Killer Kross has opened up about his wrestling idols growing up – revealing how the Ultimate Warrior provided him with an outlet in his younger years.
Speaking with Inside The Ropes’ Lead Writer Gary Cassidy for Issue 18 of Inside The Ropes Magazine, Killer Kross answered our 20 Questions and revealed how Ultimate Warrior was his first wrestling hero, before naming a selection of “shooters” whom he sculpted his career after.
“The very first one was Ultimate Warrior, and the reason for that was I was very manic and had a lot of crazy energy as a kid, so I would run around my house like he’d run down to the ring. I just identified with that and the bright colours.
“I don’t think there was any picture I ever covered with crayons as a kid where I didn’t use every single crayon in the box and it was because he was covered in every colour you can imagine. So I identified with that high energy a lot as a kid.”
During the 20 Questions segment of the interview, the former Karrion Kross is opened up about the biggest locker room pranksters in WWE, his most bizarre fan interactions, and the surprising career path he almost took!
However, as well as naming Ultimate Warrior, Kross named several more stars – including the feud that broke his heart.
“As I got older… As a child, I was a very big Diesel fan, very big Bret Hart fan. That feud broke my heart.
“And then as I got into combat sports in my early teens, Taz was my guy. And then Gary Albright, Dr. Death. I got into Japanese wrestling, Kawada – because now I’m doing freestyle and I’m more engaged in martial arts, and I’m beginning to see the things I’m doing five days a week in the ring on TV, and that really spoke to me – and eventually Angle and Brock and all the shooters.”