WWE veteran Ron Killings delivered a fiery response to critics during his appearance on Busted Open Radio, defending his recent character transformation and career decisions.
The 53-year-old superstar, who shed his R-Truth persona and cut his signature dreadlocks on WWE Raw this week, didn’t hold back when addressing those questioning his choices.
“How you gonna tell me why I cut my hair?! I do what I wanna do. It ain’t that nice time no more. I’m not angry. I just won’t be taken advantage of no more. Things gon’ change around here. I’m driving now.”
Killings’ comments came after Busted Open Radio host Bully Ray suggested he shouldn’t reference his “Truth” persona anymore. The veteran fired back with explicit language, asserting his independence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQNCZPCUa94
“Who the f*** he talking to? Who is he telling me who I am? I know who I am. They better put some respect on my name. I feel different. I feel more alive than I have ever felt.”
The transformation follows Killings’ dramatic WWE return at Money in the Bank on June 7, just one week after reports of his release sparked fan outcry. WWE subsequently offered him a new contract, allowing him to perform under his real name.
Wrestling legends Mark Henry and others have praised the reinvention as a powerful career move for the two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion.
WWE legend Goldberg is set to make his return to WWE programming this Monday when RAW heads to Green Bay, Wisconsin. The announcement confirms that the former WCW and WWE Champion will be making regular appearances on Monday Night RAW as the company builds toward their upcoming Atlanta weekend.
This marks a significant return for Goldberg, who has been absent from regular WWE television programming. The news was reported by PWInsider.
The timing of Goldberg’s return is strategic, with WWE positioning his appearances to build momentum into their Atlanta weekend for the legend’s expected final match.
Goldberg’s presence on RAW will bring some extra star power into the summer.
Fans can expect to see Goldberg when WWE RAW broadcasts live from Green Bay, Wisconsin this Monday, marking the beginning of his regular appearances leading into his retirement match.
Hikuleo is reportedly set to be backstage at tomorrow’s SmackDown, marking a significant development for the WWE talent who has remained off television since signing with the company.
According to PWInsider.com, the former NJPW star will be present backstage at the June 13th SmackDown taping. This would represent Hikuleo’s first backstage appearance since joining WWE’s roster in 2024.
Despite signing with WWE over a year ago, Hikuleo has yet to make any on-screen appearances for the company. His backstage presence at SmackDown could signal that WWE is preparing to finally utilize the talent in upcoming programming.
The 6’7″ wrestler, who is the real-life brother of Solo Sikoa and son of Rikishi, brings a strong wrestling pedigree and international experience to WWE’s roster. His extended absence from television since signing has been notable among wrestling fans who have been anticipating his debut.
Tomorrow’s SmackDown will be closely watched to see if Hikuleo’s backstage presence leads to any on-screen developments or if this represents the beginning of his integration into WWE’s active programming.
WWE veteran Natalya has praised Liv Morgan’s passionate confrontation with Nikki Bella from this week’s WWE RAW, calling it authentic and compelling in her latest column for the Toronto Sun.
The Queen of Hearts, who is widely regarded as a prominent figure in the WWE locker room, expressed her admiration for how Morgan handled the situation when she was excluded from Bella’s Evolution 2 promo.
Natalya Approves
Natalya praised the authenticity she witnessed in Morgan’s promo and subsequent attack on the former Divas Champion.
“When she was cutting that promo on Nikki Bella for being forgotten and she didn’t mention my name, and I’m the best. It was coming from her soul, I felt it. She was just in the zone. Nikki needed that energy because Liv is like, you know what b****, this is where we are now and you need to step up your game. It kicked off the story to where now I want to see them fight.”
Natalya on the Toronto Sun
Natalya emphasized that Morgan’s emotional response felt genuine and that the confrontation effectively established a compelling storyline between the two wrestlers.
The RAW Incident Recap
Nikki Bella returned on Monday’s WWE Raw to promote the upcoming Evolution 2 premium live event, delivering a promo where she named current stars carrying on the legacy of WWE legends. However, Bella notably excluded Morgan from her list, which led to the former Women’s World Champion confronting her about the omission.
