In a recent interview on Foundation Radio, WWE’s Karrion Kross addressed the persistent online rumor that he is unwilling to take back bumps during his matches. The speculation, which questioned his professionalism and in-ring commitment, was met with amusement by Kross, who detailed how the story became a source of jokes backstage among his peers.
The rumor gained significant traction online after a podcast suggested Kross’s push on the main roster was hindered by a reluctance to take “flat back bumps,” a fundamental aspect of performing. This led to intense scrutiny of his matches, including his recent bout against Sami Zayn at Night of Champions on June 28.
Kross dismissed the narrative as one of the stranger things fabricated about him over the years.
“It’s hilarious. It’s hilarious. This story has not stood out to me as much as other stories that were fabricated about me over the years. There’s been far more crazier things. I’m surprised this one, of all things, actually got any traction,” Kross stated.
He also shared that the rumor led to some lighthearted suggestions from other wrestlers about how he should handle it in the ring.
“Some of us were joking in the back. They’re like, ‘Dude, you should go out there and bump like Shawn Michaels versus Hulk Hogan,’ and then some of the guys were like, ‘Maybe you should just take absolutely no bumps. Just don’t take any at all,’” he explained. “Honestly, at the end of the day, I can’t do either of those because people are paying good money and spending very valuable time watching the show. I can’t turn the show into a joke for a strange subculture of people. I can’t do that. Obviously, as a professional, I would have never done that, but we were howling about it.”
Contradicting the online chatter, multiple WWE producers have stated that Kross’s willingness to take bumps has never been an issue, according to reports from Fightful Select. The match against Zayn at Night of Champions served as direct evidence, where Kross took several clear back bumps, a fact highlighted by wrestling journalists during the event.
Despite his loss to Zayn at the premium live event, their feud appears set to continue. Kross executed a backstage attack on Zayn during the most recent episode of WWE RAW, indicating their issues are far from resolved.