Killer Kross Seems To Imply He Turned Down AEW Offer From Tony Khan

Killer Kross was the talk of the independent wrestling world before he signed with WWE in 2019. After his 2021 release, the former-WWE NXT Champion has seemed to be much more selective with his appearances, with plenty of his fans clamoring for him to appear in All Elite Wrestling.

Kross recently spoke with the Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast and clarified his reasoning for being so selective with how he's presented.

"I'm open to working with anybody," Kross said, as long as he's "genuinely interested" in bringing the proposed idea to life. Kross addressed rumors of conversations between him and AEW President Tony Khan, but demurred on the actual nature of the conversation, saying "some conversations are meant to be private."

"I like the guy," Kross said of Khan. While Kross didn't go into the specifics of the talks, he was pretty clear that a phone call occurred, saying "there's a lot of people who upon getting that phone call would've just taken his money, and maybe they're in a position where they absolutely have to."

Kross went on to say that the ideas he heard didn't sound like the best fit for the performer, saying he is "gonna be honest" and will speak up when he feels that an idea "would be better suited for somebody else."

"I'm not going to do that to him," Kross continued, "I have too much respect for him and the place and my friends that work there to just take the money."

Kross doesn't feel it's fair to him or his fans to have him in any kind of a placeholder role. "I know what I can do and I'm not interested in doing anything less than my best work."

Kross (known as Karrion Kross during his time in WWE) initially found success in WWE NXT with a presentation that was similar to his style on the independent scene but was met with a character switch upon his promotion to the main roster. Kross believed the gladiator-inspired look was a way to "make Halloween costumes" and other merchandising opportunities.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit the "The Two Man Power Trip of Wrestling" podcast and give a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.