Karrion Kross opens up on his departure from WWE and what comes next: 'This is baffling to me, too'
It had been rumored for months that Kross was free agency-bound sometime during the summer. The former NXT Champion confirmed on his YouTube channel that he and his wife, Scarlett Bordeaux, became free agents Sunday. With speculation surrounding the confusing outcome and its legitimacy, Kross spoke in studio Wednesday on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show" to break down what led to his departure from WWE.
"The truth of the matter is, my contract was up last week," Kross said. "I never actually received a contract, like an offer, until last week. I think it was Tuesday, off the top of my head.
"I got the offer. I wanted to know how they came to the valuation of that offer. I just wanted some information, some metrics, analytics that support, 'Hey, this is how we got here.' When I inquired about that, they were unwilling to provide that information and told me I had 24 hours to agree to the offer or they were rescinding it. The next day we talk. I ask if they have the information. They don't. I said I can't make an informed decision without the information, and I'd like to keep the dialogue open. They rescinded the offer. That's actually where we're at."
Kross, 40, firmly denied that his free agency was some sort of storyline or work that would lead to something bigger in the WWE. The timing of Kross' departure has only fueled speculation, as it came after the controversial brief free agency for R-Truth following his contract expiration in June. Like with Kross, R-Truth's free agency was legitimate, but the outcry of support ultimately led to a new offer being extended, and he returned weeks later.
There's no non-compete clause to prevent Kross from doing as he pleases from this point on. However, he still wishes he were booked for WWE programming, after he and Bordeaux were supposed to appear on last week's "Monday Night Raw."
Regarding Bordeaux, Kross revealed she wasn't included in the aforementioned vague offer that he received before its rescission.
"Sunday, we get a message saying we're gonna be flown home. So, now we're not gonna be on 'Raw.' That didn't feel very good," Kross said.
"Never in my life have I felt more supported, like ever. It's so much support that I don't even know what to do with it, but it is motivating. ... As undesirable as this situation is, I still have hope that we can recover it, work it out. The support that I get from people on a daily basis everywhere is unbelievable."
This isn't the first time in Kross' career he's left WWE to look in from the outside. In 2021, he and Bordeaux were released from their contracts, rather than having them expire, before inevitably returning in 2022.
As an NXT product before he arrived on the main roster, Kross was always largely viewed as a "Triple H guy," since he was on the show when the current COO steered that ship exclusively. Unfortunately for Kross, they haven't been able to have as clear a conversation about where things currently stand.
"I had a conversation with him earlier in the year about all of this," Kross said. "They took a point-man and they put him between us to communicate. Now, the point man is responsible for all the dialogue. He knows that I want to talk. He knows what I want to do. ... I've made it very, very clear that I want to keep the lanes of communication and dialogue open. It's a very weird situation. It's weird, dude. I've conveyed everything. This is the way forward. Everyone just needs to stop being weird."
If Kross never returns to WWE, his last match will have been the trilogy clash with Sami Zayn from their feud that culminated on Night 1 of SummerSlam 2025. Kross went 1-2 in the series, losing the final match, which he was content with. Ideally, the overall impact of his loss would have been "bigger" than perhaps just a pinfall defeat.
Either way, he knew that was the end of his run — for now.
"I had a gut feeling," Kross said of SummerSlam being his last match. "I couldn't tell you why. My gut is never wrong. I felt in that moment this is the last time. I felt it all day. There were subtle things that I couldn't even tell you. I could not even convey in words, body language, energy, stuff like that. I even had a friend of mine tell me to do something for the live crowd when you're leaving to say goodbye or something. I didn't want to be unprofessional. This moment, clearly by design, is for the babyface to get everything back that I took away from him. I don't need to make this about myself right now. It's about him. I've been taking from him for weeks. So, let's do the right thing, let's be accountable, let's not go into business for ourselves. Let's not upset the audience by doing some sort of whatever during the show. Just go out there and do the job they're asking you to do, as I have always done."
In a way, WWE's latest handling of real happenings — such as with R-Truth or the fake Seth Rollins injury — has hurt Kross' current potential prospects. On the current docket, he and Bordeaux only have some non-wrestling dates planned, and the second biggest wrestling company in the world, AEW, hasn't reached out. The latter, presumably, because of the expectation that Kross' free agency is a part of a story.
Ultimately, nowhere outside of WWE is of interest, anyway.
"I've read it. I've seen it," Kross said of theories about his latest saga. "Everyone's thinking I'm just going to pop up under some company that's in the WWE umbrella. They're hoping I do because this seems so nonsensical to people. People are following the course of events that have happened to get to here, and going, 'How did this happen? This must not be real because this makes no sense.' Believe me, I also think that this makes no sense. This is baffling to me, too. It drives me nuts that I have to actually even admit that. It is baffling.
"I'm still waiting, man. I'm waiting at the table to finish discussing the things that we never got a chance to discuss. I think there's still a lot to talk about. I'm not fishing for any major television wrestling companies to call me. I have been contacted by several, but I'm not looking for that. That's not actually what I'm looking for. I would like to explore the conversation more with WWE."
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