Karrion Kross has achieved something remarkable in WWE: becoming a merchandise phenomenon despite minimal television exposure. During his appearance on iHeart Radio’s Battleground Podcast, he revealed his t-shirts are not only selling out at live events but sitting alongside merchandise from legends like Stone Cold Steve Austin.
“When a guy’s only had one match on Raw all year and he lost that match and then he goes to Smackdown and he loses the Battle Royal and his t-shirt’s doing this well and the crowd is now cheering for the bad guy I think that’s saying something here,”
Kross explained to the Battleground Podcast hosts.
The merchandise success appears directly tied to fan support following Kross’s viral post-WrestleMania promo, where he referenced his previous “Killer Kross” persona. WWE has taken notice of the unexpected demand, with Kross confirming his shirts are now available at live event merchandise stands.
“I’ve seen photos of people posting up online that you can now buy Karrion Cross shirts at the merch stand at these WWE shows sitting next to a Stone Cold Steve Austin shirt on the merch rack,”
Kross noted during the interview.
The sales figures speak volumes about fan influence on WWE’s business decisions. Kross revealed to Battle that merchandise officials were surprised by the demand, treating it as an experiment that exceeded expectations.
“We sold out of every single size last Monday except for large,”
Kross disclosed, adding that WWE merchandise teams are now increasing production to meet demand.
This unexpected success story demonstrates how passionate fan support can translate directly into business results, even when a performer receives limited screen time. For WWE, it’s a clear indicator that audience engagement extends far beyond traditional television metrics.