The verbal exchange escalated when Morgan laid out Bella with her signature Oblivion finisher, making a statement about her standing in the women’s division.
Setting Up Evolution
Natalya’s comments reinforce speculation about a potential match between Morgan and Bella at the upcoming Evolution event. The veteran wrestler believes the confrontation successfully launched a storyline that fans want to see continue.
Reports suggest Morgan may receive backup from Raquel Rodriguez, while Nikki Bella could turn to her sister Brie Bella for assistance, potentially setting up either a singles match or tag team contest at Evolution.
Natalya’s endorsement of Morgan’s actions adds credibility to the storyline and highlights the respect the former Riott Squad member has earned from her peers in the locker room.
WWE fans have grown accustomed to, “Burn it down!” for Seth Rollins’ grand entrances, but the iconic phrase and theme song might be retired soon.
According to BodySlam.net’s Cory Hays, WWE is collaborating with a mainstream music artist to create a new entrance theme for Rollins, moving away from his current “The Vision” track produced by WWE’s in-house team Def Rebel.
“WWE is working with a mainstream artist to create a new theme for Seth Rollins. The exact artist is unknown at this time,” Hays reported.
The theme change aligns with Rollins’ recent heel turn, leading the dominant upstart faction alongside Paul Heyman, Bron Breakker, and Bronson Reed. The group is also expected to receive an official faction name in the near future, signaling WWE’s commitment to the storyline.
Rollins currently holds the Money in the Bank briefcase after winning the ladder match, giving him the opportunity to cash in for a championship match at any time.
Hikuleo is slated to be at tonight’s Friday Night SmackDown taping in Lexington, Kentucky, according to a new report from PWInsider. This could signal the long-awaited debut for the star, who has been with WWE for nearly a year.
Hikuleo, the 34-year-old son of wrestling legend Haku and brother of current WWE star Tama Tonga, signed with the company in July 2024. Despite being under contract with WWE and in NXT, he has yet to make an official on-screen appearance for the brand.
The Masked J of BodySlam.net confirmed his travel to SmackDown. The report stated, “Hikuleo has transportation scheduled for SmackDown tomorrow. “
Hikuleo had a decorated career in NJPW from 2016 through 2024. During his time there, he held the IWGP Tag Team Championship with El Phantasmo and also had a run with the NJPW Strong Openweight Championship. His arrival may be related to joining Solo Sikoa or Jacob Fatu following their split at the Money in the Bank PLE, when Fatu turned on Sikoa after months of building to it.
James Storm has explained why he never signed a contract with WWE, despite having an offer on the table.
The former Beer Money star is one of the few TNA originals who never made the jump. He made a couple of appearances for the NXT brand back in 2015, defeating names such as Danny Burch and Adam Rose in singles matches.
A number of other top TNA stars, including his former tag team partner Bobby Roode and AJ Styles, ended up joining the company around the same time, but the Cowboy opted to return to TNA instead. Now he has explained the reason why.
The former TNA World Champion had an interview with Chris Van Vliet where he went into details of his talks with the promotion back in the day. James Storm revealed that he was prepared to join the NXT roster full-time and even worked on his fitness on instructions from William Regal. Things started going south, however, when the company changed their initial offer:
“They gave me a contract; I went home and I got a call from Regal. He goes, ‘Hey, we definitely want to sign you.’ I was like, Oh, great. So I was going to sign the contract and all that stuff, and then he asked me, ‘Can you tighten up a little bit? Lose a little weight?’
I was like, ‘Yeah.’ I busted my ass and I lost 20 pounds. I got in really good shape when I got back down there. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh, my God, you look totally different.’ Because I always tell people, you give a man motivation, he’ll work his ass off if. So I did it, and then when I got down there, the contract had changed. They added 25 more dates, but the money didn’t move.”
