WWE HOFer Bully Ray Thinks This Might Have Been Karrion Kross' 'Austin 3:16' Moment

Any modern wrestler appreciates having a promo of theirs compared to a legend before them. At the post-WrestleMania 41 show back in April, former WWE star Karrion Kross did not hold back on how he viewed the industry, more specifically, the company as we know it. In summary, his good soldier promo addressed the fact that it's not about being a good soldier - cutting your teeth and doing your due diligence, so on down the line you become an admired and well-respected wrestler; rather, it's about creating viral moments. Some compare that highly-critical deliverance to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's "3:16" promo, where he declared to Jake "The Snake" Roberts, "Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your a**." Known to cut enticing promos himself, Bully Ray doesn't dispute the argument some are making of finding similarity of Kross' words to Austin's; however, he doesn't see it as grand as the late great Hulk Hogan's Hulkamania era where his promos always ran wild.

"Maybe, that was his 'Austin 3:16' moment," the Hall of Famer pondered on "Busted Open." "But they're gonna go about it [in] a completely different way. Austin had his '3:16' moment, but it wasn't months later that the Austin thing kicked in, right? It wasn't Hulkamania. Hulkamania was overnight...That's why you can't compare anybody to Hulk Hogan. No matter where he shows up on the planet [snaps his fingers], instant success. Steve cuts the '3:16' promo, and it takes time. Maybe that promo was Karrion Kross' '3:16' moment."

Whichever side of the coin spectators take, Kross' speech did leave a profound impression, as more fans within the WWE Universe rallied around the fall and prey predator by showing their support with more "We Want Kross" posters and chants. Sadly, that run's potential was cut immensely short due to a lack of a new contractual agreement between WWE and Kross & Scarlett. Wanting to put that moment and them in the past, higher ups within the company requested for fans' signs to be confiscated just a day after their departure. Kross' WrestleMania 41 moment will remain a big "what if" in the industry for years to come.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.