Randy Orton Calls Out NXT’s Karrion Kross, Demands He Jump to the Main Roster

Randy Orton took to Twitter early Tuesday morning and called out NXT star Karrion Kross. “The Viper” retweeted a recent Kross promo and wrote, “Get yo ass up here and let’s fight make some $ and crack a beer. Wtf you waiting for??? Time? F— time. Haha I’ll set my alarm.” Kross signed with the NXT brand back in February 2020, though many fans believe he and Scarlett are already ready for either the Raw or SmackDown brands.

Kross captured the NXT Championship by beating Keith Lee back at NXT TakeOver: XXX, but had to relinquish it a mere four days later due to a separated shoulder injury. He returned in December and started up a quick feud with Damian Priest (who made his jump to Raw on Monday), resulting in a victory at last month’s New Year’s Evil event. He’s indicated he wants the NXT title back, but current champion Finn Balor is preoccupied with Pete Dunne heading into the Valentine’s Day TakeOver.

Kross responded — “Sounds good to me.”

Orton has been locked in a feud with Bray Wyatt and Alexa Bliss over the past few months, though he did manage to wrap up his program with Edge on Monday by losing in the main event.

Do you want to see Kross and Orton feud? Should they get to it right away or should Kross get another NXT title reign first? Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments below.

It’s a little ironic that Orton would want to work with an NXT star, given how critical he’s been of the brand in the past.

“So, the leg slap comment was just me having fun and it got taken a little too seriously,” Orton said in an interview with CBS Sports in June. “I’ve been outspoken about the leg slap because I’ve seen more and more and more and more and more and more leg slaps. Same with repeating moves. Same with guys using the same move. It’s superkick, superkick, superkick, superkick. Or they’ve got that running knee. Every time any of those things happen, you get a big slap to the leg. That has nothing to do with the state of Tommaso’s physical wellbeing, but there’s that style. If you’re a talent and you’ve made it as far as NXT, which is very close to the top of the mountain … if you think that you have to go out there and get powerbombed on the apron after neck surgery, or if you think you have to go out there and do these dives and flips bell to bell just because the fans want to see half a dozen near-death experiences? I feel sorry for you because you’re not going to reap the benefits of what this business offers.”

“One of those is longevity. I don’t know anything about what NXT pay is like, but it certainly ain’t Raw and SmackDown pay,” he added. “I don’t know what you get paid for a TakeOver, but I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that, at WrestleMania, my paycheck was bigger than the TakeOver guys. Now, I hate when guys talk about ‘my big bank account’ or ‘my big check’ or this or that and ‘I’m more rich than you.’ That’s not what I’m saying here. I’m saying that NXT shouldn’t be the goal. Raw or SmackDown should be the goal.”