James Storm noted how TNA, at the same time, had offered him a deal to return to the promotion with more money than WWE was offering, and he made NXT officials aware of the same. The wrestling veteran revealed that his wife wanted to have another child at the time, and he ultimately decided to choose his family over the WWE deal:
“Because my wife, she wanted to have another child at the time, but she had to take the shots and all this stuff, so I was basically kind of giving that up as well, because I was going to be on the road a lot.
We came to an agreement, and she was like, ‘Well, if they can just give you this, then you have my blessing to sign.’ Hunter is like, ‘I just can’t do it.’ I was just like, ‘All right, well, I’m sorry, my wife gave me permission not to sign, so I’m going home.’”
The 48-year-old later noted that he had one final conversation with Triple H about signing with the brand. The Game told him that Vince McMahon was a fan of characters, and with his experience, he’d be called up to the main roster sooner than later.
The WWE Executive however, claimed that he did not have the authority to offer him the deal Storm was asking so he declined the proposal. James said it was one of the hardest phone calls of his life, but in hindsight, it was the right decision for him and his family.
WWE Hall of Famer, Brie Bella, is reportedly in talks for a return.
According to a report from TMZ Sports, Brie is considering coming out of retirement to be with her sister, Nikki Bella, at the all-women’s Evolution premium live event on July 13. The motivation for her return comes after Liv Morgan made their feud personal by referencing Nikki’s highly publicized and difficult split from her ex-husband, Artem Chigvintsev.
Morgan attacked Nikki after a heated verbal exchange on this week’s Raw. Should they agree on a deal, it would be Brie’s first time getting physical in a WWE ring since the 2022 Royal Rumble match. A Bella Twins reunion would add major star power to the Evolution card and raise the stakes for their program with Morgan.
Bella is a former WWE Divas Champion and a WWE Hall of Famer, inducted as part of The Bella Twins with her sister Nikki in the Class of 2020. Alongside her sister, Brie was a central figure in WWE branching off into reality television. She was a main cast member of the hit reality shows Total Divas and its spinoff, Total Bellas.
James Storm got emotional over a wrestling moment recently.
The TNA original recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet. He talked about things such as making a career in acting, how he was put together with Bobby Roode in the Beer Money tag team and more.
The Cowboy, who is a former TNA World Champion himself, was also asked about the company’s partnership with WWE. Specifically, James Storm was asked about the then-TNA Champion Joe Hendry appearing at the 2025 Royal Rumble PPV.
The wrestling veteran revealed that he felt so happy for the company that he almost shed a tear over it. The Beer Money star also dismissed any criticism of the spot:
“I actually almost shed a tear. Because I was happy for Joe, but I was really happy for TNA. People can say whatever they want to say about oh, this was not a good look.
No, it was a good look. It’s the biggest show of the year, and they have another company’s belt in shot.”
Joe Hendry would later also appear at WrestleMania 41, being revealed as Randy Orton’s surprise opponent. The viral star would go on to lose the short match, but he insists that his loss did not undermine the TNA title.
Apart from this, James Storm also discussed never signing with WWE himself. He revealed that Triple H had offered him an NXT deal, which he had agreed on. The officials however, later added 25 more dates to the contract without more money, and the deal fell through.
The duo of James Storm and Bobby Roode, collectively known as Beer Money, is one of the most iconic tag teams in modern wrestling history, and there is a crazy story behind the two TNA originals becoming partners.
The Cowboy recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet where he talked about things such as his start in wrestling, never signing with WWE in his career, his TNA World title run, and more.
During the interview, the former TNA star also talked about the origin of the Beer Money tag team. He revealed that Dutch Mantel put them together because their contract was coming up. According to the former champion, the company actually intended to let both of them go if the pairing did not work:
“We were coming to the end of our contracts, and I don’t think they really knew what to do with us. So Dutch, he was just like, ‘Just put them together. If anything, we fire them together.’ That’s how I got the Dutch was looking at it.”
James Storm and Bobby Roode were both TNA originals, and they had worked with each other on occasion before. Though they really became a proper tag team and got their name in 2008. Together, they would go on to win the TNA tag titles a record five times. Beer Money also holds the record for both the longest single and combined title reigns as tag champions in TNA history.
