Killer Kross is opening up about another frustration from his time in WWE, and this one had nothing to do with what happened in the ring. According to Kross, the company pitched him an opportunity to break into acting after the TKO merger, but despite following every instruction he was given, it never went anywhere.
Speaking with The Wrestling Classic on October 1, Kross recalled a company-wide meeting where WWE executives discussed how the TKO merger could create opportunities for talent outside wrestling, including acting and other entertainment projects.
“So, it’s crazy. Yes, I have. To answer your question directly, yes. A couple years ago, we had, like, this in-house meeting at WWE where, you know, the bosses were there, and they were talking about how the merger with TKO was going to provide, like, some sort of, like, transitionary connective tissue into getting into different types of lanes of entertainment.
And I was like, ‘Oh, that’s cool.’ They were talking about the Netflix deal and all that stuff. And this was, like, an all-in meeting. Like, everybody was there from the show. We were all sitting there. It felt like a university class. We were sitting at all these little, like, tables and desks and stuff like that. I was like, ‘This is really cool.’”
After the meeting, Kross said he approached WWE because acting had always interested him. He made it clear he wasn’t looking to leave wrestling behind—he simply thought it could help grow his profile.
“So I followed up afterwards once the meeting was done, and I said, ‘Hey, listen. I’m not looking to leave wrestling. I love wrestling. It’s my first passion. I don’t even know what life would be like without wrestling. But I would be interested in attempting to take on some, you know, different acting roles and stuff like that.’
I have a background in theater and such… I think… I could actually do some mainstream stuff in acting, and I could maybe create some new fans and bring them back into wrestling.”
According to Kross, WWE told him to check back in October and said they’d fly him to Los Angeles to meet people who could help him get started. The problem, Kross says, is that it never actually happened.
“And I was told to follow up in October, and I’d be flown into Los Angeles and they’d introduce me to all these people and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I followed up, and none of that ever happened. And then I waited a couple more months and I followed up, and none of that ever happened.”
While he admits he could always pursue acting on his own, Kross said it was frustrating to be told one thing and then watch nothing come from it.
“I said, ‘Well, I’m not dependent on this particular lead. I can pursue this on my own. I just wish that I wasn’t led to believe and told to do this. It’s a shi**** feeling, you know what I mean? Like, especially in a business that’s completely based on trust.’”
Rather than keep waiting, Kross decided to make it happen himself. He produced his own short film, Blue Evening, which he says had a successful festival run and gave him hands-on experience with every aspect of filmmaking. That eventually led to representation and more acting work, including his upcoming film Godshot.
“So I went out and I had some conversations with some people, and then I actually produced my first short film called Blue Evening, which did really well in the festivals, and I got, like, a practical education hands-on about, you know, producing, color treatment, scoring, directing.
Like, I just stayed on set and I collected a group of people to produce this film, and it did really well. Following that, I wound up getting an agent, and I’ve done a bunch of things that are in the process of being produced right now. A movie that I did called Godshot is going to be coming out either at the end of this year or the beginning of next year. I’m not positive when yet. It’s going to go through a festival run.”
Instead of sitting around waiting for that promised opportunity to come back around, Kross says he went out and built one himself. Judging by everything he has lined up now, it looks like that gamble is starting to pay off.
What do you make of Karrion Kross’ story? Do you think WWE missed an opportunity to help him branch out into acting, or did things work out for the best once he took control himself? Let us know in the comments.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
