the past half-decade as nothing more than a comedy figure on Raw, fighting over the 24/7 Title and serving as the butt of jokes within the Alpha Academy faction.
Given the 40-year-old’s in-ring talent, there’s every reason to believe he could win the crowd over if given more time to showcase his skills between the ropes — perhaps even becoming the next underdog fans get behind.
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4. Ron Killings
Earlier in the year, there was a mass outcry from angry fans after Ron Killings’ contract was not renewed by WWE — forcing the company’s hand to offer him a new deal.
It’s impossible not to recognise the parallels with Karrion Kross’ situation — perhaps WWE is attempting to replicate the same scenario, encouraging fans to demonstrate the same outrage for Kross as they did for Killings, before ultimately announcing he has re-signed.
Since being brought back, Killings has appeared sporadically, been given no real direction, and even reverted to being a comedy figure on the 8 August edition of SmackDown, while striking up his friendship again with John Cena.
Killings will likely remain a cult figure in WWE, but not a pushed one — which might be exactly the cautionary tale Kross needs to keep in mind.
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3. Natalya
Wrestling as Nattie Neidhart, Natalya has made several non-WWE appearances this year, including most recently a standout bout with Masha Slamovich at Josh Barnett’s Bloodsport over SummerSlam weekend.
In the pre-match video for her main event bout with Slamovich, she cut a promo that appeared to shoot on her WWE gimmick, stating that she had “survived Natalya” — making it clear that “Nattie” was the real her.
This is something Karrion Kross also did, first catching viral fame within the wrestling world by shooting on his WWE gimmicks and push.
With Natalya seemingly attempting the same approach, will she find the same success and catch fire with the audience?
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2. Carmelo Hayes
In NXT, Carmelo Hayes was massively over with the regular audience at the Performance Center.
The former NXT Champion seemed like a surefire star in WWE — both charismatic and supremely talented in-ring.
That has not transpired since his call-up to the main roster last year. Instead, he has floundered and been placed in a middling tag team with The Miz.
Given his level of talent and proven ability to get himself over, with the right spark Hayes could be the next to catch fire as a WWE cult figure.
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1. Ludwig Kaiser
Ludwig Kaiser is another underutilised star on the WWE roster — one who is supremely talented in-ring and possesses demonstrable charisma.
His ability to get over has been clear recently: since donning the El Grande Americano gimmick from Chad Gable, he has appeared at AAA’s Alianzas show on 25 July, where he was massively over with Mexican fans, coming out to a huge reaction.
Even before adopting the gimmick, in his sporadic appearances on Raw earlier in the summer, he was getting reactions from audiences far greater than his push would suggest.
Whether as El Grande Americano or Ludwig Kaiser, the 31-year-old is arguably the most likely candidate to be embraced as WWE’s next cult figure — if Karrion Kross has indeed departed.
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