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Post by cuppacoffee - slight return on Jul 31, 2020 8:28:14 GMT -5
So, I’m catching up with NXT after a lapse, and I’m interested to know others’ thoughts about this guy, because I’ve got a lot of opinions about him and I want to know how far off the pulse I am.
As far as I can see, he’s a *fairly* big guy (compared to the relatively small guys in NXT) being booked as a monster.
He’s being put over as a very big deal, with the jobber matches, the squash of Ciampa and now with this match against Dijakovic where Dijakovik played Apollo Creed fighting Ivan Drago and Keith Lee played Rocky, unsure of whether to throw the towel in.
It’s a clearly thought-out build towards a big face-off against Keith Lee, with Lee the super babyface having to overcome the terrifying monster. That’s fine, I guess.
If Keith Lee were booked as strong as 1980s Hogan, it’d be great. He beats the big bad guy, who then goes away or slides down into three mid-card.
But I have a horrible feeling they’re going to have him beat Keith Lee, and then have a big long reign, with nobody credible to defeat him.
And that would suck, because... and I don’t know if you guys will tell me different... he appears to suck a bit.
His gurning, OTT, “I’m a scary psycho” faces remind me of Tommy Lister as Zeus. He looks stupid, not scary.
His move set so far seems really limited. He’s done some punches and kicks, a DDT and that slightly reckless-looking suplex he spams in every match.
His finisher is a sleeper / nice cuddle combo (nothing wrong with that as such. Samoa Joe and Shayna both make a sleeper work as a finish, *but* they both have diverse, grappling-style move sets leading up to it / believable “hybrid fighter” gimmicks)
I don’t see what Scarlett brings to the act apart from rather regressive eye-candy.
His matches so far have a slow, plodding pace, again, as if he were a really big giant, when he’s not, he’s a guy the same size / smaller than main event guys of ten years back.
I suppose it’s supposed to be slow, menacing and methodical, but it doesn’t look like it when you have Dexter Lumis in the same show doing that far better, and with bursts of genuine athleticism to make you go “Wow!”
So, yeah. He’s a fairly tall, muscly heavyweight being pushed like he’s Vader, and everyone he’s cone up against, including guys who have given current top face Lee a run for their money, have been crushed.
Surely, he ends up with the belt for ages and nobody to challenge him for it, and match after match being a slow beatdown ending with a sad choke-out - the same mistake they made with Shayna.
Also, his super theatrical, campy intro is a bit daft if he’s supposed to be a no-nonsense killer. As an aside, based on nothing but my own dislike for his act, I bet he’s the kind of guy who’d be really upset if you described his intro as campy and theatrical.
So, yeah. Is that super-different to how others see him, or am i not out on a limb here?
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Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Jul 31, 2020 8:31:21 GMT -5
It’s not that much of a hot take. There are actually quite a few people here who really aren’t feeling Kross right now.
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dpg
Samurai Cop
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Post by dpg on Jul 31, 2020 8:33:03 GMT -5
I liked his schtick in Impact, although he is a bit pompous and considers himself some kind if philosopher. In the ring he's nothing great, or wasn't. Just kinda generic moveset and clunky. Haven't seen him in NXT.
Scarlett is the same, bit worse in the ring if anything. Always a step off.
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Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Jul 31, 2020 8:36:52 GMT -5
At this point me and other Captain have repeated the same message 1000 times with him
Disagree that Scarlett is just eye candy. The dude is a character, he's not a work rate machine. They are building him up but right now he is supposed to be a psychological monster who psyches you out before the match starts. He will bleed and he will be broken but he's a diff breed right now
He's not meant to be a hoss, he is just fairly built and carries himself well
He's been mixed. I love the dude but some people "don't get it" with him which is understandable but give the dude time. Seems like because NXT is giving him the biggest push in the back the expectation seems to be a bit unfair because he has only been there a few months
Personally, i'm loving the act. He's not even reached his peak yet. There are diff ways to do menacing. Lumis is intense and aloof but will put you down. Kross is loud and brash and tells you he is taking aim at you
In closing, give the dude time. If crowd was around I think the love he would get from the fans would be transferring but right now he is an entrance and beating people up which isn't grabbing people
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Post by Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) on Jul 31, 2020 8:38:36 GMT -5
It’s not that much of a hot take. There are actually quite a few people here who really aren’t feeling Kross right now. Nobody likes a mega push for a new dude If NXT didn't take their time with Cole he would suffered a bit as well because their was people that "didn't get him" until after he started showcasing his work
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Post by cuppacoffee - slight return on Jul 31, 2020 8:46:39 GMT -5
It’s not that much of a hot take. There are actually quite a few people here who really aren’t feeling Kross right now. Cool. Wasn’t aiming for it to be an edgy hot take. Nice to know I’m not alone. I’ve kept out of NXT threads recently, while I’ve been catching up, so may not have picked up in the general vibe.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2020 9:17:32 GMT -5
Boy did that entrance get old fast.
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warden
Don Corleone
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Post by warden on Jul 31, 2020 9:38:26 GMT -5
I caught his match with dijak. And I liked it. Kross has a cool entrance, but I think I prefer the beginning of it rather than the part where it goes full crazy with the drums and shouts.
As for not doing a lot of moves that really shouldn't matter. He doesn't need a hundred moves when he's got a few that's good enough to finish the job. And I don't see him as a psychopath. He isn't like lumis, who is clearly a serial killer that hits the iron and isn't lurking in the shadows like a typical serial killer.
Kross is more like a force of nature. A guy that thrives in chaotic times, is brutally violent and hard to put down. So I get the character work some are talking about. I really liked the end sequence in that match where he's staring down at keith even after the match he stayed in the ring and stared at the champ with daggers. While keith and dijak did their best rocky 4 scene.
