WWE SmackDown ended with a twist ending on Friday night when a pair of returning Superstars interrupted a long-awaited confrontation between Drew McIntyre and Roman Reigns. Reigns, who holds both the WWE Universal Championship and WWE Championship, was in the ring with his cousins, fellow Bloodline members Jimmy and Jey Uso, discussing his wild SummerSlam victory against Brock Lesnar. The Scottish wrestler soon came out, planning to physically take on the champ. However, a returning Karrion Kross and Scarlett appeared, with the former laying waste to the challenger.
As McIntyre, a former WWE Champion, approached the ring, the scene went into black-and-white as Scarlett appeared in the distance behind him. Kross then jumped McIntyre and brutally slammed the No. 1 contender’s head into the ring’s steel steps multiple times. Scarlett then placed an hourglass in front of the Bloodline, and Kross made it clear he wants a shot a Reigns.
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On Twitter after the Fox broadcast went off the air, McIntyre spoke out about the savage attack. He used the opportunity to share his surprise and take a dig at Kross, who WWE released in November 2021 after a botched run on WWE Raw. “Was I just jumped by the guy last seen wearing bondage and a helmet?” McIntyre tweeted. “I’ve had better Fridays…”
McIntyre’s jab is a reference to Kross’ disastrous characterization after his Raw debut. Kross — known as Killer Kross and The White Rabbit outside of WWE, was booked as a dominant force on WWE NXT, the company’s third televised show that showcases up-and-coming talent. He won the NXT Championship twice, and his presentation/entrance, which prominently featured his real-life wife Scarlett, was widely praised. WWE soon promoted him to the main roster, but the creative team, under now-retired/disgraced exec Vince McMahon, botched his run.
As shown in the video above, they wanted to make Kross — real name Kevin Kesar — a gladiator brute, and their strategy involved changing his in-ring look. He had straps across his chest and he had to wear a bulky leather helmet to the ring. Pro wrestling fans widely mocked the look. Furthermore, Scarlett (a.k.a. Scarlett Bordeaux) was nowhere to be found as Kross lost several key matches that were scrutinized for being poorly booked.
After this hiatus, Kross seems to be back and dangerous under new creative head Paul Levesque, who most know as WWE Hall of Famer Triple H. It’s unclear if this return will at all change the plans for McIntyre and Reigns’ scheduled Clash at the Castle match, but there have been rumors that Reigns might soon start defending his championships separately, which could offer an opening for Kross to squeeze into the title picture.