In his early run with the company, Storm was part of another tag team dubbed America’s Most Wanted with Chris Harris. He explained that Beer Money was different because both the stars had been established by that point, and they could just go out there to have fun:
“So they put us together, and me and Bob was like, You know what? We’re gonna make the best of this. We’re gonna do what we can to it. The thing with Bobby is, whereas me and Chris had to rely on each other, me and Bobby was already kind of established, so we can just go out there and have fun and just act fools. So they had us as heels, and I made up some dumb merchandise that said Beer Money on it.”
Apart from this, James Storm also revealed that they came up with the team name during a casual conversation with Eric Young. They originally intended to annoy the audience with it but it soon caught on and became a popular phrase.
Mariah May has seemingly confirmed the inspiration behind her new name.
A name change was expected for the former AEW star when she made her NXT debut a couple weeks ago. The same was confirmed with a video package on this week’s episode of the development brand, with Blake Monroe being revealed as the new name for the female star.
The second part of her new name was obviously inspired by Iconic actress Marilyn Monroe. The fans, however, were not sure about the first name, with many believing that she should have kept the AEW name for better recognition.
The 26-year-old then posted a photo with her niece on Wednesday with the caption ‘B,’ seemingly confirming that the first part of her name is inspired by the little one:
Blake Monroe confronted the current NXT Women’s Champion Jacy Jayne upon her NXT debut during the June 3 episode, clearly indicating that winning the title was her goal in the Black & Silver brand.
The company, however, did not include her in the mini tournament they have announced to determine Jayne’s opponent for the upcoming Evolution 2 PPV
So it appears that the former AEW Women’s Champion will have to wait some time to get her first title shot in WWE. It’d be interesting to see who she feuds with in the meantime.
Mr. Iguana made an appearance at this week’s episode of NXT after becoming an internet sensation but according to the high-flying star himself, the developmental brand will not be his new home.
The Mexican pro wrestler recently spoke to Línea Directa TV, where he confirmed what’s next for him. The AAA star discussed his visit to the WWE Performance center and revealed that the company is planning for him to join the main roster soon:
“I’m there effectively. Like literally, I was in the Performance Center yesterday and they told me, you’re not going through NXT — you’re heading straight to the main roster.”
All this comes out of Mr. Iguana’s appearance at the Worlds Collide event, which went viral. The officials were quick to capitalize on his popularity, bringing him in for an appearance at the Money In The Bank PPV.
During the talk, Mr. Iguana confirmed previous reports that his merchandise was among the bestselling merch over the PPV weekend and the company is now looking into ways to capitalize on his popularity:
“I was literally taking pictures with Shawn Michaels and they told me they need you here because your shirt is the top seller in WWE, and you’re also the fastest-rising star when it comes to action figures and trading cards.”
It’s unknown what the company’s plans are for Mr. Iguana on the main roster, but it seems likely that he’ll be working with top WWE stars very soon.
Tony Khan addressed the crowd after two back-to-back successful shows.
AEW presented the 4-hour-long Fyter Fest special on TBS last week. They followed it up with the Summer Blockbuster this week, making history in terms of broadcast length for a wrestling TV show.
After the end of the second show, the company president came out to address the crowd. He told fans at the Theater of the Clouds at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon that they’ve all become part of history by attending the show.
After praising the performers who were part of the broadcast, Tony Khan talked about the tradition of pro wrestling in Portland. He mentioned how the city has been the home to some iconic talents, including names such as Playboy Buddy Rose and ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper:
The two shows featured many notable moments and announcements, though the biggest one of them all was probably the announcement of a rematch between Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada.
The two stars who hold the International Title and the Continental title, respectively, were announced for a winner-takes-all match at the upcoming All In Texas PPV.
They took part in a contract signing segment this week where the company confirmed that both the championships will be unified at the upcoming event. Though the segment ended on an unexpected note after one of the competitors joined a faction. You can check out more about it here.
