Karrion Kross Breaks Silence On WWE Departure, Talks Creative Frustrations

Karrion Kross in WWE
Karrion Kross | WWE

The WWE contracts of Karrion Kross and Scarlett Bordeaux officially expired at midnight on Sunday, August 10, ending a run that saw them become one of the most unique on-screen pairings in the company.

Their profiles have been moved to the WWE.com Alumni section, and Krossโ€™s theme music has been pulled from streaming services, all but confirming the split after a week of conflicting reports.

PWInsiderโ€™s Mike Johnson reported last week that WWE sources claimed a new deal was on the table, while Fightful noted that the pair would be addressing their status soon. That confirmation has now arrived.

In her first public comment since the contract expiration, Scarlett took to Instagram to thank the WWE locker room, praise the fans, and announce that she and Kross are officially accepting independent bookings. โ€œMy time in WWE has been an incredible ride, and I can truly say itโ€™s been the best locker room Iโ€™ve ever been part of,โ€ Scarlett wrote. โ€œThese people arenโ€™t just coworkers, theyโ€™re family. I love you all, and Iโ€™ll deeply miss seeing you every week.โ€

Addressing the fans directly, she added: โ€œYouโ€™ve never just been a crowd. Youโ€™ve been our partners in every fight and the reason we give everything for this. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.โ€

Scarlett ended her post with a booking email and a nod to their pre-WWE personas: โ€œIf you want the Smokeshow and The Killer on your showโ€ฆ letโ€™s make it happen.โ€

Kross has now posted a 30-minute video to his official YouTube channel, recorded in the weeks leading up to their contractโ€™s expiration, detailing his side of the story. He described:

Months of silence on contract talks despite expressing interest in re-signing as far back as January.

Frustration over creative restrictions, likening it to being told not to โ€œhit a home runโ€ even when he saw a chance to score big for the team.

A feeling that his growing connection with the audience was treated as a โ€œproblemโ€ by some in the company.

Discovering from fans, not WWE, that his merchandise was a top seller, only to be met with โ€œwe donโ€™t knowโ€ when he asked about sales data. โ€œThe conversation I had recently wasnโ€™t even a serious one. That just profoundly disappointed me,โ€ Kross said. โ€œThe physical sacrifice of the performers wasnโ€™t appreciated in that discussion.โ€

Despite the frustrations, Kross said he and Scarlett felt โ€œreally supportedโ€ by their peers. He shared advice from R-Truth during a flight from Saudi Arabia that helped him shift his perspective: โ€œHe said, โ€˜You havenโ€™t won any titles on the main roster, but the one title youโ€™ll have for the rest of your life is the one the people gave you when they chose you.โ€™ And thatโ€™s real.โ€

The video concluded with Kross reading an emotional fan letter from a woman who credited him and Scarlett with helping her through three miscarriages last year, a reminder of the impact theyโ€™ve had outside the ring.

Both Kross and Scarlett have confirmed they are now free agents and open for bookings worldwide. Kross closed his video by reaffirming his original wish: โ€œWhat I would like to happen, I would love to stay with WWE, and Iโ€™d love, ideally, to finish my career there.โ€

You can watch the complete video below.

Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more on this developing story.