I like kross, should probably make his choke hold look more brutal if he's going to use it as a finisher. Scarlett as eye candy I dont see the problem hubba hubba
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Dub H
Crow T. Robot
Captain Pixel: the Game Master
I ❤ Aniki
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Post by Dub H on Jul 31, 2020 9:39:33 GMT -5
My opinion of him is that Lumis does the Scary Psychopath much better.
I say this as someone that really enjoyed his previous works.Not sure what is not clicking
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salz4life
Grimlock
Prichard is a guy who gets that his job is to service his boss.
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Post by salz4life on Jul 31, 2020 9:50:41 GMT -5
I love him. I think he's going to be a star on the main roster. Just my opinion. I think Scarlet fits her role perfectly.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2020 9:57:19 GMT -5
I think he's pretty damn lame and his entrance is basically the only distinctive thing about him.
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Post by rnrk supports BLM on Jul 31, 2020 10:05:55 GMT -5
That time he convinced Paul London to club a midget to death was awesome.
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Post by Germansuplex on Jul 31, 2020 10:10:34 GMT -5
I think he's a ridiculous goof, but I want Lee to beat his ass badly, so they did something right.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2020 10:12:14 GMT -5
For those that do not like him for whatever reason that is perfectly fine.
But alot of people still keep failing to understand or just do not want to get it Kross is and always has been A CHARACTER FIRST that is his biggest strength and is what he clearly puts forth the effort into from his entrance to his promos , myself and other captain have constantly told everyone who has asked about Kross do not put your stock into his in ring ability he is good and can be very good but he is not gonna give you 5 star classics...but count on his character and promo work to always be top shelf.
He was never going to be everyones cup of tea but IMO atleast no one is on his level as far as character work...Lumis comes in at a fair 2nd but this is where the current enviroment benefits one while it is holding the other back.
You would absoloutley expect Lumis a total mute to excell in an enviroment where he gets to be a silent murder boy where when a full crowd returns he might have to alter his act and it may not work as well where as Kross without a crowd he can adapt but the full potential of his act will never be realized until a full arena of fans is chanting FALL AND PRAY and he gets to feed off of that.
Kross is 6'4 and carries himself as a guy who will laugh and joke with you like a friend and snap your neck in the middle of laughing and find that snapping your neck was actually funnier.
I have always been a fan since he was doing dark matches in LU and his promos captivate me again he isn't gonna be liked by everyone and that is fine.
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Post by saneiac on Jul 31, 2020 10:17:31 GMT -5
I'm only familiar with his work in Lucha Underground, where I considered him the most uninteresting part of that company through its 4 seasons. Even more uninteresting than the part where they made Jack Swagger the unbeatable monster top heel. Kross's contribution to LU was making scary faces and wrestling like shit.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2020 10:28:14 GMT -5
I'm only familiar with his work in Lucha Underground, where I considered him the most uninteresting part of that company through its 4 seasons. Even more uninteresting than the part where they made Jack Swagger the unbeatable monster top heel. Kross's contribution to LU was making scary faces and wrestling like shit. You thought him being the White Rabbit...driving the previously hilarious Rabbit Tribe leader insane and having him bash a midget into a blood pulp while he sits on a hellish throne of vines with his own midget ally imprisoned in a bramble cage uninteresting? Kross only wrestled what twice that whole season and IMO it was f***ing awesome...he kills Joey Ryan and then Kills Sammy Guevara all while before he gets kicked by like 6 others at the same time because he was wrecking them 1 by 1. That character was well on its way and Kross was awesome in the role and really unfair to compare him there to NXT because in his very brief appearace in LU the character already had an intriguiging ammount of depth...where as NXT has not provided this as of yet. And Swagger I am not gonna get into that...but he was a aztec god so there was a reason for the things about him and it was season 4 it did not happen lets move on lol.
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Post by cabbageboy on Jul 31, 2020 10:28:17 GMT -5
The dilemma with Kross is that as noted he is a fairly big dude, but he isn't that big or scary to be in such a role. It might be a Mike Awesome situation where he seems huge beating up on a smaller ECW roster, but put him next to Kevin Nash in WCW and he isn't so big. That's the deal with Kross. He can beat up smaller NXT guys but put him against McIntyre on the main roster and he isn't as big. Or against Strowman, he'd be dwarfed. I already semi noticed this in the Dijak match last week. The scary, bullying heel is about 3 inches shorter than the guy he is brutalizing.
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Post by häšhtå.gdālėÿ on Jul 31, 2020 10:28:29 GMT -5
I think he’s a try hard cheeselord who I can’t take at all seriously. I love Scarlett though, she has an ominous presence without the tryhard nonsense.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2020 10:33:06 GMT -5
The dilemma with Kross is that as noted he is a fairly big dude, but he isn't that big or scary to be in such a role. It might be a Mike Awesome situation where he seems huge beating up on a smaller ECW roster, but put him next to Kevin Nash in WCW and he isn't so big. That's the deal with Kross. He can beat up smaller NXT guys but put him against McIntyre on the main roster and he isn't as big. Or against Strowman, he'd be dwarfed. I already semi noticed this in the Dijak match last week. The scary, bullying heel is about 3 inches shorter than the guy he is brutalizing. That is not a problem if the writing is strong enough. Go look at Matanza/Jeff Cobb....dude is like 5'10 but the writing had you believing otherwise and it is the same way with Kross.
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Gus Richlen Was Wrong
Patti Mayonnaise
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Fun while it lasted
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Post by Gus Richlen Was Wrong on Jul 31, 2020 10:44:14 GMT -5
He's an instant channel changer for me. Absolutely horrendous on all fronts.
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