WWE 2K18 is at long last playable on a Nintendo Switch console, as long as players are willing to pay big-money for a new console. The game, WWE 2K’s first and so far only attempt at handheld console gaming, proved to be a nightmare for fans to play as the system lacked the necessary processing power. Instead of exciting matches and compelling moments, fans were treated to painfully slow sequences and matches that often crashed the game befor a winner could be decided.
Now, the game is playable, at least on the new Nintendo Switch 2. YouTuber RGT 85 has uploaded a video of the worst games from Nintendo Switch and revealed that WWE 2K18 finally plays as planned on the new console.
2K Games have announced they plan to release new WWE 2K titles on the brand new Nintendo Switch 2. It remains to be seen if they prove to be playable at launch, or if fans will have to wait another seven years before a new game actually works on a Nintendo console.
A legitimate injury was the reason behind tonight’s segment at AEW Summer Blockbuster.
The Hurt Syndicate were part of tonight’s show, competing in a six-man tag team match against Kevin Knight, “Speedball” Mike Bailey & Mascara Dorada.
Before this match however, the group was featured in a backstage segment. The segment featured MVP in a hallway who proceeded to open a door. Behind the door were the rest of the Hurt Syndicate members, beating down Komander.
MJF had the high-flying star’s mask in his hand as Lashley and Benjamin were hunched over him. As the trio left, the commentary explained that the footage was from earlier in the night.
The masked star’s last TV match came during the June 4 episode of Dynamite, where he teamed with Kevin Knight & Mike Bailey to defeat the La Faccion Ingobernable faction.
According to an unconfirmed story, he suffered the injury while competing in a match over the weekend in Oaxaca, Mexico. Komander apparently slipped while attempting a rope walk dive and wasn’t able to finish the bout.
SEScoops wishes a speedy recovery to the AEW star.
The June 18, edition of AEW Dynamite will take place in Arena Mexico with a stacked card announced including MJF Vs. Mistico. On the June 11, episode, the two met in the ring and MJF held nothing back against the masked star.
Mistico made his AEW return this week and picked up a clean win. But things heated up after the bell when The Hurt Syndicate and MJF made an appearance. After the pair traded digs, MJF said that he only knows Mistico as “sloppy Sin Cara,” a swipe at his WWE run.
Mistico’s WWE run as Sin Cara was plagued by injuries, botched moves, and criticism as he failed to live up to the hype of ‘the next Rey Mysterio.’ He was ultimately released in 2013 amid a combination of issues, including a wellness policy violation and reported difficulties adapting to WWE’s in-ring style.
After Mistico’s release, WWE kept the Sin Cara character, who’d be played by Hunico. With tensions rising, it remains to be seen who stands tall when the pair battle in Mexico.
Kevin Kelly and the Tate Twins just hit a legal roadblock in their lawsuit against AEW, which will now play out behind closed doors. A federal judge in Florida has ruled that Kelly and the Tates must take their dispute into private arbitration. Judge Harvey E. Schlesinger writes:
“All disputes between Talent and AEW… [to] be resolved for final, binding, and conclusive arbitration conducted before a single arbitrator in Duval County, Florida.”
Attorney Stephen P. New, representing the plaintiffs, told POST Wrestling that “We look forward to pursuing the plaintiffs’ claims in arbitration.”
This lawsuit was filed in August 2024 against AEW, Tony Khan, and commentator Ian Riccaboni. Kelly has claimed that Riccaboni falsely painted him as a QAnon supporter, which allegedly played a role in Kelly’s exit from AEW. The Tate Twins, better known as Dalton Castle’s ‘Boys,’ claim that Khan damaged their reputations when he claimed they had missed events, mere hours after the pair were cut from AEW in April 2024.
Now, this case will play out in arbitration, making a public fallout unlikely, if not impossible. It remains to be seen whether the two sides can come to terms in arbitration.
The reigning Women’s World Champion Toni Storm competed at tonight’s Summer Blockbuster event, squaring off against Julia Hart in a singles bout.
Mercedes Mone, who will be challenging Storm for the Women’s title at All In, was in commentary for this bout. Mone joined Storm in the ring after she pinned Hart with a small package.
The Timeless One is known to get intimate with her opponents but this time it was Mone who initiated the sensualities. The TBS champion whispered something in Toni’s ear before dropping her opponent and beating her down.
Mina Shirakawa came out to make the save, and Mercedes seemed to retreat as the Japanese star entered the ring. As Shirakawa was looking after Storm however, Mone entered the ring again and took Mina out as well. She then picked up the AEW Women’s title and made Toni kiss goodbye to it to end the segment.
Though this wasn’t the last of the former Sasha Banks we saw during the show. She appeared in a backstage segment later on, challenging CMLL Women’s World Champion Zeuxis to a title match.
Zeuxis came out to accept the challenge and this time, it was the CMLL star who laid out Mone to end the segment. Tony Khan has since confirmed that the title match will be taking place at next week’s Dynamite.
The company announced last week that the current International Champion Kenny Omega, will be facing the Continental Champion Kazuchika Okada at the upcoming All In PPV in a Winner Takes All match.
Tonight’s Summer Blockbuster special of Dynamite then featured a contract signing between the two NJPW veterans. The promotion also confirmed that the upcoming match will be a title unification bout by introducing the new unified belt for the winner during the show:
HOLY SHIT THE WINNER OF KENNY OMEGA VS KAZUCHIKA OKADA WILL BECOME THE AEW UNIFIED CHAMPION THIS BELT IS FUCKING GORGEOUS #AEW#AEWDynamite
Prior to this segment, Okada was seen arguing with the Don Callis Family backstage which ended with the former IWGP World Champion calling the group ‘bitches.’ So it wasn’t a surprise when Callis showed up during the contract signing segment and engaged in a promo battle with Omega.
Just as it looked like Kenny was done with his former associate, however, Okada surprised his arch rival by attacking him from behind. Callis then provided the Japanese star with a retractable police baton to confirm their new alliance.
OH MY FUCKING GOD OKADA HAS MURDERED KENNY OMEGA WHAT THE FUCKKKK #AEW#AEWDynamite
Okada went on to unleash a brutal attack on his All In opponent, hitting Kenny multiple times with the baton. He followed up with multiple diving elbows.
As the medics looked to take Kenny out on a stretcher, Okada delivered one final diving elbow. This led to the former AEW champion coughing blood as the commentators reminded everyone of his recent battle with diverticulitis.
Netflix is developing a new professional wrestling-focused drama series titled “Tuesday Night Titans,” from former WWE writer Michael Notarile and Jon M. Chu, the acclaimed director of Wicked and Crazy Rich Asians.
According to a report from Deadline, the series is in the early stages of development. The show will reportedly follow a writer who teams up with her estranged childhood best friend, a “jobber” on the independent scene, as they both try to make it in the same massive wrestling company they idolized as kids. The story will deal with their personal demons and how the lines between “kayfabe” and reality become blurred.
The show’s title is a clear homage to the classic mid-80s WWF talk show of the same name, which Vince McMahon hosted.
Notarile worked as a writer on WWE’s main roster creative team from 2013 to 2015 and was a key figure in creating The New Day. The new series will join WWE’s flagship show, Monday Night RAW, on Netflix, which became its exclusive home in the US earlier this year.
Ricochet has revealed that his recent turn to a heel character in AEW was the plan all along. He stated that the evolution of his persona has been a strategic process since he first arrived in the company.
Ricochet debuted for AEW at All In in August 2024 and spent his initial months as a high-flying babyface. In a recent interview with WFFA, he explained that this was a deliberate part of a larger plan.
“From the very first day, I have been very strategic about the development of the character,” Ricochet said. “I’ve been very strategic about how we’ve proceeded and about where Ricochet wants to go… from the very beginning, this had always been kind of the plan for me.”
He acknowledged that while the journey to get to this point can vary, the goal was always to transition into a more authentic version of himself.
“Obviously, how you get there and how long it takes to get there, that all varies,” he stated. “But yeah, it has always been the plan for me to come in here and be myself.”
WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Bella has confirmed she will be back on Monday Night RAW next week in Green Bay, Wisconsin, as her new feud with Liv Morgan heats up.
Bella made her return to WWE this past Monday to promote the upcoming all-women’s Evolution 2 premium live event. Her appearance was cut short when she was attacked and laid out by Liv Morgan.
In a new Instagram post, Nikki referenced the attack and Morgan’s insult that she was just a “reality show diva.”
The confrontation has seemingly set the stage for a major match between the two at Evolution 2 on July 13. Nikki’s confirmation that she will be on RAW next week indicates that the build to their high-profile encounter will continue.
Bella was the main event attraction for the first-ever WWE Evolution pay-per-view on October 28, 2018. Bella, with Brie in her corner, challenged Ronda Rousey for the RAW Women’s Championship. After a competitive match, Rousey forced Nikki to submit to her signature armbar to retain the title.
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.
Professional wrestling storytelling has evolved beyond lengthy promos and main event matches, and Karrion Kross has mastered the art of creating intrigue with minimal screen time. Speaking on iHeart Radio’s Battleground Podcast with host Battle from 95.7 Big FM, Kross revealed his systematic approach to maximizing every second of television exposure.
“I may only be in the background for 5 seconds but I’m going to make sure that I’m doing something meaningful in those 5 seconds,”
Kross explained during his appearance on the wrestling podcast.
His method involves deliberate choices in wardrobe, positioning, and subtle visual cues that wrestling fans have dubbed “Easter eggs.” Whether copying other wrestlers’ hairstyles or wearing specific t-shirts, every detail serves a narrative purpose.
“You know New Day may be having a conversation and I may be about 30 feet away what am I doing am I just standing there? Perhaps I’m wearing a New Day shirt or I’m wearing somebody else’s shirt or you know my hair or my outfit.”
The Battleground hosts noted how fans actively search for these hidden messages, with Kross confirming this attention to detail is entirely intentional. His goal is creating what he calls “thought pieces” for the audience.
“Create thought pieces for people something to think about is he foreshadowing is he manipulating is he telling the truth is he telling half the truth these are the things that I’m that I’m trying to incorporate with what I’m given.”
Kross’s philosophy extends beyond personal advancement to respect for the audience’s investment. He emphasized that performers cannot take viewers for granted, regardless of their role’s prominence.
“I’m basically trying to squeeze blood from a stone,”
Kross told Battle, describing his approach to limited opportunities.
This methodical approach has transformed Kross into what fans call a “walking Easter egg,” proving that creative storytelling can thrive within any constraints.
Damian Priest opened up about how his best friend Rhea Ripley’s journey from Australia continues to inspire his own WWE career during an appearance on Cody Rhodes’ podcast “What Do You Wanna Talk About?” on June 11, 2025.
The former World Heavyweight Champion explained how Ripley’s willingness to move across the world for her wrestling dreams puts everything else into perspective for him.
“You’re talking about somebody who moved to the other side of the world… No matter what I think I can or cannot do, I’m gonna try to do it anyway. Because if she did all that, everything else seems so minuscule.”
Priest detailed how their friendship began at an NXT holiday party, where he initially didn’t get the memo that it was a “dry party” but ended up bonding with Ripley over music and conversation. He praised her ability to maintain her authentic personality despite her massive success.
“She has never changed. She’s still the same girl that I met in NXT. The kind just compassionate to everyone… willing to do whatever it takes to achieve her own dream without stepping on others.”
Speaking to Rhodes, Priest emphasized how Ripley’s sacrifices continue to motivate him, particularly when he considers the magnitude of leaving everything behind in Australia to pursue her WWE career.
“To me, what she did to achieve her dream… that’s why she’s in the position she’s in, cuz who’s willing to do so? I don’t know if I would have, but now she inspired me.”
The genuine friendship between Priest and Ripley has been evident both on-screen through their Judgment Day storylines and off-screen through their close bond. Priest’s comments highlight how their relationship goes far beyond wrestling storylines.
